HELP!!!! - Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Reply #1 January 23, 2005 11:31 PM from

Stardock Forums Top

i mean when i click on "download" a dowload window pops up. After I click open folder another window pops up and only gives me 2 options. SAVE or CANCLE.... the file never downloas, is this something wrong with my internet settings or its the website that not letting me download???

Reply #2 January 24, 2005 1:43 AM from

WinCustomize Forums Top

x5xKilla4Lifex5x,

It only seems complicated at first. Once you have done it a few times, it becomes easy and you will gain a better understanding of what you are doing and why.

First, you will want to click "Save" in the window that pops up after clicking "download", then another window should pop-up allowing you to browse to where you want to save the file to. I usually save to the "My Documents" folder (this is known as "Saving to disc").

After the download is complete, open the folder where you downloaded the file to.

You should have either a .zip file or an icon of some sort with (or without) a file extension at the end of the file name. For this exercise, if you are running Windows XP, you should go to the "Tools" menu at the top of the window and select "Folder Options". In the "Folder Options" dialog click the "View" tab and look for a selection called "Hide extensions for known file types" (it is a couple items below "Hidden files and folders") - make sure this is deselected and then click "OK".

Back to the downloaded file:

If it is a .zip file, then the first thing to do is to extract (or unzip) the file to see what is inside. For Windows XP, just right-click the folder icon and select "Extract all ..." and click "next" a couple of times, then click "finish". You will need a program like "Winzip" for Windows 9x or 2000 versions.

This should have opened a window showing you the contents of the .zip folder. You should see a file with the theme name and a .suite extension. If this is the case then we can move this file directly to the proper folder, or load it with Theme Manager.

If the downloaded file is a .suite, or a normal folder with the .suite file inside, then there is no need to unzip it.

Windows XP Service Pack 2 has also thrown a wrench in the works - If you open the .zip file and find a few folders (i.e. WindowBlinds, IconPackager, etc.), you simply close the folder, highlight the name with extension, and change the .zip extension to .suite (don't change the name, just the extension after the "dot") - then click yes to verify you want to change the extension. The service pack 2 can download the file as a .zip instead of say a .suite (Theme Manager suite) or .wba (windowblinds) - I believe this is done to protect the computer from possible malicious files.

Now that you have a .suite file, you can go to the next step.

To load a suite, do one of the following:

1. Move the .suite file to "C:\Program Files\Stardock\Object Desktop\ThemeManager\themes" folder (this is where the file should end up no matter the method of getting it there). If your letter drive is not "C" then substitute your drive letter for "C" above. With this method, you then start "Theme Manager", find the theme in the list and click "Apply".

2. Start "Theme Manager", then go to "File" menu and select "Open suite", this will open a window that will allow you to navigate to and select the .suite file you just downloaded. Select the file, click "open", then click "Apply" in the Theme Manager dialog (bottom right button). Depending on your settings, the theme will either go immediately to the application operation, or you will be presented with another window allowing you to select which parts of the theme you want to apply. If presented with another window, just verify that you want to apply now.

Please be aware that the theme will only apply to those applications which are installed on your computer. So, for instance, if there is a sysmetrix or bootskin and you do not have either of those programs installed, it will recognize the fact and ask you if you want to download the programs to enable their application - just make your choice and keep on going until the application operation is complete and your new computer visual style is applied.

Have fun.

Hope I have not confused you, it can be quite simple once you understand the processes.