what were you using to customize these components? If it was some sort of dll crack then that type of behavior should be expected.

Get Windowblinds and be done with it.

Quick! Hide this thread before Yrag sees it!

I used nothing, I did it by hand via takeown and icacls (http://windows7themes.net/how-to-replace-explorer-exe-in-windows-7.html), but I also used the CustoPack Toolkit which gave the same error.

What is wrong with my thread?

Thanks for your help, I'll try WindowBlinds. Does it have the option to switch arbitrary DLLs?

You can restore your windows using the elevated command prompt... sfc/ scannow

(Just go to the command prompt and type it in) I hope it saves you a complete restore/reinstall.

With Windowblinds, and its other programs (Icon Packager, and CursorFX Plus, etc.) you can modify the looks of your system without changing ANY part of Windows. To use Visual Styles one has to run a patch to allow unsigned themes to be use, not so with Windowblinds and its many skins.

With WPA I had so much trouble with it that I eventually started using cracks to bypass activation altogether under both XP and Vista even though they were both legal copies. So far I haven had that problem with Windows 7. WPA also had many problems telling the difference btween a hardware update or a software one.

But then I'm unable to use custom themes like the ones from deviantart, right?

That's a pity, can any of you recommend a nice Windowblinds theme?

Yes that's where I am looking right now

To use their Visual Styles themes all you have to do is apply one patch to allow unsigned VS to be used, but Windowblinds is easier to use.

BTW, if you buy a subscription to Wincustomize you can also get 20% off of premium skins as well as other benefits.

https://www.wincustomize.com/shop

I know., that's why it is better to use something like Windowblinds instead.

....now that's rich.