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Every build of Windows from Windows 8 build 8400 (the Release Preview) to Windows 10 build 9926 is compatible with the themes of the builds before it. What do I mean by this? Under Windows 8 RTM (9200), you can run 8400's theme natively along with the default. Under 8.1, any theme for 8.0 and 8400 can load. Same goes for early 10 builds. Under 9841, any Windows 8.1, 8.0, and 8400 visual style runs without many issues. This seemed to stop around 9926 due to the visual style engine changing, I assume. Here's three versions of aero.msstyles running under 9926 with no issues. (8400, 9600, and 9841 respectively)





If you patch uxtheme, you can run any 8.x visual style under 9926, but the caption buttons will be huge due to it being Windows 10, and most of the taskbar textures being missing due to msstyles losing the ability to skin the taskbar as well. Here's Simplex's Windows 7 Aero visual style also running under 9926.



And I will reiterate, this will also work with any version of Windows between 8400 and 9926, but you can not use themes newer than the OS you're using. (i.e. 9841's aero.msstyles under 8400) And if there are builds before 8400 and after 9926 that also work with this, please correct me.

I would like someone to port Simplex's theme to properly work on 8.0, or at least have a good 8.0 Windows 7 style theme.

More on topic is that the 8400 theme has issues with task manager on 9200, which is why I use a custom CP theme, although I would more prefer a Windows 7 theme with the CP frames, and a taskbar with the CP frame texture.

The native 8400 theme is pretty buggy on anything that isn't 8400 anyway. If I use 8.1, I either use Simplex's 7 Aero theme or a custom Consumer Preview theme. None of these combos are perfect at all, it's just strange it worked for so long.

Fun fact: This same thing happens with 7 beta builds as well, I might make a new thread with that some time down the road.

SkyeWeeb wrote: *

07 Jun 2021, 07:25

Fun fact: This same thing happens with 7 beta builds as well, I might make a new thread with that some time down the road.

Imagine making a useless new thread for this, I'll just post them here. Unlike 8.x and 10, these mostly work both ways, and with beta builds. Mix and match them if you can and see what cursed goodness you can get.

6801 VS under 7601:


7000 VS under 6002:


6608 VS under 7601:


7000 VS under 6608:


7601 VS under 6608: (i think)


6608 VS under 6801:


7000 VS under 6801:

Any theme from Windows 8 builds earlier than 8400 (E.G. Windows 8 Build 8277) does not work. After applying the theme, you get a black screen (even with the lock screen disabled), requiring you to load up a Windows 8 USB and use System Restore from it to get it working again. Simply deleting the theme files from another version of Windows does not work apparently. If you don't have a restore point, most likely you will have to use Reset This PC.

The 8400 Theme works nicely on 8.1. No bugs and I did not have to patch anything.

Moline wrote: *

30 Jun 2021, 14:40

Any theme from Windows 8 builds earlier than 8400 (E.G. Windows 8 Build 8277) does not work. After applying the theme, you get a black screen (even with the lock screen disabled), requiring you to load up a Windows 8 USB and use System Restore from it to get it working again. Simply deleting the theme files from another version of Windows does not work apparently. If you don't have a restore point, most likely you will have to use Reset This PC.

The 8400 Theme works nicely on 8.1. No bugs and I did not have to patch anything.

That's kinda why I only mentioned 8400. I should also mention that any 8 build's visual style can work under 7 with modifications, as long as you're willing to give up DWM. The taskbar is proof of the visual style change, along with middle captions strangely.