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BACKING-UP SKINS AND THEMES 101
This is a mini tutorial designed to help beginners locate and then save the skins, themes, objects, and widgets that have been installed.
I have created this mini tutorial using Windows XP in the default settings, and running Object Desktop.
Let's first take a look at the three directories (folders) that are created when installing Windows XP on your computer - shown in the image below.
WINDOWS folder - this is where the Windows XP operating system files are written to and kept. The operating system refers to, and uses, these files to do its job.
Program Files folder - this is where your software programs install to by default, and where they keep their files. This is where you should go to work with the "program directories".
Documents and Settings folder - this is where the Windows XP operating system keeps the settings for user account preferences, such as the contents of special folders like "My Documents", "My Music", and "My Pictures". Your web browser "Favorites", E-Mail files, Start Menu settings, and Desktop preferences are also kept here.
For the purpose of locating skin files so that we can back them up, we will be working in the Program Files folder. The common address for this folder is "C:\Program Files".
STEP #1 - Click the Start button > click My Computer > open the Local Disk (C:) > open the Program Files folder > open the Stardock folder as shown in the image below.
Note – if you are an Object Desktop subscriber, and have installed the programs using your Object Desktop product key, you will see the Object Desktop folder inside the Stardock as shown. If you are running the stand-alone version of one of the Stardock products, you may see the program folders here (i.e., WindowBlinds).
STEP #2 – open the Object Desktop folder to view the program folders as shown in the image below - (again, if you do not have an Object Desktop folder, you should see the program folders inside of the Stardock folder shown above).
There are currently two default locations for skins and themes – (1) skin/theme folders are located directly inside the program folder, and (2) skin/theme folders are located inside a “Themes” folder in the program folder. Below, I have shown an example of each, and have listed the programs using that method below the image.
STEP #3 – here is an example of skin/theme folders located directly inside the program folder, illustrated using the WindowBlinds program folder (notice the cursor pointer indicating the address of the folder contents we are viewing).
Programs using this file structure:
- WindowBlinds
- LogonStudio
STEP #4 – here is an example of skin/theme folders located inside a Themes folder in the program folder, illustrated using the IconPackager program folder (notice the cursor pointer indicating the address of the folder contents we are viewing).
Programs using this file structure:
- IconPackager
- CursorXP
- Theme Manager (you will see Theme Manager suite icons instead of folders here)
STEP #5 – one other program not addressed yet is DesktopX, which has three folders that can be backed up in their entirety – (1) Objects folder, (2) Themes folder, and (3) Widgets folder – as shown in the image below.
Now that you know the locations of the skin, theme, object, and widgets files, you can create a folder in say My Documents, and name it something like “MySkinBackups_2005” – or whatever you want. Then simply select the skin, theme, object, or widget folders that you want to back-up and copy them to the new folder.
Note - as you gain more experience, you may want to back-up only the files you have downloaded and installed after the original installation of the programs, due to the fact that installing the original programs will also install any skins, themes, objects, and widgets that are included with the program.
Burn the backup folder to disc using either the built in burning program in Windows XP, or with your favorite burning software.
I hope you found this mini tutorial useful. Until next time, have fun and “Keep On Customizing”. 
Good tut very usefull 
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Extremely! Thank you!
I spend much of my time looking for info. like this. I wish all of these fantastic tutorials were available in a downloadable .pdf file. *dreams*
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