Windows 7 looks pretty smart and comes with some great looking themes, but they'll last five minutes when you see
what can be created by modding fans, friends or yourself. The Windows Engineering blog has a useful guide to creating themes for Windows 7 and sharing them with your friends. Skinning and creating themes became a sizeable niche in Windows XP and programs from Stardock helped create a minor industry. While Windows 7's abilities don't go that far, it looks like more and more users will be going their own way when it comes to desktop stylings. The article states that over 75% of users are customising their desktops, according to feedback from the beta. Once you have created a theme by following the guide, you can upload them, as all the imagery and data is now contained in a single file, to the Web for others to use and enjoy. If you don't want to try making your own, you can use the "Get more themes online" link in the Themes control panel to download some stunning official views. Already, there are a growing number of themes from around the world on the download site for Windows 7 themes. With the official release in October, we can expect to see that number explode. However only around 5% of users are playing with the Sound Schemes, something that it would be good to see boosted with official TV, movie and sports themed schemes, rather than the usually cheesy unofficial schemes that littered desktops back in the Windows XP days
