I want to download litestep because I know it has massive skinning capabilities. I know that sometimes if things go wrong you cant get anything back, not even the normal windows desktop!!!!
Can someone tell me how to use this software safely without messing up the pc.
Litestep has grown up since the days of having to set shells yourself and destroying boot related ini files. That very very rarely happens now and even then the "normal windows desktop" is always recoverable. All litestep does is change what is launched at start up from explorer.exe as shell to litestep.exe as shell (though in Vista, I am unsure of the "tricks" required to use litestep as a shell, but it is still possible as far as I've seen). I've always used http://beyondconvention.net/ohussain/lsinstaller/ ; the "litestep installer" for a fairly foolproof method of installation with out worry. Once you have used the installer you even have the option of using it's handy shell switching app 'SetShell' to switch back and forth as you please between explorer and litestep (or any other shell for that matter).
What you have to remember is, if all else fails, if litestep crashes or if something doesn't load, in XP you can still boot to the desktop and hit ctrl+alt+del and run explorer.exe at any time which will always help you get things back to normal. If you use an OS other than XP the litestep.net (requires registration to even use the site) forums once browsed will have many examples of easy solutions to problems that you should know before you install.
I hope this helps rid any doubts and encourages you to delve into the depths of the beautifully functional litestep shell.
Thanks for the tips, I found the site you directed to me very useful as it gives a full installation guide, not likie I dont know how to install, it's just that I dont want to screw my desktop up.
Austerity is just the default theme, and it's very huge. Just download any other litestep theme, there are plenty around. Many of them are minimalistic, so they don't mess the whole pc up.
Litestep inheriently disables the whole desktop right click (replaces it with a popup) and start bar (replaces it with whatever the litestep theme uses). Basically any normal explorer or "windows" as people refer to it as things you are used to, will be disabled. If you just deleted it with out uninstalling, it would have not set explorer back as a shell. The setshell program (included with litestep itself) I had mentioned was mentioned for a reason after all, if you decided you didn't like litestep, you could have used it and switched right back to the default windows desktop under your user account.
If you want to revert back to explorer immediately, simply open task manager and run "explorer". Litestep will NOT "mess up" your computer. I run it off of my network drive at heavily restricted university computer labs. I don't think it changes anything beyond the designated shell in the registry (which is optional).
What problems did Austerity cause for you? If you tell us more, we could probably point you in the right direction. Honestly, I'd recommend installing a new theme (West's "Popsicle" is a great place to start). Remember to be patient with Litestep; if there's something you don't like about a theme, 99.9% of the time it can be fixed.
What has haoppened is that now when I load my desktop I get a blank blue screen and the only thing that loads up is the My Documents windows.
This happenned after I decided I didnt like austerity and that I wanted to delete litestep all together. I completely deleted it and then i found that my desktop was all gone along with all my firefox bookmarks. Luckily I had them backed up so I got it all back.
No need to worry now.... I sorted the problem out early this morning.
The problem: 1.Installed Litestep 2.Austerity theme was active 3.Got peed off because I didnt like it 4.Uninstalled litestep without setting theme back to explorer 5.Blue screen 6.Winodws didnt load any shell because it hadnt been given any instruction on which shell to load 7. I re-installed litestep 8.set austerity to active 9 then set explorer shell to active 10. Finally uninstalled litestep
I'm just wondering, as being a LS noob myself, is it possible to edit a theme so you can choose your own set of plugins? I mean like, if i want to see a systray even if it's not predefined by the theme itself. Thx in advance for your answer!
True, i was testing with the GSM port, but then not all my icons show up decently (such as my MSN Messenger icon). Is there any tut i can read about it? Thx in advance!
The systray of the GSM port has limited space, so just scroll through it if there are more than 5 icons.
If you want to see more icons at the same time, you could also make the value "timewidth 100" bigger, which is located in theme.rc (e.g. timewidth 116, if you want 1 more icon). This way your systray is larger and your taskbar is smaller, because they both depend on the timewidth value.
Okay that worked nicely uac marine, now what if i want to load extra modules into LiteStep. For example (still using GMS), i want a skinned version (also GMS obviously) of some CPU/RAM meter, is this also possible? Thx once again!
If you take a look at the "theme.rc" file for your theme, you'll probably see a bunch of "*NetLoadModule modulename" lines. This code defines the various modules that are to be used in the theme. If something is not present in your modules directory, then NetLoadModules will automatically download and install it.
If you'd like to manually install a module (which often makes more sense), then head over to ls-universe.info. Their archive should provide you with all the modules you'll ever need. Extract the dll from the zip file you download to your modules directory. To load it, add a new *NetLoadModule line to your theme.rc. The module name should be its filename, excluding the ".dll". If you're planning on hooking a module into a label, make sure its loaded BEFORE xlabel. Refresh litestep, and it should load.
For CPU/RAM meters, you should try Rainmeter. Everything in litestep takes some configuration, so have a look at the documentation first. I prefer to use xlabel for my CPU/Bandwidth meters, but those can be a bit tricky (the CPU meter in particular requires some very ugly code). If you're feeling adventurous, the article in ls-universe's "Snippets" section can get you started.
That is possible, -_-, but it requires you to design your own label (with the module xLabel). A label can be, for example, a box with a background image and some text in it. I sent you an example code that works for the GSM theme.
Back. I am now trying again with Litestep. This time the install went fine and the Austerity theme worked fine. I am starting to like it more. I am also using "set shell" now, rather than deleting the whole litestep folder :)
When I had finished installing with the Omar installer I ran the updater and restarted - I was back in explorer. Then I hit the "set shell as litestep" button and restarted.
All was fine - I had been updated to the latest version of Litestep.
The problem: I want to use the SEO theme by Poma. I don't have a clue about changing themes from Austerity the Poma. Can someone help me out on this as well as explaining what netmoduleclass is?
run set litestep as shell - then restart. Austerity should load up. Copy the Seo theme folder to C:\LiteStep\themes . Then right click on any open space on your wallpaper. Popup will come up. Go to litestep option there then change themes then refresh list. Litestep will do a auto recycle then again right click litestep change themes you should see Seo there. Click it . Now netmodule is like a thing of litestep which auto downloads all the needed modules of a theme. Seo has many new and updated modules so they must be downloaded and while clicking Seo in the change list the download box should come. Hope that helps
netmodule is a 'program' that tells what modules you need for a theme and it downloads them for you if you don't have them. modules are what you use to draw the taskbar/popup/tray/and tons of other things.
SEO also uses xpaintclass so you will have to download the latest version of that if its not in your litestep folder along with xstatclass.
hope this thread is still open, I've got some questions as well, being a newbie to customization. I'm getting a new computer in a week or so (we're still building it :P ) and plan to customize it much further than this machine.
first of all, the set shell option sounds very handy. Regardless, would I do best to make some sort of backup if I decide to ditch litestep entirely?If so what should I backup and how. If in fact this set shell option completely negates the need for any sort of backup, I'd be both pleased and a little nervous. XD
Secondly, after reading this: http://www.nbi-studio.com/page.php?6 I have a few things I'd like to confirm, as the explanations were a bit shallow, being a quick tutorial and all.
- defaults for modules / taskbar setup, etc are loaded with your theme/skin and then further customizable, correct?
That's what I need to know for now, to see if it is appropriate at all for me to consider using a shell replacement at all. I'm 16 and not infinitely skilled with a computer, my father does most of the hard work for me. (Although he dissapproves of shell replacements/ customization in general ;) )
thanks for having the patience to read through my post :P I hope I can get more comfortable with modding through this community. <3
Hello, I am new to Litestep and have a question or 2. After using the installer and setting Litestep as my shell I find I cannot move any of my icons, why? I also downloaded some themes to try out and I have no clue as to how. I right clicked, chose to install new theme and went to browse for the theme but for some reason could not find them. Can someone explain step by step how to install a new theme or point me to a tutorial site that is active and informative. Thank you.
I have a problem with litestep. I tried clicking set explorer as shell, but it wont. it says error while running chunk. any other ways to set it back to my old desktop?
