Internet Explorer Toolbar Wallpaper(Skin)

Internet Explorer Toolbar Wallpaper (Skin)

You don't need yet another program to have an artsy Toolbar Wallpaper. With the Microsoft Internet Explorer Add-On you even can change the skin whenever you want, and you don't have to be online, like you need to be with Hotbar Skins! Remember to disable your Hotbar if you want to run both applications on your computer!

1. What is Internet Explorer Toolbar Wallpaper (Skin)? The first thing you need is a little Browser Add-On from Microsoft Windows IE Accessory. It is a simple little add-on that allows you to change the look of the toolbar on Explorer. Below is the default look of the Toolbar. The file name is "tbwlpapr.exe".
Download the file from Tucows or from Microsoft:

2. This is the look of the Toolbar after installing and changing the bmp file. You will receive a few extra bmp files when you download and install the toolbar add-on. They will be installed in C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\Bitmaps. enhanced toolbar

3. When you finish downloading and installing the file from Microsoft start Explorer again and click on "Tools" on the menu bar and select "Toolbar Wallpaper" from the dropdown menu. toolbar location

4. You will get this dialog box after clicking on "Toolbar Wallpaper" from the dropdown menu. Make your selection here to change the wallpaper. If you check the "Show desktop wallpaper in list" box, then you can have every bitmap image as your IE skin, which is located in the c:\windows directory too! But be careful with too colorful bitmaps, cause you do want to read those words in your toolbar, don't you?
A message will be displayed to close and restart Explorer to have the change to affect. select toolbar skin

A nice side-effect is happening in Outlook Express

Not only will you have a cool toolbar wallpaper in Internet Explorer but also in Microsoft Outlook Express, your Email program. It will have the same new skin, as the Explorer! Outlook Express Skin

Learn how to use Hotbar Skins without downloading the Hotbar program.

I am sure you know about all those millions of Hotbar Skins for your IE out there. But in order to be able to use those skins, you will have to download their program and then you can only change the skins, when you are connected to the Internet. Since many international surfers have to pay for each minute they are online, this can be some kind of wasted money. But...if you find a Hotbar Skin offered in a Desktop Themes Package, then you can easy use this too, when you have the little xip.exe file on your computer. With this file, you can extract the bitmap image out of the *.xip image, then move it into your IE5 ToolbarBMP directory and voil� - there you go!
You can download this helper here: get xip.exe

After downloading it, move it in your skins's directory, then each time, you want to convert a *.xip file into an useable *.bmp file you only need to click on the *.xip file with your left mouse button, hold it down, move it over the xip.exe icon and "drop it down". That's all and you will get the *.bmp!

Of course this will work the other way too, so if you have created a *.bmp file and want to use it as a Hotbar Skin, you just move the *.bmp over the xip.exe icon, drop it down and there you get the *.xip file.

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