The big Windows 8.1 update will be available to the public on October 18th.  An entry on the Windows Blog this morning confirmed the date and gave more information. "I know a lot of folks are eager to find out when they will be able to get Windows 8.1. I am excited to share that starting at 12:00am on October 18th in New Zealand (that’s 4:00am October 17th in Redmond), Windows 8.1 will begin rolling out worldwide as a free update for consumers on Windows 8 through the Windows Sto...

Happy Monday!  If you stayed away from the PC this weekend you might have missed some skins that were submitted.  No worries though, just come check out some of the highlights below.  

Another month means another time to take some screenshots of the cool skins you are using and share them with other WinCustomize community members. Take a screenshot and post to the thread below. August 2013 Desktop Screenshots

DeskScapes 8 is an awesome way to put animated wallpapers on your Windows desktop, along with other features such as effects and static wallpaper management.  I have a new article up showing how easy it is to get started.  If you have friends that might be interested, be sure to share! Read it here… DeskScapes 8: How to Have Animated Wallpapers on Your Windows Desktop

I thought it would be fun to have a quick mini-contest as we think about a bigger competition for the end of the year.  I chose Start8 as it’s easy to make start buttons for and can include a broader reach of people.  This is also a great to get some exposure as Start8 has been downloaded millions of times and is in the top lists of sites like download.com.  Link: Start8 A start button for use in Start8 is just an image file with 3 vertically stacked images in a .p...

August is just about here, and if you are getting ready to change your desktop up, then come take a look at some of the newest wallpapers in the WinCustomize gallery.  These are just a few, so be sure to check the Wallpaper gallery for much more! WinCustomize Wallpaper Gallery ...

New beta releases for DeskScapes and WindowBlinds are available for registered users and Object Desktop customers from the store accounts page at https://store.stardock.com/myaccount/products/  or via Stardock Central.  DeskScapes 8.09 beta Adds support for the Windows 8.1 Preview Additional bundled wallpapers including a selection licensed from Vladstudio ( http://www.vladstudio.com ) WindowBlinds 8.01 Adds support for the Windows 8.1 Preview (includin...

LightStar has been rolling some great skins out lately, and we have another added to the lineup today!  Marano is a new Master WindowBlinds skin designed for Windows 7 and 8, and has a design that works well with every day use.  Great job! WinCustomize Subscribers get a 20% discount! Marano by LightStar  

Holiday is over and now we’re back to the daily grind, so today we’ll start off taking a look at some skins from the past week or so that have came through.  There seems to be some nice WindowBlinds skins, and some animated wallpapers for DeskScapes to check out. WindowBlinds   Animated Wallpapers for DeskScapes ...

Decor8 and WindowFX beta updates with support for the Windows 8.1 Preview are available for registered users from  http://downloads.stardock.com .   The beta updates can also be downloaded from:   https://www.stardock.cachefly.net/Decor8_1.05_beta_setup_sd.exe https://www.stardock.cachefly.net/WindowFX_5.11_beta_setup_sd.exe   Decor8 on Windows 8.1 Preview can no longer customize the number of rows of Modern Start menu items (support for that has been re...

We have released an update for the WindowBlinds 8 beta (v7.98 in app).  Current customers can download the update from their Stardock accounts or via Stardock Central. If you have been using the free trial, you will need to request a new download link from here . Full changelog can be found here . If you have any issues/feedback to report, please do so in the WB8 beta thread so we may keep track of it.    

SkinStudio 8 Beta (v7.95 in-app) is now available for download for Object Desktop and SkinStudio 7 Pro customers. This is the complement creation component to the WindowBlinds 8 beta. This update include minor fixes.   The SkinStudio beta can be downloaded from your Stardock account or via Stardock Central.  It is available to all WindowBlinds 8 and active Object Desktop owners.   Note: SkinStudio 8 beta supports Windows 7 and 8 only.    

A new month means another new monthly desktop screenshot thread.  We already have a couple of pages of some cool desktop, so be sure to snap one of yours and post. June desktops - https://forums.wincustomize.com/445165/

It’s been a super busy week, and we have a nice long holiday weekend coming up.  We’ve had some great skins come in, so I wanted to take a moment to feature a few.  As always, hit the galleries to see all the other skins that came in that I didn’t have time to feature.   ...

PCPro has a great article up on how to make Windows 8 work on a desktop using Start8 and ModernMix. "In my opinion, the installation of ModernMix and Start8 – once they’re both properly finished – will be compulsory on all future Windows 8 desktops and Ultrabooks/laptops." Read more here - http://www.pcpro.co.uk/realworld/381952/start8-and-modernmix-making-windows-8-work-on-a-desktop