If you’re running the Windows 7 public beta, why not head over to Microsoft’s personalization page and grab some free downloads to customize your desktop? There are currently 15 themes, 13 wallpapers, and 8 desktop gadgets available.

If you’re running a compatible setup (i.e. laptop with a tiny secondary display) there are also 5 gadgets available for SideShow.

The themes are straight from Microsoft, so no patching is required – just click and install. Not running Windows 7 and still want to use the stunning background images? Just extract the .themepack files using an application like 7-zip.

As a Windows user, customization has always been important to me. After being stuck with the boring green-and-blue start button/taskbar combo for so long with XP, it’s nice to see a number of themes available at this stage of the Win7 game.

[ via Life Rocks 2.0 ]

note: I did try extracting the pack and installing the theme file on Vista Ultimate as well, but didn’t have complete success. Wallpaper changed, and the taskbar started to re-color, then it reverted to the Aero Glass default. Let us know if you’re able to get it working!