Bushman, a Sysmetrix skin consists of a background bmp which is overlaid with various text, bargraphs and other graphics. To remove the recycle bin from a given sysmetrix skin you will most probably have to edit the background bmp in photoshop and then edit the theme itself in sysmetrix configuration to remove the overlays. You can find out the name of the background bmp from the configuration menu.

Make backups first and good luck...

dude, don't give up so easily, use this as an opportunity to learn some image editting - which you will need to do when you get round to making your own skins. I's like anything else, a bit daunting when you are completely new to it, but you slowly pick things up. If you make backups first then you have nothing to lose by experimenting.

dunno if you knew but you can find the themes/bmps in the sysmetrix installation directory - usually C:\Program files\Sysmetrix\Themes

give it a whirl m8, you might be surprised at what you can do - good luck

To get rid of any recycling bin images or anything, all you need to do is edit the configuration of the sysmetrix skin. You don't need to delete the images. For example most recycle bin files in sysmetrix are dual state images. Click that in the configuration of the skin and highlight and delete the reference for recycle bin and the image will disappear. For text references just delete any recycle bin references in the text information part of the configuration.

Realize too, that when you start deleting intergral parts of the operating system, you may be compromising its integrity. The recycle bin is an intergral part of the operating system. You can remove it from your desktop but, it will still reside in your root C: drive. If you do more, you can expect system errors and minidumps and maybe system crashes. It's similar to the problem people complained about when trying to delete Internet Explorer. It was a intergral part of the communication system. Everyone makes mistakes and not all software is completely bug free and compatible. That is why the system was created this way. Why do you think we now have system restore as well? Sometimes it is neccessary not only to restore a file(recycle bin) but also to restore the entire operating system too(system restore). I'm just saying its best to leave the system the way it was made, unless you want problems. The operating system is flexible but if you push it too much, you may cripple it. Or you can go to Linux and create your own operating system.

Thanks Tiggz. I may not know how to edit bmg but I know better than to do what ChasUGC mentioned. The recycle bin has the option of deleting things permenitlly and that's what I do. I also remove the icon from my desktop with Power Toys XP. Here is a great example of how discussions become off track and the person posting a need for help is lost. I already knew that I would have to edit the bmg but I don't know how. So instead of getting the help on how I get a lecture on how not to screw with my OS.

Yea but there are too many of them plus I'd like to know how to do it myself.

Ah, okay. I thought You wanted that for a specific skin.

The problem comes tho when there are references to the recycle bin in the actual bitmap background itself, which is (possibly) what is stumping Bushman, in which case the only recourse is to edit the background.

Sorry for not making myself more clear Chas - I simply meant that as well as the configurable recycle bin bmps that overlay the background bitmap some skins have references to the recycle bin "hard-coded" as it were to the background image itself. For example, you might draw a background image with various containers for all your relevant sections such as time/system resources/email/recycle bin etc etc, and you might choose to include titles for the sections in some manner drawn onto the background image itself. So, within those containers you place your configurable dual state (or whatever) images, but at a later date if someone uses sysmetrix configuration to remove those, the container title remains because it was drawn onto the background.

Hope that clears it up

People, People this is getting way out of hand and even more complicated (for me). I know how to edit the sysmetrix skin by changing things that I can. I do so to every skin I use. All I wanted to know (and maybe this is my fault) is there any way other than editting the bitmap to remove the recycle bin. There isn't from what I can tell. Please this is the part that makes me trip. Instead of keeping things simple and straight forward things get out of hand and the real issues are lost. I thank you for answering my questions even if it took numerious, and some what confusing. All I needed was a simple answer. Tiggz and ChasUGC yall got into the mechanics of skinning about which I have no knowledge about. KISS, Keep It Simple Stupid. I mean no one harm by that but it's how I feel about this stuff.

I'm real sorry you took offense to the KISS thing. I wasn't trying to insult anybody it's just that after all was said and done I still wasn't (and still isn't) any closer to figureing it out. Again I apologize to anybody who took offense.
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