diff --git a/reactos/dll/cpl/desk/appearance.c b/reactos/dll/cpl/desk/appearance.c
index ed2acaac7ea..653b30b8cd5 100644
--- a/reactos/dll/cpl/desk/appearance.c
+++ b/reactos/dll/cpl/desk/appearance.c
@@ -117,40 +117,27 @@ AppearancePage_OnInit(HWND hwndDlg)
     g->pThemes = LoadThemes();
     if (g->pThemes)
     {
-        PTHEME pLoadedTheme = NULL;
-        
+        BOOL bLoadedTheme = FALSE;
+
         if (g_GlobalData.pwszAction && 
             g_GlobalData.pwszFile && 
             wcscmp(g_GlobalData.pwszAction, L"OpenMSTheme") == 0)
         {
-            /* Check if the theme specified was already loaded */
-            for (pTheme = g->pThemes; pTheme; pTheme = pTheme->NextTheme)
-            {
-                if (pTheme->ThemeFileName && wcsicmp(pTheme->ThemeFileName, g_GlobalData.pwszFile) == 0)
-                {
-                    pLoadedTheme = pTheme;
-                    break;
-                }
-
-                if (!pTheme->NextTheme)
-                    break;
-            }
-
-            if (!pLoadedTheme)
-            {
-                /* Load it now and insert it in the list */
-                pLoadedTheme = LoadTheme(g_GlobalData.pwszFile, g_GlobalData.pwszFile);
-                if (pLoadedTheme)
-                    pTheme->NextTheme = pLoadedTheme;
-            }
+            bLoadedTheme = FindOrAppendTheme(g->pThemes, 
+                                             g_GlobalData.pwszFile,
+                                             NULL,
+                                             NULL,
+                                             &g->ActiveTheme);
         }
 
-        if (pLoadedTheme)
+        if (bLoadedTheme)
         {
-            g->ActiveTheme.ThemeActive = TRUE;
-            g->ActiveTheme.Theme = pLoadedTheme;
-            g->ActiveTheme.Color = pLoadedTheme->ColoursList;
-            g->ActiveTheme.Size = pLoadedTheme->SizesList;
+            g->bThemeChanged = TRUE;
+            g->bSchemeChanged = TRUE;
+
+            PostMessageW(GetParent(hwndDlg), PSM_CHANGED, (WPARAM)hwndDlg, 0);
+
+            AppearancePage_LoadSelectedScheme(hwndDlg, g);
         }
         else
         {
diff --git a/reactos/dll/cpl/desk/appearance.h b/reactos/dll/cpl/desk/appearance.h
index c261624146b..7bbdb264f27 100644
--- a/reactos/dll/cpl/desk/appearance.h
+++ b/reactos/dll/cpl/desk/appearance.h
@@ -137,6 +137,7 @@ int SchemeGetMetric(COLOR_SCHEME *scheme, int id);
 PLOGFONTW SchemeGetFont(COLOR_SCHEME *scheme, int id);
 PTHEME LoadTheme(IN LPCWSTR pszThemeFileName,IN LPCWSTR pszThemeName);
 PTHEME LoadThemes(VOID);
+BOOL FindOrAppendTheme(IN PTHEME pThemeList, IN LPCWSTR pwszThemeFileName, IN LPCWSTR pwszColorBuff, IN LPCWSTR pwszSizeBuff, OUT PTHEME_SELECTION pSelectedTheme);
 BOOL GetActiveTheme(PTHEME pThemeList, PTHEME_SELECTION pSelectedTheme);
 BOOL GetActiveClassicTheme(PTHEME pThemeList, PTHEME_SELECTION pSelectedTheme);
 BOOL LoadCurrentScheme(PCOLOR_SCHEME scheme);
diff --git a/reactos/dll/cpl/desk/theme.c b/reactos/dll/cpl/desk/theme.c
index f46ae44777c..e541d064772 100644
--- a/reactos/dll/cpl/desk/theme.c
+++ b/reactos/dll/cpl/desk/theme.c
@@ -783,9 +783,62 @@ LoadThemes(VOID)
     return pClassicTheme;
 }
 
+/*
+ * FindSelectedTheme: Finds the specified theme in the list of themes 
+ *                    or loads it if it was not loaded already.
+ */
+BOOL
+FindOrAppendTheme(IN PTHEME pThemeList, 
+                  IN LPCWSTR pwszThemeFileName,
+                  IN LPCWSTR pwszColorBuff,
+                  IN LPCWSTR pwszSizeBuff,
+                  OUT PTHEME_SELECTION pSelectedTheme)
+{
+    PTHEME pTheme;
+    PTHEME pFoundTheme = NULL;
+
+    ZeroMemory(pSelectedTheme, sizeof(THEME_SELECTION));
+
+    for (pTheme = pThemeList; pTheme; pTheme = pTheme->NextTheme)
+    {
+        if (pTheme->ThemeFileName &&
+           _wcsicmp(pTheme->ThemeFileName, pwszThemeFileName) == 0)
+        {
+            pFoundTheme = pTheme;
+            break;
+        }
+
+        if (pTheme->NextTheme == NULL)
+            break;
+    }
+
+    if (!pFoundTheme)
+    {
+        pFoundTheme = LoadTheme(pwszThemeFileName, pwszThemeFileName);
+        if (!pFoundTheme)
+            return FALSE;
+
+        pTheme->NextTheme = pFoundTheme;
+    }
+
+    pSelectedTheme->ThemeActive = TRUE;
+    pSelectedTheme->Theme = pFoundTheme;
+    if (pwszColorBuff)
+        pSelectedTheme->Color = FindStyle(pFoundTheme->ColoursList, pwszColorBuff);
+    else
+        pSelectedTheme->Color = pFoundTheme->ColoursList;
+
+    if (pwszSizeBuff)
+        pSelectedTheme->Size = FindStyle(pFoundTheme->SizesList, pwszSizeBuff);
+    else
+        pSelectedTheme->Size = pFoundTheme->SizesList;
+
+    return TRUE;
+}
+
 /*
  * GetActiveTheme: Gets the active theme and populates pSelectedTheme
- *                 with entries from the list of loaded themes
+ *                 with entries from the list of loaded themes.
  */
 BOOL
 GetActiveTheme(IN PTHEME pThemeList, OUT PTHEME_SELECTION pSelectedTheme)
@@ -793,11 +846,8 @@ GetActiveTheme(IN PTHEME pThemeList, OUT PTHEME_SELECTION pSelectedTheme)
     WCHAR szThemeFileName[MAX_PATH];
     WCHAR szColorBuff[MAX_PATH];
     WCHAR szSizeBuff[MAX_PATH];
-    PTHEME pTheme;
     HRESULT hret;
 
-    ZeroMemory(pSelectedTheme, sizeof(THEME_SELECTION));
-
     /* Retrieve the name of the current theme */
     hret = GetCurrentThemeName(szThemeFileName,
                                MAX_PATH,
@@ -805,25 +855,10 @@ GetActiveTheme(IN PTHEME pThemeList, OUT PTHEME_SELECTION pSelectedTheme)
                                MAX_PATH,
                                szSizeBuff,
                                MAX_PATH);
-    if (FAILED(hret))  return FALSE;
+    if (FAILED(hret))  
+        return FALSE;
 
-    for (pTheme = pThemeList; pTheme; pTheme = pTheme->NextTheme)
-    {
-        if (pTheme->ThemeFileName &&
-           _wcsicmp(pTheme->ThemeFileName, szThemeFileName) == 0)
-        {
-            break;
-        }
-    }
-
-    if (pTheme == NULL) return FALSE;
-
-    pSelectedTheme->ThemeActive = TRUE;
-    pSelectedTheme->Theme = pTheme;
-    pSelectedTheme->Color = FindStyle(pTheme->ColoursList, szColorBuff);
-    pSelectedTheme->Size = FindStyle(pTheme->SizesList, szSizeBuff);
-
-    return TRUE;
+    return FindOrAppendTheme(pThemeList, szThemeFileName, szColorBuff, szSizeBuff, pSelectedTheme);
 }
 
 /*