I'm running plain old XP pro, no skins, nothing fancy at all. I just came back from a friend's house who was running Vista. While I wasn't sold on most of the new "features", I very much liked the appearance.
I'm not necessarily looking for a complete "Vista look" conversion, although if there is a really good one out there I might try it. I'm just looking for some sources to try some new themes/appearances/whatever you wanna call them. I've spent a lot of time optimizing my install though, so I don't want something that's going to slow me down much.
So.... any suggestions? Screenshots would be great too!
The Vista Transformation pack is horrible. it modifies too many system files. The programs it uses to get the Vista like effects aren't that great either. If you want, pm me and I will send you what I'm running. Follow the guide I posted here. Here is a screenshots of what my desktop looks like:
And my logon screen:
My method uses no system resources, unlike the Vista Transformation pack. The VTP also removes your cut, copy, paste, etc buttons form folders' toolbars. It is also a pain to remove. I saved a restore point before Installed it and I still had to do a re-install because it screwed up my system. I'm sure I'm not the only one. The programs used in the VTP are just OK. There are better programs out there that are better. example- the VTP doesn't include the Flip 3D feature, you can download TopDesk, which will do it for you... The program used to view thumbnails of applications in your taskbar is mediocre. I found one that doesn't have that stupid thumbtack picture over the image and uses less resources. Also VTP's "fix" to make the start org more round is ludicrous.. it doesn't even line up properly... the list goes on... I am also against style XP as that uses system resources as well... like I said, my setup uses no resources... PM me if you're interested and need step by step instructions and the files I used.
I had a friend use the Vista transformation pack with about the same results as SuperDave (aka not good). It does basically seize control of your system.
Since I first saw it I've thought the default vista look is rather cartoonish ..and kinda ugly ESPECIALLY compared to Beryl+Emerald+XGL... as I've used Windowblinds 4 and now 5 for quite awhile now on XP. If you disable the windows Theme service Windowblind's not really system intensive at all and I run it on my htpc (P4 2.5ghz with 512mb DDR) with no problems or added laggy-ness. Also, WB 5 fixes the Start Menu circle (eg: the Vista-like themes and Ares). SuperDave's setup probably uses less resources though, although you'd likely be confined to just Vista-lookalikes rather than interchangable skins.
Unfortunately WB isn't freeware, and neither is TopDesk as mentioned in the post above mine, although it's a nice little program for what it needs to do with a lot of options. Along with mimicking Flip3D, TopDesk is able to mimic Expose on OSX.
Personally, I haven't had any problems with the newest version of the VTP (unlike the older versions prior to ver. 6). When I decided to uninstall it, it uninstalled cleanly without any leftover residue. Of course it's all about personal preference... I think the newest version works nicely (w/ my system anyway) and looks good, while the others think it's "horrible". I've used both WB an StyleXP, both of which are shareware and of course offer a lot more in the way of customization... and IMO use more in the way of resources than the VTP which is free.
Even though it is a program that you have to pay for, I also recommend Style XP. It is fairly easy to use once you get the hang of it, even though it can be a little bit weighty on the resources. It also gives you options to change boot screens, logon screens, transparency, cursors, and screensavers. Like I said it does have a bit of a large footprint, but you can always set what ever you like, and then close it out and still keep those settings. One thing I noticed is that if you set it up for boot screens, it does change the boot.ini file, and makes it look like a dual boot when you start the computer. I do have to say that I do love my Windows XP Hugh Hefner edition though.
By the way WII it looks like you may have wandered off the normal path a little bit. Or do you stray from the folding forum often?
I found a nice simple way to overhaul the general look of XP. It is free and works really good. I use it on my machine. Along with the UXTheme patch and Loki style. I got a nice looking XP for free.
(screencap upon request)
Rocket Dock is a GREAT application if you want a dock in XP. I've been using it for the past 2-3 months and I love it. No more icons on the desktop, it's hidable and very customizable for transparency and sensitivity.
i have been against using software for my theming for a long time
but i have recently started using windowblinds 5.5 because i craved the beauty of vista but despise the idea of converting to vista
I hate those programs...sucks up too much memory for me to enjoy. I use to just use the uxtheme.dll patch. The patch allows one to use 3rd party themes through the XP display properties. Now, I'm just running the Media Center theme on XP Pro because it's low resources and the bar look and start icon look way better.
It's not Vista but a huge improvement over default XP style is Royale Noir. It's just a an XP theme with little resource usage. I use it and quite like it.
I've used VTP4 and now VTP6. Only on my work laptop mind you. I've had no issues with it. Another guy at work had issues with a meeting program he uninstalled it and reinstalled and it worked just fine.
FYI Restore points don't do crap with VTP6. It won't successfully go back to the point before it and it comes up with in an error in my experiance.
Here's a screenshot of what my desktop is currently configured to. The only extra application I use for the base OS operations is RocketDock, for the dock at the top of the screen. (Click For Larger Image)
I use teh uxtheme.dll windows XP mod with the VistaXP theme using the "Black Compact" style of it.
My menu transitions are set to the "Fade Effect", font edge smoothing is set to "standard". My font type is Tahoma and I use shadows under menus.
For my cursor set, I use a cursor pack called "Aero Cursors" which is supposed to be a Vista look-a-like. However, never using Vista in person, I don't know for sure if it is.
For the dock at the top of my primary display, I use a program called RocketDock by PunkSoftware. It's a really handy addition to windows and cleans up the desktop a ton. You can customize wether it is always shown or wether it hides when not in use (which is what I do), it's transparency settings, it has optional themes and icon packs, dividers, etc. You can use folders on it to so you can create a folder of shortcuts elseware on your hard drive an link to it. I have folders for music, CD creation programs, audio & video edition programs and a folder with shortcut icons for all of my games. All I do is drop down the dock, click the folder once and it opens. Then I have access to all of my applications/games without the desktop clutter!
For my chat application I use Trillian Pro 3 by Cerulean Studios. I use a skin called "Vista Black" with the default interface and 70% transparency on the buddy list.
For my web browser I use FireFox 1.5 by Mozilla with the default theme.
For my media players I use Windows Media Player for most of my video, but I don't watch much video on the computer. For music and audio I use Foobar2000, which is a free media player which can be found for download on the internet. It's fully customizable and you can change the layout of the buttons, which buttons are shown, what kind of audio info is shown and what is not, album art can be used and much more. It's overall the best audio player I've used as far as functionality, looks and audio quality go. Overall one of the best things I've done to my computer in terms of software. A fellow forum member by the name of shard helpped me customized my FooBar2000 interface and got me going with it all.
Let me know if you have trouble finding any of the software I listed above if you're interesting in using any of it. I believe the VistaXP theme has been removed from the internet, so it might be a pain to find.
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