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Geek Culture / Vista alternative

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The Wilderbeast
19
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Joined: 14th Nov 2005
Location: UK
Posted: 24th Apr 2007 22:55
For those of you that can't afford, or just don't want Vista...check this out:


It basically transforms the whole look of XP for free. If you want the transparent windows then you'll have to spend around £10 on Windows Blinds, but none the less, it still looks great!

Hope you like it


Zotoaster
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Joined: 20th Dec 2004
Location: Scotland
Posted: 24th Apr 2007 22:59
Where do I get it!?

zenassem
21
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Joined: 10th Mar 2003
Location: Long Island, NY
Posted: 24th Apr 2007 23:09 Edited at: 24th Apr 2007 23:11
I just purchased and installed "Cool Tools for XP"
$19.99 impulse buy at Staples.

http://www.encoreusa.com/product.aspx?ProductID=73467

It's pretty cool.

it has:

- Transparent Windows
- Start Menu Direct: Replaces xp start menu with sleek Vista menu that delivers a comprehensive arrangement of programs and files, to reduce search time. You can customize the menu, change the order of programs etc...
- Web Bulletin: Collect links to thousands of websites in one interactive bulletin on your desktop. Customize bulletin with stock quotes, auction sites, local weathe, news, to-do lists, comics, and more
- Task Switch: Improves the Alt-tab functions when you are switching beteen apps. Open documents are represented in a clear, organized list with thumnail previews so you can transfer between active files quickly.
Suicidal Sledder
20
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Joined: 17th Aug 2004
Location: Tikrit, Iraq
Posted: 24th Apr 2007 23:17
...i dont understand the hype over transparent windows... doesnt it just make it all a lot more confusing?

zenassem
21
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Location: Long Island, NY
Posted: 24th Apr 2007 23:22
Depends on how you use it.

I like it for coding. I can read or type documentation while not being forced to block the code.

Same goes for the forums. i can bring up my source code, transparent, and type on the forums to help someone, without haveing to tile windows, or go back and forth.
Samoz83
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Location: Stealing Ians tea from his moon base
Posted: 24th Apr 2007 23:23
http://www.windowsxlive.net/?page_id=15

SaM
www.firelightstudio.co.uk
>>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzjOcOcQ90U<<
Seppuku Arts
Moderator
20
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Joined: 18th Aug 2004
Location: Cambridgeshire, England
Posted: 24th Apr 2007 23:33
Interesting, now all you would need is Direct X 10 for WinXP and I can see an alternative, although I'm sure this product is just as ram hungry, so I only see cheap skates going for it Might install some of its features though, to try.

Did The Buddha have a Zen micro?
Osiris
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Joined: 6th Aug 2004
Location: Robbinsdale, MN
Posted: 24th Apr 2007 23:33
Does this change anything but the styles? Or does it mess with important system files, that if missing would make it impossible to use your computer? Also, is it easy to uninstall?

Your signature has been erased by a mod because it's larger than 600x120....
David R
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Location: 3.14
Posted: 24th Apr 2007 23:34
Will be slow visually I assume though, seeing as though it lacks the GPU-oomph that Aero has (especially for live-thumbnails) and it'll still experience tearing too


NeX the Fairly Fast Ferret
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Location: The Fifth Plane of Oblivion
Posted: 24th Apr 2007 23:39
I'd rather stick to the Windows 98 style and have quick responses, text that's easy on the eye and speedy performance.


Since the other one was scaring you guys so much...
H4ck1d
18
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Joined: 27th Dec 2005
Location: Yes
Posted: 25th Apr 2007 02:10
Had to go through about a billion links before getting to the download, so here you go:

http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/OS-Enhancements/Vista-Transformation-Pack.shtml

Ron Erickson
Moderator
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Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Posted: 25th Apr 2007 06:09 Edited at: 25th Apr 2007 15:24
Quote: "Interesting, now all you would need is Direct X 10 for WinXP and I can see an alternative, although I'm sure this product is just as ram hungry, so I only see cheap skates going for it Might install some of its features though, to try."


Attempts are already being made
alkyproject.blogspot.com/2007/04/finally-making-use-of-this-blog-i.html

The Wilderbeast
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Location: UK
Posted: 25th Apr 2007 18:52 Edited at: 25th Apr 2007 18:54
Personally I haven't installed it cus my Dad has all his work on our PC and would kill me if I messed it up. But it saysthat it can simply be installed by going running the unistall program. Not bad eh?

On the scale of things it can't be that memory hungry, recommended specs say you need 256mb of RAM. Or perhaps 256 only seems small because I have 1024. Dunno...


H4ck1d
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Location: Yes
Posted: 25th Apr 2007 19:15
Actually it's really not power-hungry at all. It uses only the same resources as the normal windows xp theme! The only exception is the transparency, which you actually have to buy a separate $20 program to get. But I've installed it, and it works great! I wouldn't reccommend downloading it from softpedia though, it was really slow.

Bizar Guy
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Location: Bostonland
Posted: 26th Apr 2007 00:39
I'm going to give it a download... I'll be able to take it off if I want, right?

H4ck1d
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Posted: 26th Apr 2007 00:49
Yeah, just using the normal uninstall. I'd recommend against installing the boot + login screen though, I've messed with those before and it's not pretty. And I'd also recommend setting a system restore point first just in case.

zenassem
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Location: Long Island, NY
Posted: 26th Apr 2007 01:08
Here's a link to a free Windows XP Transparency.

Note:
I haven't tested out the above, as I already purchased Cool XP tools, so I can't comment on it or guarantee how it functions. Perhaps someone with VMware installed and has a install/registry monitor, can test and ensure that there is truly no adware or performance drop.

I know there are others out there. I used one a few years back but can't find it anymore. Just be careful & watch out for shareware versions and limited trials. They can be a headache to get off your system.
Underdog Designs
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Posted: 26th Apr 2007 02:55
Just a little info for some of the people using some of the mods for converting WinXP to look like Win Vista, please use caution as to this may cause some damage to your WinXP installation. Just a little word of advice, I used to tinker with Visual styles and such for a while and stayed away from most of the conversion packs as to they weren't always 100% successful.

As for Cool XP tools, never heard of it lol.

<center><img src=http://csscobalt.com/uploads/banner_7.png><br>
<b>Formerly known as xTransworldx or TransworldPunk69</b></center>
The Wilderbeast
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Posted: 26th Apr 2007 18:48 Edited at: 26th Apr 2007 19:08
Great! So now you can have the good compatibility of XP and the nice GUI off Vista, for free (minus the cost of XP of course)

Can you have it so that it only makes changes to one account on your PC and leaves the other accounts as they were?


Seppuku Arts
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Location: Cambridgeshire, England
Posted: 26th Apr 2007 21:59
All I could install was cursors and sounds, theme didn't work for me, but I already have the Zune theme to kill the ugly XP theme, so all of the xp theme stuff that annoy me are gone already for me, so I'm not bothered.

Did The Buddha have a Zen micro?
The Wilderbeast
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Posted: 26th Apr 2007 22:00
Just read something on their support forums that it mucks up if you have dual-core. So I guess this one's not for me, lol. But I would still like to try it sometime.


Seppuku Arts
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Posted: 26th Apr 2007 22:03
Haha, dual core, me? lol my computer is one of the first XP machines Well, I'll check the support, gives me a visual style variation.

Did The Buddha have a Zen micro?
heartbone
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Posted: 9th May 2007 22:14 Edited at: 9th May 2007 22:17
Quote: "Here's a link to a free Windows XP Transparency.

Note:
I haven't tested out the above, as I already purchased Cool XP tools, so I can't comment on it or guarantee how it functions. Perhaps someone with VMware installed and has a install/registry monitor, can test and ensure that there is truly no adware or performance drop."


Well zenassem, I finally got around to "installing" the Chaos Crystal 2.

It works well, Each window can have a seperate opaqueness level,



and it is a standalone executable so it does not even have to be installed.

I haven't figured out a use for the thing, but at 200K it's not a problem to keep around should any reason to use it ever arise.

I can't see any performance drop or any spyware, but then again I didn't look.

Thanks for the link to the toy.

I'm unique, just like everybody else.

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Person99
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Joined: 15th Dec 2005
Location: Good question
Posted: 9th May 2007 22:29
I found something like this for Kubuntu, with Beryl... It was scary.

The Person99 awards go to: 1. Jack the Ripper for hardest crime scenes. 2. Peter Petrelli for most powers. 3. Superman for longest flight. 4. "The Doctor" for best time travel machine.
zenassem
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Location: Long Island, NY
Posted: 9th May 2007 22:39
@heartbone, I tend to find lot's of uses for transparent windows. When I'm modeling rather than loading the 2d Image into the background, I can keep it right in photoshop and lay down my vertices by making Milkshapes window transparent, or having the image on top and making photoshop transparent.

Sometimes I will be lurking on the forum, but reading other articles or email on the web. I'll set the forum to automatically refresh every minute or so. I'll keep it fain enough to see if someone posts but yet I can read other sites.

I do the same thing if I'm playing online and the game is going slow, like spades for instance. I can be working in full screen on something, but yet can see what everyon is playing.

Some times I'll use it while I'm coding..., if I'm looking at some reference or Pseudo code. I can keep the pseudo code transparent, and work in code surge, both fullscreen at the same time.

That just some examples. Usually ideas come to me on the fly as I am doing something.

Try it out. you'll come up with uses if yout think about it.

hessiess
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Posted: 9th May 2007 23:16
whats all the fus about pointless eyecandy transparent windows anyway? it just wasts ram.

learn blender, you will never regret it.
soapyfish
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Location: Yorkshire, England
Posted: 10th May 2007 01:59
@hessiess
Try reading the post above your own.

We are the angry mob, we read the papers every day. We like who we like, we hate who we hate but we're also easily swayed!
Satchmo
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Posted: 10th May 2007 02:10
Well there always the option to turn it off. Plus id always use trasperent windows.

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