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How To Make Your XP Machine Look Like Vista For FREE

tech.cybernetnews.com — Vista Transformation Pack 4.0 was just released and it does a great job of giving your XP machine the Vista look.

Who dugg this? Made popular May 20, 2006

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  • BloodJunkie, on 10/12/2007, -8/+89Microsoft should just ship this in January. Vista: done.
  • defectDS, on 10/12/2007, -7/+57So this program take up craploads of memory too!? IT IS VISTA!
  • jodokast, on 10/12/2007, -8/+43Were you dropped as a child?
  • Durrok, on 10/12/2007, -4/+34Man all that evidence you guys showed me to back up your comments was awesome.
  • sahaskatta, on 10/12/2007, -6/+29is it just me, or is anyone else here afraid to install this?
    ive tried the XP Royale Theme by Microsoft and that worked smoothly,
    but this is a totally different type of theme UI change and it seems like it might destroy my UI.
  • t0mmy, on 10/12/2007, -3/+23I'm twelve, and until I decided that I wanted to start playing more games on Windows, I used Linux. I managed to get Gentoo running, for god's sake. It's not difficult (though I did manage to accidentally wipe my music/etc. partition while installing Gentoo ;_;). I started with Ubuntu, and it's the easiest thing in the world.
  • mvprj84, on 10/12/2007, -1/+21The download had to be placed on RapidShare because of the high number of downloads. It is fixed now.
  • ColdAtlantis, on 10/12/2007, -4/+23I've never understood the need for these programs? No matter how talented the person doing them is, it just causes problems in your system.......
  • Buelldozer, on 10/12/2007, -7/+24It doesn't seem to be working for me. What version of KDE does this require? ;-)
  • fatcat, on 10/12/2007, -3/+19the translucent program can get pretty annoying because it is always wasting memory even if your not using it

    also if you like stuff like this i suggest you check out FlyaKite OS X for the OS X look
  • DoctorNick, on 10/12/2007, -6/+22"In December last year Windows Blinds released a new version of their software that was designed to provide Windows XP with transparent effects, however, it wasn't free"

    May I please add that there is a FREE, shareware version of WindowBlinds 5.0 now OUT that supports window transparency! Please go to http://www.windowblinds.net to get it. (There's not even a running process for the program anymore so the "bloated" argument doesn't work anymore)

    DoctorNick, Moderator at WinCustomize.com

  • moiety, on 10/12/2007, -1/+16@gigabitten: Yes, because we all know Firefox is a perfectly suitable local file storage manager. :P
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+16Not only that, but there's always SOMETHING that is really off and doesn't look quite right. On the 'surface', it has mostly the same graphics as the product they're trying to emulate, but the FEEL of the thing is completely and utterly WRONG.

    One very small and insignificant example? The transparency. As it is implemented here, and with WindowBlinds, and all those other programs, all they're doing is making the title bar partly see-through. This causes significant usability problems. In Vista, this is NOT what they're doing -- they're BLURRING the background behind the "transparent" element so that it does not interfere with the titlebar's content and the titlebar remains readable and clearly visible.

    By the way, considering how this particular website puts a spotlight on this transparency thing in particular (and essentially makes it the #1 selling point of this software), it's worth noting that it doesn't work correctly at all.
  • eosp, on 10/12/2007, -3/+17I've used it and it works fine. Just don't stop the install in the middle.
  • deadfones, on 10/12/2007, -2/+12Simple and effective way to make XP look like Whistler or Vista:

    Patch uxtheme.dll: http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=140707
    Whistler (Watercolor Lite, highly usuable): http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=65112
    Vista (Luna Element 5): http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=425759

    Luna Element 5 only has black and blue color themes, but I found it to be the best written Vista theme overall. I personally use Watercolor Lite, ergonomic.
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+12The "recommended" system requirements on Microsoft's own website state it clearly: You need one gigabyte of RAM. 'Nuff said.
  • elnerdo, on 10/12/2007, -7/+16The best part about it is that the one side of the argument is at -5, and the other is at +9. Despite BOTH of them being ridiculously stupid.
  • GoMe, on 10/12/2007, -24/+32Yes it will.
  • DubbleA, on 10/12/2007, -14/+22With all the problems that M$ is having, I would not be surprised if they did just that. IDK about you, but I am sick and tired of waiting for Vista
  • MrGeneric, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8How long before Chinese software pirates are selling copies of XP with this and calling it Visa?
  • superal1394, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9I'm still using windows classic.....
  • Genius16, on 10/12/2007, -7/+15(Side note: ubuntu is just as user friendly as any other distro. synaptic or any package manager make things real easy. though, i highly perfer enlightenment over gnome or kde. www.elivecd.org = debian and e16 e17. i highly suggest it to any ubuntu user.)

    ive just come to a realization. everyone agrees people in masses are stupid. it seems that microsoft has played on that fact and made an operating systems for the masses. one that caters to stupid people. :)

    linux is no harder to learn than windows. you take any linux user and move him to windows and he'll be all "WTF?" the same as mac osx. just because you're used to windows doesnt mean its easy.

    my grandma actually has no problem with her linux box. i got tired of her calling me everytime something in windows broke, so i set her up right, showed her how to do the things she's used to doing in windows.
  • S!L3N7, on 10/12/2007, -4/+10:) Lovely jubley. Version 4. Awesome.
  • ravenmuffin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Google "Apple Mouse Utility" for a little program that lets you use control-click when booted into Windows XP on an Intel Mac.
  • ravenmuffin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Microsoft developed DirectX to:

    (a) create a proprietary equivalent to OpenGL that they had sole control of
    (b) make it a Windows/Xbox only technology to discourage game ports to other platforms
    (c) create a lock-in so that games developers who invested in DirectX would be discouraged from using or porting to OpenGL.

    Fortunately, developers like ID's John Carmack are still in the OpenGL camp, and most scientific simulations and anything ported from Unix uses OpenGL, so whether Microsoft wanted to or not, Vista does support OpenGL.
  • bikeham, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8I hope it has DRM, just like the real thing!
  • Durrok, on 10/12/2007, -4/+9It has more to do with when you are exposed to it. If you have been using windows since 3.1 and nothing else then switching to another OS is going to be difficult, though not neccesarily impossible. As far as the linux UI goes. I never had any problems with it... unless you want to install something. Until I can pop in a CD, hit ok a few times, and then double click on the icon in my desktop many people are still gonna have problems. For someone who just does casual web browsing and checks their email? *****, about any OS with a gui will do.

    Also linux still has many driver issues. Getting X windows to run on Ubuntu was a bitch for me because I had an ATI card. Then trying to get my games to work through wine was even more of a bitch. I did eventually get everything setup but I just said "***** this. I just spend the last 4 weeks googling things, tweaking settings, learning an entirely new system, and having to constantly be in a command line when I can just turn on and go with windows."

    Until linux incorporates the "turn on and go" simplicity that windows has, it will always be Windows > Mac > Linux in terms of what people have installed on their system.
  • Genius16, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7whatever happened to OpenGL? shouldnt compatibality be the name of the game in a non-fixed-spec world, even using several OS's?
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6The only reason I can see upgrading to Vista is because it renders all windows in 3D. Theoretically that means that when you drag an overlaying window off a window hidden behind it you should never, ever get that effect where the hidden window is whited out from where the overlaying window covered it. That's when you have to wait for XP to redraw the window.
    And DirectX 10 looks AMAZING. Too bad developers aren't even taking full advantage of DirectX 9.
    And yeah, not getting a DirectX10 capable video card anytime soon either.
  • JustinT9669, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Screenshot: http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/8201/screenshot9xg.jpg
    Download: http://rapidshare.de/files/20976881/Vista_Pack.rar.html
    Includes:
    -Vista Theme 5381.1_blue WindowsBlinds Theme
    -Vista Theme v1.0 build 5381.1 Styler Toolbar
    -Vista Icons Pack v2.1 Ultimate - System Patch
    -Vista Account Pictures
    -Vista WinRAR Theme 1.1
  • secretdiffusion, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3... Most probably, your OS was made by a big corporation. XP was made by Microsoft and everyone knows Vista is by MS too, so you couldn't make it look "more" like its from a big corporation. And if you're using Linux or a Mac, why are you even on this page?

    Vista Transformation Pack, formerly known as Longhorn Transformation Pack, just skins everything in XP to look like it would on Vista. Both are from big companies. Idiot.
  • neko, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@rasbill: So, you're arguing the Windows UI is easier to use for everyone? It comes with three variants of one theme out of the box, and it deliberately prevents you from using custom ones.
    Try explaining to a new user that in order to install that cool theme they downloaded from the web, they have to patch uxtheme.dll (what the hell?) and include instructions to wait for and cancel the Windows File Protection dialogue that pops up (what the hell??) and then copy files to a folder somewhere in C:Windows (and the normal users can't see contents unless they click through more user protection)

    What's worse, these themes are implemented as a .dll to draw the various buttons, making it an ideal vector for viruses.

    In Gnome, I have a Theme Selector, with a button marked "Install new themes.."
  • ArchAngel21x, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3This software totally hosed my system. Stay as far away from this piece of crap as the galaxy is wide.
  • jole, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5Agreed. What can Windows Vista do that

    Theme + Google Desktop + Picasa can't do? Annoy the heck out of me with annoying security errors?
  • drall.kj, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4It worked for me, but if that is what Aero Glass Look like God Help all MS user.

    The Transparency is waaaay Overrated
  • mbwilliamson, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3FYI, beware if you use XP 64-bit when installing this. I installed a similar package a while back and it fubar'd my installation.
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -10/+13Question...
    Why in the world is anyone waiting for Vista? MSFT has pretty much removed all features except the Aero Glass interface. OK, maybe because it supports more memory, but that's only because the OS will probably feature more Bloat(TM) than before. I'm going to be staying on XP until it gets the treatment Win98 recently got or my machine gives up the ghost.
  • BugMeNot2, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5I just installed WindowBlinds and after I rebooted, I could barely run my system.

    It took 10 minutes to uninstall WindowBlinds.
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6OpenGL? Can you say PS3? lol. To answer your question, Microsoft left the OpenGL association a couple years ago.
  • forteller, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3http://osx.portraitofakite.com/
  • endgame, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2WOW, this thing rocks!!!
  • vbsurfer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2You just sound like a bonofied idiot. Congratulations.
  • lfielder, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Thank you for apple mouse utility!
  • catpounce004, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Followed the instructions written in broken English. Broke my system 5 ways from Sunday. Thank god I know how to fix what it did. Don't just stay away, undigg it and never d/l anything by this guy again. It's worthless and the only thing that might be worth looking at are the sounds and the media player skin. Get those on your own. This crap ain't worth it. And no, it won't remove itself. System restore is only the START of fixing this crap.
  • nights0223, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2change the visual style, there's four of them.
  • vbsurfer, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5^
    damnit. Im an idiot. I didn't read through the whole article. Sorry for the comment.
  • Flooq, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5Google for flyakite then. It wont make it work like a Mac though (and by that I mean the interface not some elitist this OS is better than that OS crap).
  • andreo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I installed it. The install went fine. No problem with resources. Everything runs as smooth as it did before.
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4support for xp home is supposed to end december this year... hope they have a home operating system before then as it is ovious they expected to have one.
  • radu79, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Do you mean that explorer IS a suitable file manager? I can't live without a FM than has native support for dual panels.
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