Vista Looking XP- Free, Fast and Easy.

paskall

We all like the new Vista's look, tho it's a little bit complicated and silly for advanced users and expensive for who don't want to pay. Here is a fast tutorial to get your XP look like Vista. I would like to post my desktop, but imgshack is nasty today so I will post later on.

I want to thank to all the authors fore I begin.

Step by step;

1- First you need the uxtheme patcher to patch the needed system file, so it won't turn back to XP when you reboot the pc. Just download and unzip it in a temporary folder. Then click on it and you are done. Then reboot your computer for the second step.

2- We need a Vista Theme, you can find so many but my favourite is the Vishal Gupta's Ultimate Vista Theme. Download it from here. Unzip it in a temporary folder. Then you will get four folders inside. Copy what's inside the Theme folder to the C:\WINDOWS\Resources\Themes folder. Then go to desktop, right click and set the Theme VGUltimate.

Within this theme, you will get Segoe UI fonts, in the fonts folder, copy them inside the WINDOWS\Fonts folder.

This theme may ask you to download Styler Freeware with it you can modify the theme easier.

3- We also need Vista sound Scheme. Then unzip it, and go to WINDOWS\Media folder. Choose any sound you wanna replace with the old XP sounds.

4- Now we need Vista style cursors. I recommend Aero Cursor Pack. Just download it, and unzip them in the WINDOWS\Cursors directory. Then go to control panel and go to mouse, and set mouse cursors to Aero alphablended.

5-Now we need Visual Task Tips, that can be downloaded free from here Visual Task Tips Official Site For Free Download

6- To modify drive icons I use Vista Drive Icon Freeware. Makes it look cool.

7- Now we need Vista style Wallpapers. For this, you can find so many resources, or make a Google search on Vista Wallpapers, or Vector Wallpapers... Here is the link for all the official Vista Wallpapers that I can recommend.

** Vista Style Official Wallpapers

Just download a wallpaper you like, on desktop right click and go to wallpaper, pick the one you want there.

8- We need a good Vista-looking system clock. You can find a few, but my favourite is the simplest and coolest one, LClock. Thanks to the developer Ying Han, here is the link.

** Vista Clock For XP

Simple, download and install, then customize.

9- If you want a Vista screensaver, you can use one of these.

**Windows Vista Screensavers for Windows Xp, Patched

This pack includes 4 patched Vista Screensavers. Download and set one of them as screensaver, right click on desktop and go to screensavers, then pick it.
• Aurora screensaver
• Bubbles screensaver
• Mystify screensaver
• Ribbons screensaver

10- We also need Vista Icons and Vista Start Menu. You can find or build your own images, or download from so many resources, but here I recommend a simple and original Icon package.

**Vista Icons Package by JRDN88

For Start Menu, I recommend this Vista Start Menu For XP

11- To get a more Vistaish look on your XP, You have to have Internet Explorer 7, soon will be 8. and of course Windows Media Player 11. There are some applications that are on Vista, can be imported to XP. For example Vista looking MS Paint , or Vista Aero Skin for your FireFox, the most IE7-like theme with Vista Aero style. , or Vista looking Windows Photo Gallery , or maybe Welcome Center From Vista , or Nero Home with Windows Vista Media Center can be downloadable, and you can find Vista skins for many software or program, tho I don't recommend playing too much with the XP.

12- You can get some Explorer Plugins. Such as [url=http://www.crystalxp.net/galerie/en.id.551...lorer-tools.htm
]Styler (Vista Toolbar)[/url] or [url=http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/36754081/
]Styler skins - Vista perfection X4[/url] or [url=http://browse.deviantart.com/customization...ows/stylertool/
]other types and languages[/url] or [url=http://tomseffect.com/
]Favorite links menu[/url] or Vista address bar.

13- You can get the 3D Flip effect in Vista, with 3D Desktop by Madotate. Which is a cool project. Also Shock Aero 3D is a fantastic project that I can recommend for who wants 3D Flip.

14- Here is a link for Vista Games on Xp.

15- Yeah another cool thing can make your desktop look hot, the sidebars, you can get this one Alky's Vista Sidebar for XP. It has few language options and so many gadgets (Calendar.Gadget, Clock.Gadget, Contacts.Gadget, CPU.Gadget, Currency.Gadget, Notes.Gadget, PicturePuzzle.Gadget, RSSFeeds.Gadget, SlideShow.Gadget, Stocks.Gadget, Weather.Gadget .... too many). Also you can get [url=widgets.yahoo.com/widgets/sidepanel]Yahoo! Sidebar Widget[/url] or [url=desktop.google.com]Google's Sidebar Gadget[/url]. There are too many of these.

Okay guys, beside these you can use Vistaish Logon screen or other Vistalike projects like Shadows etc. For this I can recommend you CrystalXP, which has really cool programs and softwares and ideas, most for free, and you can follow the updates of these programs there.

I recommend you to use Stardock's ObjectDock. Really cool and for free.

Don't forget to set these progs run with the startup. They shouldnot be removed and you shouldnot close them via Task Manager. If you think any of these slow down your computer, just remove it.

For broken links, or further assistance, feel free to send a post. Thanks to the authors of these cool programs.

Cheers.

LostOverThere

...Was it really necessary to post 4 times when you could have put it all into a single post?

Still, an interesting tutorial.

paskall

well mate, it took ma time, really so I had to prepare them step by step and post, to prevent losing em.

Animal

paskall

well thanks for joining them all four in one. yea I could do that, tho didnot remember, when working and searching hard. Anyway thanks.

Hope this tutorial helps some ppl.

Cheers..

Studio Madcrow

I don't really see the point of stuff like this. Vista doesn't look all THAT good and if I wanted to theme XP, there's MUCH better stuff available than the Vista look.

paskall

that's your personal opinion. Vista theme for XP, has been one of the most discussed and tutorialized thing recently. Tho you may have your own themes. Nobody can make you get your XP look like Vista, I wanted to share, that's all.

Kelvin

Well, actually i've made one of my XP look pretty much like a Vista OS. I did this using Vista Transformation Pack and the results are pretty good. It's got the startup Orb protruding out just like Vista, transparency, even the icons changes when you move your mouse cursor from say 'documents' to 'picture' etc. Even got the exact Windows Sidebar and all other Vista icons, not to mention the mini popup windows for each application opened from the taskbar and Vista screen saver. It's very close to the actual feel of Vista but it has got its list of bugs here and there. Well, can't complain much though.

paskall

yeah this is just an alternative way to transform your XP. There are too many packages tho some of them are noob and got a watermark, and some of them are not free. Here I tried to explain.

Seems we cant post a picture on here, I would like to share my desktop with you.

gaby007

this programs are good. Easily you can use vortex prestige (a good patch). download http://download.softpedia.ro/dl/4fd267608076338c84a6d89fa48a9016/4808c006/100092133/software/SYSTEM/prestige.exe

Laughing

[FuN]goku

Hehe, i use the uxtheme patcher, however i dont use an exact vista looking theme.. Just very glossy black ones Very Happy

FYI: Look on deviantart for more themes, theres countless ones one there, some very unique ones too.

paskall

yeah deviantart has too many unique themes, screensavers, desktop images, icon sets, sound schemas and anything you need.