Turn your XP into Vista

gaurav1987

Par 100 posts (V.I.P)
The Vista ‘look’
One of the most talked about feature of the Vista is its Aero interface. The new graphical user interface is intended to be cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing than earlier versions, including new transparencies, thumbnails, icons, animations and eye candy.

Though you can't get the exact Vista Aero look in XP, you can transform your Windows XP’s visual style to resemble Vista by using a Windows theme that resembles the original one created by Microsoft in the latest operating system. There are plenty of themes available for free. You can go for any Vista-related theme which would include wallpapers and fonts, all to create a look similar to Vista’s.

Desktop sidebar: Another hot feature is the sidebar. Vista brings a sidebar similar to the sidebar in MS-Office 97. Programmes can be quickly accessed, through customizable buttons provided for the purpose: calendars, calculators, media player and RSS feeds. Desktop Sidebar too provides you with instant access to the information you most desire by grabbing data from your PC and the Internet. The result is a dynamic visual display you can configure and control. It also has several add-ons, such as a file browser, weather, news, tasks, notes and email checker.

Internet Explorer: Vista bundles Internet Explorer 7. But IE 7 is not Vista limited. All you need to do is go to Microsoft site and download the browser and get the new user interface, tabbed browsing, RSS, improved printing, Page Zoom, Quick Tabs, anti-Phishing filter, new security protection features, Internationalized Domain Name support (IDN) and improved web standards support. However, be warned that tabbed browsing in IE 7 is not half as good as in Mozilla and the browser shuts down on its own on many computers thanks to a bug.

Media Player 11: Microsoft’s media player for playing and organizing music has been revamped with Windows Media Player 11. The player comes bundled with Vista. However, just like IE 7, Media Player 11 too is Windows XP ready. So you don't need to wait for a Vista upgrade to enjoy all those new features in Media Player 11 -- word wheeling, new graphical interface for the media library, photo display and organization.

Vista Start Menu SE: Vista has redesigned desktop items, such as the start menu. You too can give your Start Menu a new look with this programme. Not only the application will give you a Vista-like Start menu, it also has functions that Vista doesn't have -- built-in shortcut keys to Windows functions, such as Reboot, Switch Users and Hibernate.

Folder market: Customize your folder icons and icon backgrounds with Vista icons, courtesy easy-to-use FolderMarker. This Windows add-on marks out important folders with colour-coded or image-coded icons, making them easier to spot among hundreds of similar-looking folders. You can mark folders by priority, level of task completed (half or full), by work status, and type of information stored.

Copernic Desktop Search: One of the most helpful new features in Windows Vista is the new vastly improved search for files or applications from almost anywhere. Copernic Desktop Search tool also brings the search engine right to your desktop. Microsoft’s answer to Google Desktop Search, CDS looks into all types of files -- Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files, Acrobat PDFs, all popular music, picture, and video formats, contacts, the browser history, and Favorites. You can also search on specific file types, say Word documents, or for exact words within files.

The previewer highlights all search terms and automatically scrolls to the first use of these terms in a document, eliminating the exercise of sorting through endless text to pinpoint specific words.

LaunchBar Commander: Commonly referred as Application Launcher, LaunchBar Commander is typically placed on the side of the screen and lets users configure buttons and menus which will launch your favorites programmes. You can create multiple docks to launch applications and documents with this tool.

JetStart Free: JetStart offers a quick access to categorized Start Menu shortcuts, recently launched programmes and system commands. Just point the mouse to the Start Menu button! You can also place your most used programmes and documents into the toolbar and quickly run any programme by typing few starting letters.

FastFolder: FastFolder allows quick access to 12 pre-selected folders from the system tray. It provides an easy way to navigate directories without opening My Computer. There are no registry changes or secret files made.
 
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