Roundup: 16 Tweaks to Windows Vista Look & Feel
We've come a long way in our coverage of Windows Vista, and it's time to put together a roundup of all the articles that tweak the appearance of Windows Vista. If you'd like to suggest something that we left out, leave a comment with the details of what you'd like us to feature next.
Boot/Logon Screens
Customize Your Windows Vista Logon Screen
That default Vista screen gets boring after a while, but it's easy to change.
Create a Custom Boot Logo for Windows Vista
You can customize that boring Windows Vista boot screen with a small utility.
Enable Hidden BootScreen in Windows Vista
Windows Vista has a built-in "Aurora" boot screen that you can enable with a quick tweak.
Fun Window Manager Stuff
Increase Size of Windows Vista Taskbar Previews
Make the built-in taskbar previews much bigger with a free utility by the brilliant Andreas Verhoeven.
Get the Beryl/Ubuntu "Desktop Cube" Effect for Windows
[update: This is no longer available for free, sadly, and is temporarily completely unavailable. This is why we should all support Open Source projects.]
Great Expose Clone for Windows Vista
This is one of the better clones out there, with many configurable features.
Mac OSX Expose Clone for Windows Vista
The first expose clone, but you might want to try the one above first.
Fonts and Icons
Tune Your ClearType Font Settings in Windows Vista
You can tune those fonts to look however you'd like.
Disable Shortcut Icon Arrow Overlay in Windows Vista
A perennial favorite, disabling the shortcut icons.
Why Do My Windows Vista Fonts Look Horrible?
Your computer manufacturer might have screwed up the default settings.
Hide Desktop Icon Text on Windows Vista
Another favorite, hiding the text on your icons.
Aero and Stuff
Trim Windows Vista's Bloated Window Borders
If you don't like the huge Vista borders, you can make them smaller easily
Enable Slow-Motion Aero Animations in Windows Vista
Slow motion? What an odd registry hack.
Disable Aero on Windows Vista
Don't like Aero? You can disable it easily.
Disable Flip3D in Windows Vista
Flip3D got you down because it's so pathetic? Just get rid of it.
View Hidden 3D Benchmarks in Windows Vista
This one is pretty cool.
Just wanted to mention that the Desktop Cube effect is no longer free, or available
Chris,
Thanks for the note… I didn't realize it had been sold off… This is why I like open source. =)
Is there any way to put an e-mail, history, and refresh icon on the tool bar on Vista? I just got this thing three days ago and am going nuts! To get to mail, I have to go into programs and click on mail. It is rather a drag. Thanks.
im glad there that are people willing to teach non-teki people for free. i hope more people follow suit. Money is not everything. i just wish that u still exist for the next coming years
Has anyone created a "Windows Explorer" utility, with the same look, features, and functionality for Vista? I hate the new look in Vista.
Thanks.
I am haveing trouble with my Vista desktop. I want everything to be smaller so I can fit more icon on the screen without being crouded but it won't let me go smaller or tell me how.
also
girrrrrrr
How do I restore windows vista ? I don't understand all of the choices. Seems to me you should have gotten the bugs out before you put this on the market. I am very unhappy with my hp. I had it one month and the hard drive crashed and I had to send it back.It keeps telling me that I have low disc space. How could I? I've only had it for about 8 months. Thanx, Sue
HP computer's have a smaller partition built in that stores utilities, restore images, etc. This is the "drive" that Vista is reporting is running out of room.
I hate when windows explorer defaults to icon display when I ALWAYS want details
is there a hack to kill icons?
Is there a way to change the icon fonts color in VISTA as we are able to do in XP or are we perennially condemmed to use the default BLACK color?
Thanks,
Mike
One annoying and inexplicable problem with VISTA is that the hard drive is always active, idling; the system seems to be doing something at all times. Do you have a solution to this?
Thanks,
Mike
Is there anyway I can download a windows vista quick lauch toolbar for free?
Cody, use AppLauncher which is one of the Vista sidebar tools. Works great. If you need more detail make a posting on the HTG Forum. WHS
how can i draw a "crosswords"table in office word 2007 or2003?
The Desktop Cube effect is available. Here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yod%27m_3D
It is the old version, mentioned in the article.
To Jonathan: Just hold Ctrl+mouse scroll! This changes icon size! Or use larger screen resolution
my start menu is now on the right side of the screen. how do i get back to the bottom?