Official Windows Improvements or Eye-candy Thread

[JacksonCougar]

The purpose of this thread is to generate a library of applications or add-ons that in one way or another either improve windows or simply make it look more sex. I will start off by posting two applications that I have recently found that have made my computer much sexier than xp classic ever was

Please try to use the following format for your contributions: it helps make things nice and pretty

RocketDock
Operating System: WindowsXP, VISTA (perhaps others, those where the only two OS's I tested)
Purpose: Application launcher
License: Freeware
Website: http://www.rocketdock.com
Download: http://files.punklabs.com/RocketDock/Ro ... v1.3.5.exe
Notes: The first is a dock application: it stores links to your applications (retaining some special right-click actions related to that shortcut) and displays them as icons in the dock bar. You can change the icons it uses to whatever you want, and even add other functions to it by docklets.

WinFlip
Operating System: WindowsXP
Purpose: Alt-Tab Replacement
License: Freeware (I think: I never really looked ^_^)
Website: http://tokyodownstairs.blogspot.com/200 ... nflip.html
Download: http://www.tokyodownstairs.com/binary/WFlip042.zip
Notes: It seems to work fine for me: tell me how it works for you. Makes your Alt-Tb behave like the vista style windows cascade.

[Gary]

Windows blinds
http://www.stardock.com/products/windowblinds
Features:

* New start menu animation support
* Category filtering on skins in wbconfig
* Tag filtering on wallpapers in wbconfig
* Random skin support
* The ability to save a re-coloring of a skin as a preset
* Advanced HSL re-coloring where you pick a single color and a range in a skin and you can just change that color instead of the entire skin
* Ability to edit the system colors from wbconfig
* Ability to change skin fonts from wbconfig
* Ability to control transparency and blur on start menu, menus, taskbar & window frames.
* Ability to save such changes as a preset
* Vista-Ize me function which sets some defaults to have a more vista like look
* Ability to skin the sidebar
* Ability to edit a sidebar skin from within wbconfig
* Improved WB skin install when handling upgrades of skins
* Ability to alter the mouse over animation speed
* Ability to alter the default button pulsing speed
* Support for explorer background bitmaps
* Ability to use the Aero frames with the rest of the skin
* Blur support in title bars (and menus on vista)
* Lots of new sections for new Vista specific parts
* Including IE navigation arrows, IE tabs, start menu shutdown/lock buttons
* Skins virtually every aspect of the Windows GUI
* Clean and easy configuration dialog.
* Tons of configuration options for users
* Animation supported on titlebars, buttons, and many other elements.
* Change the color of any visual style on the fly
* Per-application visual styles
* Doesn't alter any system files
* Safe, reliable way to change the look and feel of Windows

Notes: this does cost money, it has a trial tho.

[DoorM4n]

My graphics card sucks. I can't install the Alt-Tab deal.

[JacksonCougar]

Interesting... it should work: do you have directx 9.0c?

[DoorM4n]

I also can't play HL2 for some reason anymore; my graphics card drivers must be the problem.
ATI All-in-Wonder 9600 xt

[DoorM4n]

Got it the top 2 to work wonderfully!

[Grimdoomer]

HA people still run off of XP and Vista? I run off my own OS XP

[XZodia]

I found this http://customize.org/xpthemes/help/How_ ... ti_Patcher today, dunno if anyone was aware of it...

[Anetheon]

I found this http://customize.org/xpthemes/help/How_ ... ti_Patcher today, dunno if anyone was aware of it...

I've used something like that, it's a lot better than using windows blinds imo.

[Remnant Samurai]

Cube Desktop
Operating System: WindowsXP, Vista
Purpose: 3D desktop Cube rotation
License: Pay to use (there is a free trial)
Website: http://www.cubedesktop.com/index.php
Download: http://www.cubedesktop.com/downloads/cu ... tryout.exe
Demonstration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_VPcYBLEoI
Notes: Looks pretty cool if you want the full version pm me

[socrates]

I have used rocket dock before and still to date use it, it has many neat skins that you can download from the website, or you can make your own easily... i more or less edited one and i customize it every time i shcnage my theme on my desktop, it currently resembles the start button somewhat of the Darkmatter: Subspace theme i have on right now. that cube desktop looks nice, i do wonder if my computer will be able to handle rotating it very well though...

[DarkShallFall]

aqua snap.

[DoorM4n]

aqua snap is awesome! I just downloaded it.