An alternative to buying Vista

[St. Augustine]

This may already have been mentioned somewhere on these forums but I've yet to see it. I just wanted to bring everyones attention to this http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/...ion-Pack.shtml. It will allow you to transform the UI of XP into something which very closely resembles Vista.

It seems to me that the main reason anyone should buy Vista at this stage is a simple longing for something new. The biggest change Vista makes to the actual user experience is its appearance. Everything else it does just complicates life with things such as 1) endless requests for security conformation 2) compatibility issues 3) licensing problems (new motherboard = new copy of Vista) 4) the overall cost 5) for some people the system requirements. Anyway take a look & if you want transparent bars try windowblinds 5 with the supplied theme & flip 3d can be used in xp with topdesk. Here's what I've achieved without spending a penny....



Flip 3D(ish)



The wonder that is Google



Desktop & Start menu (yes I am a neat freak)

[Elrond]

Thanks for pointing it out - I am downloading it atm.

[St. Augustine]

Let me know what you think of it when you get a minute.

[wipeout140]

I downloaded it from official site and works well on my laptop

[St. Augustine]

Good to hear, the extra odds & ends like flip 3D & the glass appearance come from software that must be purchased to be used with the transformation program I'm afraid. Those are topdesk for flip 3D & windowblinds 5 for the aero glass (I think I've already said that once). I believe however that there are torrents around for these (not that I endorse piracy).

[Arakorn]

Actually, the best thing about Vista is the user friendlyness. At least in basic usage. New feats such as built in search allow this. Also better security is one of the better feats. But good looking is also good for those that favor it and those whose computer can handle it.

Nice find though!

[St. Augustine]

Gah.

Forum said I had to vote 4 more seconds... Guess I didn't...

Pardon?

[westy159]

That looks good but it cannot be a complete alternative to Vista. Direct 3D (or DirectX10) is only capable on Vista - so Microsoft say - so for future gaming it shall be needed. XP must still have a year or two left in it yet though so this visual change is welcomed.

[BNS]

sounds a bit scary, how will i be able to go back to the original interface ? has this caused you any problems ?

[St. Augustine]

Direct 3D (or DirectX10) is only capable on Vista - so Microsoft say - so for future gaming it shall be needed.

The problem faced by microsoft there is that if Vista sales are lower than expected fewer games developers will produce titles utilising DirectX10 as the market for these games would be far too small. Therefore it wouldn't suprise me if in a year or so we see microsoft changing their minds & producing a version of DirectX10 for XP after recieving complaints from other companies. That's just idle speculation of course & it will be interesting to see how things pan out.

As for being a complete alternative to Vista this is far from that. It is simply a UI change which gives you all the eye candy. As I mentioned in my first post Vista does have several shortcomings which are not found in XP (Iwas in the beta test & spent hours swearing at the "improved security" before turning it off). This is just a cheap & easy way to get some of the basic joy of visual change. Personally I wonder who would buy Vista if the UI had remained the same as XP's as was essentially the case with 95, 98, ME & 2000 give or take a few things.

[St. Augustine]

sounds a bit scary, how will i be able to go back to the original interface ? has this caused you any problems ?

It can all be uninstalled & changed back to XP according to the guy who made it. I personally have never tried removing though so I can't promise anything although I can't see why there would be a problem. As for causing me any problems I wouldn't say I've had any, it's worked perfectly well for me since I found it last month. The only small thing is remembering to close the sidebar (see screenshots) before playing games.

[kirlo]

The problem faced by microsoft there is that if Vista sales are lower than expected fewer games developers will produce titles utilising DirectX10 as the market for these games would be far too small. Therefore it wouldn't suprise me if in a year or so we see microsoft changing their minds & producing a version of DirectX10 for XP after recieving complaints from other companies.

Halo 2 for PC is only going to work with Vista and it's not even because of the DX10 thing...it uses the rapid install feature where you throw the disk in and it just starts playing (like a console) and installs in the background.
MS has so much leverage already, but by also controlling some very popular game titles, I'm sure it'll be forcing Vista down our throats as soon as possible. If they're already making Vista-only compatiable games for popular titles even before DX10 is being utilized, I doubt they'll ever change their minds later and implement DX10 for XP.

[aorz]

Yeah kirlo, sadly that is true. I think Microsoft can hold out longer than a lot of video game companies can. Almost all new computers made now have vista, in a few years most businesses and home users will run on it.

Just out of curiousity, how much RAM does this UI use up, I don't really care how much exactly, but is it substantial or not?

[Doono]

Vista's or this mod?

The mod uses no more than a regular xp theme from what I can tell.

Vista needs at least a Gig of ram to be stable and it's recommended you have
2 gig.

[St. Augustine]

The non-aero glass theme does indeed require little more than a standard windows theme although some extra RAM is required to run the sidebar. With the glass style its reccomended you have a 2.4GHz processor, 512mb RAM & 64mb of video RAM. In retrospect it may have been better to have posted that information earlier although it is available in the installer.

[Citizen]

Here's what I've achieved without spending a penny....

Without spending a penny?
Funny that, seeing as you have to pay for TopDesk!

[St. Augustine]

Without spending a penny?
Funny that, seeing as you have to pay for TopDesk!

Ahhh my friend the glory of trial versions http://www.otakusoftware.com/topdesk/

[sdjenkyn]

I am not a huge fan of vista but I have read that it can utilize up to 128 gigs of ram were xp can only handle at best 4gigs. That would be the biggest incentive for me. Everything else just seems a waste in the new system.

[Citizen]

I am not a huge fan of vista but I have read that it can utilize up to 128 gigs of ram were xp can only handle at best 4gigs. That would be the biggest incentive for me. Everything else just seems a waste in the new system.

It's 3, and you don't need any more than two gigs.

[sdjenkyn]

It's 3, and you don't need any more than two gigs.

thx for the confirm on what xp can handle. might explain why mine only reads 3 out of 4 gigs As for need now that depends on what you do with your rig, just play games ? 2's plenty. I grabbed 4 for rendering and imaging.