[X] Desktop Modding

Who said you cannot enjoy a stunning desktop without paying? Although a lot of software to customize your desktop is commercial, there are a lot other ways, with which you can enjoy the most gorgeous desktop ever. Free.

I have compiled a 10+1 list on what to do to beautify your precious desktop. If you have a lot of time (and system resources) you might consider trying some or all of the choices below. Enjoy! reallybiggrin.gif

1. Change the icons of your folders

Why keep the default boring folder icons for your folders? IconTweaker (http://joost.endoria.net/home/)& Rainbow (http://www.rainbowfolders.aionel.net/)folders will help you throw some color to your folders and make it easy to distinguish them.


2. Yahoo! Widgets

Yahoo! Widgets is a JavaScript runtime engine for Windows and Mac OS X that lets you run little files called Widgets that can do pretty much whatever you want them to. Alarm clocks, games, CPU usage meters, weather forecast panels, mail checker, notepad, calendar, appointments, webcams, picture frame, quote of the day, search, contacts. These are just some of the panels Yahoo! Widgets can get. There is a more thorough review here.

http://widgets.yahoo.com


3. AveDesk

If you think that Yahoo! Widgets is too much for you, try AveDesk. It's much lighter and fast, it does not even require an installation. Unzip it and run.

http://www.avedesk.org/


4. FlyakiteOSX

Makes your system look like Mac OS X. It modifies everything. Gives you mac wallpapers, mac themes, mac login screen, mac boot script, mac icons, mac-like doc, drop-shadows on windows, right click to roll-up a window, cursors, sounds, everything.

Yeah, the image above is from a machine running Windows XP. Can't believe it? Try it yourself.

http://osx.portraitofakite.com/


5. Themes

Before changing your theme, you have to download a tool which can let you run unsigned themes. The process is totally simple and safe. Download the tool from http://tinyurl.com/z92hb

After that, you can download a whole range of themes from various sites. These include:

http://wincustomize.com
http://deviantart.com
http://themexp.com
http://xptheme.info

For more, search Google.


6. 3DNA

No, it has nothing to do with the DNA. It's an app with which you can navigate through your documents and files like you were in your favourite FPS Game. You can walk and move around and dance and hop.


http://3dna.net


7. Vista Inspirat

If you are a fan of Windows Vista, you will love Vista Inspirat. It basically turns your XP machine look like Vista, the result is really realistic and awesome. Contains wallpapers to match the style, icons, themes, shades..


http://www.crystalxp.net/galerie/en.id.130.htm


8. GeoShell

An alternative shell for Windows, which can get themes and change the appearence of your PC. It's basically like WindowsBlinds, but free.


http://www.geoshell.com/


9. Google Desktop

Plug a fully customizable sidebar to your desktop, along with many other features (which can be optionally be turned off), such as "crawling" your files for rapid search, using Google's search algorithm.


http://desktop.google.com/


10. Samurize

Another usefull Widget - Oriented customization program. Including fancy CPU meters, traffic, temperatures as well as some well-balanced features.


http://samurize.com


10+1: Wallpaper

If you do not want any drastic solutions which will entirely change your desktop, you can simply change the wallpaper. Here are some nice wallpaper spots:

http://www.mydeskcity.com/1600BZ264.htm
http://www.mydeskcity.com/DZFG01.htm
http://freewallpapers.to
http://www.wallpapers.com/
http://gamewallpapers.com
http://animewallpapers.com
http://mydeskcity.com
http://free4uwallpapers.nl


source (http://techhooked.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=620) NOTE: source is temp unavailable

Feel free to add to this list. The more the better!

http://www.wincustomize.com/index.aspx?u=0

Stardock has a lot of stuff. I use windowblinds but I shun the rest since I don't have icons on my desktop anyways

:icon_smile: Just found this http://interfacelift.com/

try http://www.astonshell.com. its super cool. it is used inplace of the explorer.exe and utilises only 10MB of ram unlike explorer.exe which uses upto 30+ MB

Here's another cool site http://www.guistyle.org/

http://www.scotsnewsletter.com/art/72/desktop.jpg

- VistaXP VS v2 Visual Style theme by KoL
- VistaXP Theme for WindowBlinds by KoL
- Vista Icons from Crystalxp.net
- VistaXP Iconpackager Theme
- Replacer 2.57 by Undefined & Uxtheme Patch



http://rapidshare.de/files/24289111/VXP.rar

Found another site http://computer-arts.info/

blackbox (for windows)
Blackbox shells allow you to interact with your operating system in much the same way as Windows Explorer. However, Blackbox dispenses with some, or many, of the graphical features which are a staple of the Windows model. For example, you won't find icons in Blackbox menus, nor will you be able to drag menu items to reposition them. Generally speaking, you will find a Blackbox environment appears spartan and minimalistic compared to a normal Windows interface.

http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/1686/desk19188175vz.th.jpg (http://img70.imageshack.us/my.php?image=desk19188175vz.jpg)

bb4win (http://www.codedump.org/) Main port

bblean (http://bb4win.sourceforge.net/bblean/) - fork of bb4win bbleanmod (http://www.lostinthebox.com/viewtopic.php?t=1788) is most advanced IMO

bluebox (http://www.codedump.org/)

main style site (http://www.boxshots.org/)

Herz another http://www.skinbase.org/ :nrocks:

Themes, Logonscreens, Icons, Wallpapers, Mobile Wallpapers, XP Tweaks...

TSS2000 (http://www.tss2000.nl/site_pages/index.php?CV=1)

http://www.wincustomize.com/index.aspx?u=0

Stardock has a lot of stuff. I use windowblinds but I shun the rest since I don't have icons on my desktop anyways

same here no icons on my desktop. i hate clutter. :tcwozere02:

Vista Transformation Pack 5.5, released! (http://www.windowsxlive.net/?p=137)

some decent stuff here, but the best mods come when you use some of the software by tgtsoft, and then spend a couple hours on customize.org. of course, litestep is still the best looking shell around....

an old one from way back, probably no updated in a while, is virtualplastic.com

This one has a bunch http://www.wallpaperreview.com :jump: