Help me customize my WinXP PC!

Hi people! as a fresh start in this new forum (and as a distraction over the Night Game news we just received), I'd like to know how modify the overall look of my Windows XP PC now that I've seen such cool desktops here.

So, I've no idea on this, where should I start?

Well, the first thing you can do is get a custom Windows XP theme. To do this, you need to patch a certain .dll file that comes with Windows. You can do this with the UXTheme Multi-Patcher (google it, as I'm not sure whether it's legal to link it). After you run the program, you have to restart your computer. After that, you can download visual styles from a number of sites (customize.org and DeviantArt are good places to start). Once you download the visual style you chose, unzip the contents of it to "C:\Windows\Resources\Themes\", creating a folder for the visual style if needed. Once you open up the Display Properties dialog, you should see your style under the "Appearance" tab. If not, post a reply and I'll see if I can help you.

Another thing you could try doing is switching to a custom Windows shell, like LiteStep. I can't really help you out in this area, though, because I've never used any custom shells (Razzorman and Jace should be able to help you out, however, as they both use LiteStep).

Last but not least, however, good luck customizing your desktop.

Another thing you could try doing is switching to a custom Windows shell, like LiteStep. I can't really help you out in this area, though, because I've never used any custom shells (Razzorman and Jace should be able to help you out, however, as they both use LiteStep).

And help out he did.

To install Litestep: Download LOSI (Litestep Open Source Installer) here, run it, and follow the instructions. Litestep will replace original windows shell, explorer. Its not just a theming program. You can change back at any time though, so there is no need to worry.
Just as with visual styles, the best place to look for them is on customze.org and deviantart. I would also recommend nbi-studio, but they took their site down.

Yes, it is. I've done it, and it's pretty easy, but I'm sorry to say that I've yet to find a theme that seems to be as good as the ones you can get for XP. Vistaglazz can do the replacing of system files for you, and the following steps are pretty much the same thing as what eceva said.

(aforementioned) UX Theme patch is great.
Also try out Rocketdock (mac rip-off but really handydandy). And Winflip (alt+tab times a hundred) and Samurize (complex desktop tool editor) and Rainlendar (calendar). Oh, and Winamp for a pretty media player.
Here's what i was able to get out of it:

not a fan of litestep, tho... wouldn't recommend it unless you want an overhaul.
UXTheme patch works perfectly for addin a little shine.

All of this seems very interesting... Shall try something tomorrow, given that college gives me time...

For the vista users, there's a uxthemepatcher that patches vista. Once done, you can use XP skins too.

you could get at 3D desktop... (http://bumptop.com/)
Also for a change, you could also get a Mac. toolbar. ( http://www.stardock.com/products/objectdock/ )

Also get a good wallpaper.

The thing you need to keep in mind is ressource management too.

There are two kinds of Win XP theme, those that draw themselves over the current theme (so to speak) and those that replace the current theme.

The advantage of drawing over, is that you don't touch any system files so the chance of everything backfiring is near to nil.

But there isn't much you can really do wrong while replacing the theme, and doing that means that since it's a replacement of the original theme, your ressource consumption is the same.

Also, replacing the shell, can either be more ressource hungry, or less, depending on the shell you use. The shell is a program that  defines how you interact with windows and the desktop. The default Windows shell is called explorer.exe (if you've ever had an "explorer.exe has stopped working" error, you'll know what it means. when these errors occur all the windows and taskbar and icons dissapear and you have to wait for it to restart automatically and everything comes back.

For XP, I've used Litestep and Sharp E.
Litestep was great on ressources but a little hard to set up unless you found a theme that you want from a website (which I eventually did)
Sharp E is a lot easier to set up, but doesn't free that many ressources compared to explorer.exe (it is a little bit better though)

Here's a list of about 60 (I don't know if that's the lot though) shell replacements with a brief description of each, ranging from eye-candy extraordinaire, linux shell ports, light weight things, and the good old explorer.exe with some tweaks to make it more useable/les ressource-hungry : http://shellcity.net/cgi-bin/DB_Search/db_search.cgi?setup_file=topicpage.setup.cgi&submit_search=yes&topic=A

Most of these won't replace the explorer.exe file, and come with a simple way to revert back if ever you're not happy with the way it comes out.

Also, get some new and customized icons for your shortcuts.

My recommendation is that you get nlite and create your own customized XP installation CD (and yes, this is actually legal). Don't forget to enable the uxtheme patch option in nlite - that will allow non-microsoft-approved themes to run (same result as eceva's suggestion).

That way, you can get a very clean XP without components you don't need, and nice looks without having to install any new software on it (e.g. windows blinds).

When it comes to the start menu, a lot of people switch to the Classic one as quickly as they can, because it's better. This is not true at all, the new XP start menu is just a bit misunderstood. Sure, it's horrible by default, but never forget how customizable it is.

My recommendations:

* Set the icon size to small
* Set the number of programs on the start menu to 0
* Turn off "highlight newly installed programs" (you usually know what you install)
* Disable Favorites
* Show my computer & control panel as a menu
* Disable all the "my documents / my music" stuff if you don't use them.
* Disable "Scroll Programs"
* Disable "Search" if you're using a better search tool.

Don't forget to drop software you commonly used where the "recently used software" used to be. Now the start menu will look something like in the picture below (erm, if you use the WaalVS visual style that is). It's very functional! The start menu is also the only place where the recycle bin is visible (It's hidden from the desktop), but to empty it I still only need to right click the icon even though it's in the start menu. This way, I can keep the desktop completely empty (if something is there, it means that it's a file I have downloaded and not put into my organized directory structure).

@ Nifflas
Does nlite erase your hard drive? Or does it just remove unneeded programs? Sounds interesting, it would be nice to get rid of all that unnecessary stuff runnin in the background.

It basically allows you to create a custom Windows XP install CD (such as one without components like Internet Explorer) out of your existing installation files. So, technically, you'll have to do a clean reinstall of Windows to notice the changes.

Just be careful when fiddling with options on the nLite. After you've made the changes you presume are necessary, make sure you're doubly certain on the stuff you want to keep uninstalled are components you are CERTAIN you want to keep off your computer. As a personal experience, I left a fair few components related to Windows Firewall out of the installation, only to find out you NEED to have those installed to disable the Windows Firewall.

In other words, be certain on what you want to be removed and what not. If not certain, you're somewhat likely to paralyse your installation instead of making it more streamlined.