If you don’t like to upgrade your Windows XP to Windows Vista and you like Vista only because of its newly revamped Graphical User Interface DetectorPro dig for you 5 programs which will switch your XP look to look like Vista without installing Windows Vista on your computer. To run these “good looking” programs make sure that you have a bit spare RAM on your system (for some of them).

Vista Start Menu

Program turns XP’s Start menu into one like on Vista. You will get a better look and also many new features that are normally not there. Features include: resizable start menu, zoom in/out, program launcher, desktop search, power buttons, tabs, and more. Important: Vista Start Menu does not change your system settings, thus making it easy to install, as well as simple to remove.

Link: http://www.vistastartmenu.com/

Vista Transformation Pack 7


This program changes XP’s interface, including the Start menu, the Control Panel, system dialogs, icons, and more, to Vista style. Program includes a transparency function to act Vista’s Aero Glass functionality. This is the most comprehensive package out of all, so be very careful with it. Here are some of the notable changes that will be made to your system:

• Boot screen / Welcome Screen / Logon Screen.
• New desktop, file and toolbar icons.
• Progress Dialogs.
• New System Tray icons.
• New Sounds scheme.
• New interface visual styles.
• Windows Media Player Skins.

Link: Vista-Transformation-Pack

RocketDock

Portable, memory-friendly, smoothly animated, alpha blended application launcher that sits on your screen. It provides clean interface to drop shortcuts on for easy access and organization. Features include: Minimize active windows to the dock, drag-n-drop interface, Dual-monitor support, Auto-hide and Popup on mouse over, and Running application indicators.

Link: http://rocketdock.com/

VistaMizer


This program modifies more of hundred of your system files, and when you reboot your system after installation you won’t remember how your old desktop looked like. Highly customizable, this program offer changes to lot of stuff. It will keep backup of all the changes , so that you can easily revert it, it won’t replace/overwrite anything that would risk destabilizing your system.

Link: VistaMizer

WindowBlinds

WindowBlinds is more a tool for applying different visual theme on your entire current Windows environment, it is not a program specialty to turn your XP look to look like Vista. But, with WindowBlinds you can change overall look and feel, title bars, push buttons, start bar, start menu and more. It is to be memory-friendly and won’t slow down your system. After installation you can easily applied one of the default visual themes or download one from the WindowsBlinds gallery (over 1000 themes).

Link: WindowBlinds

Tags | Howto, Look and Feel, Software, Windows, Windows XP