BlueDev's customization must haves
-or- software I hate to be without
from 
JoeUser Forums
JoeUser Forums
There have been numerous, excellent articles around here lately about some of the different customization programs, introductions for newbies, etc. To be honest I am grateful for those articles and the things I have learned from them. This article is a bit different though. This is simply a list of (and the reasons) the customization programs I just hate to be without. Some I am okay if I don't have, but the following are the ones that I always, always use and miss greatly when on someone else's machine.
Wallpaper: How some folks manage to look at the same blue or blue/green screen every day is beyond me. The wallpaper is the base, the most fundamental thing I change. I have 2 full CDs of wallpapers and about another 400+ megs of walls on my computer right now. I make every effort to match my wall with my current theme as well, as a wall that doesn't match just messes the whole thing up for me. Check out the wallpaper section over at Wincustomize for some great ones. Too many to list, some other great sites I check regularly for new wallpapers are Deviantart and Art of Greg Martin. Well worth checking out to get you going.
WindowBlinds: Once you have a wallpaper you just have to do something about that hideous taskbar and the title bars. They have to go. There are two main ways to do this, either with MSStyles and a hacked uxtheme.dll or with WindowBlinds. It is really just a matter of personal preference, and as someone who has used both I am 100% sold on WindowBlinds. XP's theme service is shut off on my computer and gone are the days of hideous blue and green Luna themes. Now I can have whatever sleek and minimal or elaborate and ultra-functional (and everything in between) theme I want. Standard task/toolbars? Never again. Check out WindowBlinds skins at Wincustomize or again over at Deviantart. Sweet, sweet custo goodies!
Object Dock Plus: This one is a surprise for me. When Stardock released their very first version of Object Dock I thought it looked cool. I downloaded it, played around with it and realized it needed a lot of work. Memory leaks like a sieve, handle usage out of control, and not just very useful. All I saw it as was a glorified Quick Launch toolbar that used a lot more resources. So I abandoned it. I tried it off and on when new versions came out, but didn't find it useful. Then they released OD+. I was a bit skeptical, but decided to purchase it anyway. And I have been in love ever since. The ability to have multiple docks, and the tabbed docks is just a brilliant idea. Docklets extend the functionality of the program even more, and now that the resource issues have been ironed out I find I can use it all day, every day. I love it. Check out icons, backgrounds and docklets here, more docklets here, and even my own dock icons (and backgrounds as soon as it makes it through moderation) here.
CursorXP: This is one that is easy to take for granted. But if I am making the rest of my computer look so good, why settle for boring old cursors? Rock solid, easy to use and fast, CursorXP does just what it should and doesn't mess around with any more. And there are some very awesome cursors out there (and some most non-triumphant ones as well, but that is the way it happens). And I have a confession to make, while I don't have the plus version, the free version is one of the most amazing free bits of software out there. The only time you ever get a "nag" screen is when first changing a theme. No other times. I love this program (and am sure I will someday get the plus version). Get more cursors here.
IconPackager: This is the final must have for me. The icons in Windows XP took giant leaps forward from the predecessors. They really did. They were slick, attractive and well done. But they too can get boring. And it is so nice to have everything match
. There is some amazing artwork that goes into some of the icon packages out there, and they can really make the difference in moving from a nice set up to an immaculate one. I can't even imagine using my PC without this program either. Check out the packages at Wincustomize. You won't be disappointed.
Honorable Mention: Lately WindowFX has become a necessity. I have it running at startup for shadows and shadows alone. I am not a fan of the transitions and other effects, but to just run shadows this program is amazing. If you aren't used to them you don't really miss them, but once you add shadows to your desktop it really gives it a satisfying sense of depth that you miss when it isn't there. I also am a fan of the tile windows feature and use it on occasion.
So there you have it. The six things I have to use and have control over. There are other awesome programs out there such as DesktopX (which has amazing potential that is slowly being realized), Objectbar (which should really become a must have once version 2 is out), Logon Studio (which I just don't have any use for since I only have one account on my machine), Bootskin (which I have never really seen the need for) and others. All great programs and they give you even more control over the appearance and functionality of your computer, but these six are the ones I hate to be without.
So, what are your customization must haves?
Wallpaper: How some folks manage to look at the same blue or blue/green screen every day is beyond me. The wallpaper is the base, the most fundamental thing I change. I have 2 full CDs of wallpapers and about another 400+ megs of walls on my computer right now. I make every effort to match my wall with my current theme as well, as a wall that doesn't match just messes the whole thing up for me. Check out the wallpaper section over at Wincustomize for some great ones. Too many to list, some other great sites I check regularly for new wallpapers are Deviantart and Art of Greg Martin. Well worth checking out to get you going.
WindowBlinds: Once you have a wallpaper you just have to do something about that hideous taskbar and the title bars. They have to go. There are two main ways to do this, either with MSStyles and a hacked uxtheme.dll or with WindowBlinds. It is really just a matter of personal preference, and as someone who has used both I am 100% sold on WindowBlinds. XP's theme service is shut off on my computer and gone are the days of hideous blue and green Luna themes. Now I can have whatever sleek and minimal or elaborate and ultra-functional (and everything in between) theme I want. Standard task/toolbars? Never again. Check out WindowBlinds skins at Wincustomize or again over at Deviantart. Sweet, sweet custo goodies!
Object Dock Plus: This one is a surprise for me. When Stardock released their very first version of Object Dock I thought it looked cool. I downloaded it, played around with it and realized it needed a lot of work. Memory leaks like a sieve, handle usage out of control, and not just very useful. All I saw it as was a glorified Quick Launch toolbar that used a lot more resources. So I abandoned it. I tried it off and on when new versions came out, but didn't find it useful. Then they released OD+. I was a bit skeptical, but decided to purchase it anyway. And I have been in love ever since. The ability to have multiple docks, and the tabbed docks is just a brilliant idea. Docklets extend the functionality of the program even more, and now that the resource issues have been ironed out I find I can use it all day, every day. I love it. Check out icons, backgrounds and docklets here, more docklets here, and even my own dock icons (and backgrounds as soon as it makes it through moderation) here.
CursorXP: This is one that is easy to take for granted. But if I am making the rest of my computer look so good, why settle for boring old cursors? Rock solid, easy to use and fast, CursorXP does just what it should and doesn't mess around with any more. And there are some very awesome cursors out there (and some most non-triumphant ones as well, but that is the way it happens). And I have a confession to make, while I don't have the plus version, the free version is one of the most amazing free bits of software out there. The only time you ever get a "nag" screen is when first changing a theme. No other times. I love this program (and am sure I will someday get the plus version). Get more cursors here.
IconPackager: This is the final must have for me. The icons in Windows XP took giant leaps forward from the predecessors. They really did. They were slick, attractive and well done. But they too can get boring. And it is so nice to have everything match
. There is some amazing artwork that goes into some of the icon packages out there, and they can really make the difference in moving from a nice set up to an immaculate one. I can't even imagine using my PC without this program either. Check out the packages at Wincustomize. You won't be disappointed.Honorable Mention: Lately WindowFX has become a necessity. I have it running at startup for shadows and shadows alone. I am not a fan of the transitions and other effects, but to just run shadows this program is amazing. If you aren't used to them you don't really miss them, but once you add shadows to your desktop it really gives it a satisfying sense of depth that you miss when it isn't there. I also am a fan of the tile windows feature and use it on occasion.
So there you have it. The six things I have to use and have control over. There are other awesome programs out there such as DesktopX (which has amazing potential that is slowly being realized), Objectbar (which should really become a must have once version 2 is out), Logon Studio (which I just don't have any use for since I only have one account on my machine), Bootskin (which I have never really seen the need for) and others. All great programs and they give you even more control over the appearance and functionality of your computer, but these six are the ones I hate to be without.
So, what are your customization must haves?
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