Vista appearance on xp

I now use Windows 7 which runs just as good as Xp. I had switched from Vista to Xp because its so much faster. This covers changing the log-in screen, the computers theme, changing the mouse cursor style, and customizing other little features. Let me know if I miss something and comment, as this is my first instructable. Windows Vista doesn't allow you to change the theme to ones non certified by Microsoft. To work around this, you have to replace the system theme.

This can easily be done by using VistaGlazz from Code Gazer. Download and Install VistaGlazz. Launch VistaGlazz and choose the first option, patch system files. Reboot your computer at the prompt. Right-click on the desktop and choose personalize. Select Windows Color and Apperance. Choose Luna -Blue and select apply.

You now should have a similar desktop to the one in the second picture. The first picture shows the desktop before applying the theme. Using a program called LogonStudio Vista, you can use any image as the background for the login screen. Download and Install LogonStudio Vista. Download and save the attached file called Windows XP. Open LogonStudio. Choose load and find the windows xp. Press the apply button. It will lock the computer to show you the new backround.

The Windows XP cursor and the hour glass is easily brought back. Right-click the desktop and choose Personalize. Click Mouse Pointers. Choose "None" from the menu. The Application class implements an override for this property as follows:. SetCompatibleTextRenderingDefault false ;. Thank you for the info - i assumed that once an app was developed it style couldnt be changed and would look the same on all machines. Do you know if there is any property for a panel to stop it moving on a form - for example i have my data enty controls in a panel and on vista looks fine but on xp the right border seems to have shrunk and there is a wider edge between the panel and form window whereas on vista the panel was center with even edge between it and the form?

Autosize is already set to false. No problem, check the AutoScaleMode, its usually set to Font. So if the font size changes, so will the Panel. Now the gap between the panel and form doesnt change from one os to another. The content you requested has been removed. Double click on Theme then select Windows Classic from the drop-down box.

Use the Desktop Background option to pick a plain blue background, and the Mouse Pointers option to get rid of that swirly-whirly Vista mouse pointer. It's looking better already, isn't it? And hey, where did all my icons go? Vista has hidden many of the handy icons that used to hang out on the desktop, but here's how to get them back.

On the upper left part of the Personalize window, click the Change Desktop Icons link. Select Properties then go to the Start Menu tab and click on the radio button that is located next to the Classic Menu option. Since you're already under the hood, let's make a few more adjustments. Click on Customize also in the Start Menu tab to change your icon sizes, restore the Recent Documents and Favorites items, and enable the Run command.

Microsoft has given Vista the Aero effect that makes your screen elements appear transparent. You can customize this or disable it. Again, right click on your desktop on an empty space, click Properties, then select Windows Color and Appearance.

Choose a color scheme, then click on the Enable Transparency to get rid of the Aero, which is the default. Remember to click Ok and Apply. If it doesn't come out the way you like it, you can cancel your adjustment. Disabling Aero will help a lot if you have a graphics card that's not top of the line. One thing that bothers many Vista newbies is the User Account Control UAC feature, which generates those "Windows needs your permission to continue" popups. You can turn off the UAC, but there are pros and cons involved.

If you don't want to DIY, there are alternatives. Tune-Up Utilities offers lots of features, among them defrag, increased performance and problem solving, but it also has the ability to easily customize your Vista theme. And if you can't handle the new Word, Microsoft Office Marketplace has a Classic Menu for Word that will bring back the old-school toolbars and menus. By the way, if you upgraded from XP to Vista, you might want to go through your C drive and search for the "Windows.

This contains the "Program Files" and "Documents and Settings" folders that were on your computer before you make the leap to Vista. Copy what you need and then delete the "Windows. To do so, click Start, enter the "disk cleanup" command, select "Files from all users on this computer" then follow the instructions in the wizard.