A Guide to Style A Windows XP Desktop look-alike Mac OS X Leopard

I have fun today, styling my desktop to a leopard-like desktop.
I change my desktop from tiger-like because one of my friends said my desktop looks old when I posted my tiger-like desktop on Pownce.
These are steps to upgrade my tiger-like to a leopard-like desktop theme.

1. I use Visual Styles to style desktop theme and appearance, same with previous tiger theme, i search the internet for a leopard theme designed for Visual Styles.
2. My tiger dock is an old dock, not suitable for leopard. Remove the dock, Y’z dock and change it to a new program, RK Launcher.
3. Add a search utility. If you see a zoom icon on top corner of screen, that is a search utility. This feature is ‘dead’ on tiger-like desktop, i decide to bring it on.
4. Change all windows icons to leopard icons. I recommend to use IconPackager, the best software for manage and change Windows XP icons. The software isn’t free, i use the trial version.
5. Change Windows XP logon screen. I find a cool and simple way to change Windows XP logon screen without help any software thanks to a Malaysian Designer, Syahmi. Most forums suggested Logon Studio from Stardock as a logon screen changer.

Now, a complete guide to style a Windows XP desktop look-alike Mac OSX Leopard.
1. Download Leopard 3.0 Theme and Appearance file. It’s the best leopard skin for Visual Styles. If you have an alternative skin, please leave a comment below.
2. Extract and copy skin files to c:/windows/resources/theme. open control panel>display>appearance>windows and button>choose skin. Yeah, these instructions same with tiger
3. You have leopard appearances now.
The Dock
4. If you have a Y’z dock, remove it first. How? exit from Y’z dock, delete a Y’z dock icon from Startup folder inside Start Menu, delete a Y’z dock installation folder. Reboot the computer.
5. If you don’t have a Y’z dock or another dock, e.g Rocket Dock, jump right away to install RK Launcher. Download RK Launcher, extract a RK Laucher file to a hard drive where you want to save the Launcher files. Put or drag and drop RK Launcher.exe to startup folder inside Start Menu, RK launcher will be shown on your desktop everytime you reboot or start your Windows.
6. Download a Leopard Theme for RK Launcher. Extract to a RK Launcher themes subdirectory (inside a RK Launcher installation directory)
7. Run RK Launcher by clicked RK Laucher.exe twice. Put your mouse on top of the Launcher, and push mouse right hand button to show a tooltip menu. Open Settings, choose Theme : Leopard.
8. Tips for RK Launcher’s programs customization, open an itemlist.conf file on your text editor and modify the content.
There is a RK Launcher Leopard inspired. This Launcher is more complex than the original version, with awesome effects-you can see in an above link. I don’t use Leopard Inspired edition because i need a program that easy to install and remove. RK Launcher removal process same with Y’z dock.
Search Utility
1. Download MacSearch. It’s a great program from a man who delivers Finderbar. This program allows you to search in Spotlight Style. The program makes a zoom icons alive, not just an accesories.
2. From How-To :No installation is needed. Simply extract all files to the folder “up to you, e.g:Program Files” / MacSearch and make the shortcut to the file MacSearch.exe in the folder StartUp.
3. Reboot and feel it. But this program need adjustment. Right-Click above Zoom icon on the taskbar, choose MacSearch preferences, go to preferences tabs. Start searching option : manually, to show search bar click : Tray Hot Area.
Change Windows Icons
1. Download and InstallIconPackager 30 days-Trial Version.
2. Download Mr.EyePatch’s Leopard XP IconPackager. Extract the files and click one of the files (Revised Blue or Revised Brown) twice, then Apply.
Windows XP Logon
1. Download iLeopard Logon. Extract an iLeopard Logon zip file.
2. Copy logonui.exe from an extracted iLeopard directory to your windows\system32 directory.
3. Reboot your computer, push F8 button before your screen shows Windows’ Flag. Choose Safe Mode with Command Prompt. Login to an Administrator account.
4. Copy iLogon’s logonui.exe to your windows\system32 directory (again) using DOS command. Press Y when you asked to rewrite the file.
5. Reboot the computer by typing shutdown -r.

Make Your Windows Xp Super Fast

This tutorial is meant for increasing the performance of Windows XP, either it can be a fresh installed windows or an old windows.
Actually these r some tips/tricks, which I always apply whenever I do a fresh installation of windows. So here I’m sharing many of those tips-n-tricks:

1.) First I’ll tell some Registry tricks, which can be applied without any problem or doubt and I believe these tricks will surely help in increasing the performance of your windows. Copy the following code in Notepad, save the file with name "Vishal.reg" (including quotes) and then run the file:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemObjects\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\Copy To]
@="{C2FBB630-2971-11D1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemObjects\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\Move To]
@="{C2FBB631-2971-11D1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Shell\DosHere]
@="Command &Prompt Here"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Shell\DosHere\Command]
@="%windir%\\System32\\cmd.exe /k cd \"%1\""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\Shell\DosHere]
@="Command &Prompt Here"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\Shell\DosHere\Command]
@="%windir%\\System32\\cmd.exe /k cd \"%1\""

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer]
"Link"=hex:00,00,00,00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
"AutoEndTasks"="1"
"HungAppTimeout"="1000"
"MenuShowDelay"="8"
"WaitToKillAppTimeout"="2000"
"LowLevelHooksTimeout"="1000"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"NoLowDiskSpaceChecks"=dword:00000001
"ClearRecentDocsOnExit"=dword:00000001
"NoRecentDocsHistory"=hex:01,00,00,00
"LinkResolveIgnoreLinkInfo"=dword:00000001
"NoResolveSearch"=dword:00000001
"NoResolveTrack"=dword:00000001
"NoInternetOpenWith"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control]
"WaitToKillServiceTimeout"="2000"

[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\RemoteComputer]

OR you can download following ZIP file, extract it and run extracted .Reg file:
Make_XP_Super_Fast_Reg_Code.zip
2.) Right-click on Desktop and select Properties, Now in the new window goto Appearance tab and click on Effects button. Now in the new opened window uncheck the following options:

a.) Use the following transition effect for menus & tooltips.
b.) Show shadows under menus.
c.) Show window contents while dragging. (you may remain this option checked as I hv in my screenshot. It depends upon ur choice.)
d.) Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts. You may select “Standard” for this. I hv selected “Clear Type” coz I hv a TFT, it doesnt work properly for CRT monitors.



3.) Right-click on My Computer icon on Desktop and select Properties (or press <WIN> key + <Pause/Break> key), now goto Advanced tab in new window and click on Settings button in Performance section:



Now uncheck all the options in Visual Effects, but u can remain following options checked acc. to ur choice:

a.) Show window contents while dragging.
b.) Smooth edges of screen fonts.
c.) Use common tasks in folders (If u use the left side pane in My computer, I don’t use it.)
d.) Use drop shadows on icon labels on the desktop. (to make the desktop icons label transparent.)
e.) Use visual styles on windows and buttons. (If u use XP themes.)



4.) Open Tools -> Folder Options and click on View tab:



Now uncheck following options:

a.) Automatically search for network folders & printers.
b.) Display file size information in folder tips.
c.) Display simple folder view in Explorer’s Folders list.
d.) Show encrypted or compressed NTFS files in color. (I don’t use this option.)
e.) Show pop-up description for folder and desktop icons.
f.) Use simple file sharing.

Other remaining options are totally based upon user’s requirements, they usually don’t affect the performance! So u can enable/disable them acc. to ur requirements.

5.) Right-click on My Computer icon on Desktop and select Manage. Now goto Services & Applications -> Services. Here you can set many services to Manual, which u don’t want to start as soon as the windows starts. Following is a thread, in which I posted a small tutorial for knowing about which service should be set to MANUAL and which should be set to AUTOMATIC:

Windows XP Services that can be Safely set to MANUAL

6.) Start -> Run and type msconfig, now goto Startup tab and uncheck the entries, which u don’t want to start automatically with the windows, like u can get display settings utility entry there, and many more.

7.) Open Sound & Audio Devices in Control Panel (or type mmsys.cpl in RUN), goto Sounds tab and select No Sounds in Sound Scheme section. Or u can remain some of ur favorite sounds there but set Exit Windows, Start Windows, Windows Logoff, Windows Logon to (None).

8.) For more options/tips-n-tricks for better performance, u can use TweakUI, Tuneup Utilities 2006 and gpedit.msc (Windows XP Professional built-in tool)!