The Windows 7 Desktop and UI Customization and Flexibility
The Windows 7 desktop and graphical user interface are right on track to delivering an evolution compared to Windows Vista, and in this context, provide a high degree of customization and flexibility, superior to what is available with the successor of Windows XP.
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6.10.2008 Windows 7 to officially support logon UI background customization
As you probably know, Windows 7 build 7057, a build recently leaked to the public, sports a new (yet ugly) login UI background.
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16.3.2009 Vista Customization Pack v2 Released!
joejoe just released the second version of his Vista Customization Pack. This pack includes new logonscreen, screensaver, wallpapers, icons, visual style and much more for giving a new Windows Vista look to your Windows XP.
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Vista SP1, and then Windows 7, Windows 8 and Non-Windows Midori
2008 saw the release of Windows Vista Service Pack 1, Windows XP Service Pack 3 and Windows Server 2008, but Microsoft's journey on the Windows path is far from over.
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5.8.2008 Windows 7 RC Brings Windows XP Mode Beta and Windows Virtual PC Beta
The Release Candidate of Windows 7 will bring with it the first Beta development milestones for Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC.
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29.4.2009 Windows Reactivator 2.0 - Backup & Restore Activation Status of Windows XP with Windows Reactivator
Every time you reinstall your windows XP you need to reactivate it online using your product key & worst if you lost your Windows XP product key.
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3.6.2009 Windows Vista SP1 vs. Windows Vista RTM vs. Windows XP SP2
Feb 26th, 2008. Principled Technologies has released two Microsoft commissioned reports on Windows Vista SP1 performance. In these tests, Principled Technologies measured responsiveness of Windows Vista SP1 vs. Windows Vista RTM vs. Windows XP SP2 when performing a set of common business and home tasks.
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28.2.2008 Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 9 1 Billion and Counting
Is Windows dead? Or, at least, is this the beginning of the end for Microsoft's proprietary operating system?
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15.9.2008 Week in Microsoft: Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 9
This week in Microsoft, we covered 128-bit support possibly coming to Windows 8 and Windows 9, Windows 7, Windows Mobile 6.5, Bill Gates, Office 2010 Starter, Microsoft MVP status, Windows Live Hotmail, the EU, and Microsoft Security Essentials.
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10.10.2009 Windows Vista Build 5231 and Windows Media Player 11 Leaks!
Windows Vista Build 5231 has leaked to the web. The new build is said to include Windows Media Player 11 included. View the screenshots below! This is a Main branch build that was released on September 12th, 2005 at 8:20PM.
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Windows Vista SP1 and Windows XP SP3: Official Release Dates
A French website, PC Inpact, has posted the official Microsoft product change request forms for Vista SP1 and Windows XP SP3.
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6.2.2008 Download Free Windows Vista and Windows XP SP2 Straight from Microsoft
Via the Internet Explorer Application Compatibility VPC Image. That's right! Microsoft is offering access to free downloads of Windows Vista and Windows XP SP2.
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6.3.2008 Windows Vista SP1 outperforms Windows XP SP2 in file copy
"Its interesting that people seem to think that Vista under performs in every area of the system which is quite an incorrect perception.
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27.5.2008 Windows Fiji Has RTMd as Windows Media Center TV Pack 2008
Microsoft officially confirmed that Windows Fiji has been released to manufacturing.
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18.7.2008 Windows 7 Beta Doesn't Play Nice with Windows Azure Cloud OS Tools
The promise for Windows 7 is that it will deliver an evolution when it will come down to stretching into the Cloud compared to its precursor, Windows Vista.
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16.1.2009 Internet Explorer 8 MUI packs for Windows XP, Windows Server 03
As detailed in our previous blog post, the following Internet Explorer MUI packs shipped today.
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17.5.2009 Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 Beta adds Windows 7 support
Microsoft announced the release of Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 Beta, along with news that it will feature Windows 7 support.
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20.7.2009 Check for RAM Error or Defect in Windows 7 and Vista with Windows Memory Diagnostic
Memory or RAM is one of the most important electronic hardware component on a computer systems, not only in term of speed or clock frequency and size, but also the reliability of hardware ecosystem of the RAM sticks or memory modules and its subsystem.
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1.10.2009 The Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 98 Threat Mitigation Guide
Well, Microsoft still puts effort in old Windows versions...
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31.3.2006 Windows Vista comes with 19,500 drivers on DVD more on Windows Update
Ever needed to find a driver for a product and wished Windows would either just have the driver in it, or that their Windows Update service could provide it? With Vista, it can and new features and updates will be forthcoming too. Its about time!
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20.11.2006 Windows XP Home No Longer Qualifies for Windows Vista Upgrades
Windows XP Home Edition no longer qualifies for Windows Vista Business Upgrade or Upgrade + SA through Volume Licensing.
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17.10.2007 Microsoft Offers a Complex Windows Vista vs. Windows XP Perspective
A new standard of security is an integer aspect of the evolution puzzle represented by the move from Windows XP to Windows Vista.
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3.11.2007 Windows XP SP3 to Drop Concomitantly with Windows Vista SP1?
Yes, it's time for every Windows user's favorite obsession: Windows XP Service Pack 3. The third and final service pack for Windows XP has been quite elusive for the past three years.
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25.11.2007 Windows Vista vs. Windows 9x/Me, NT Server, 2000 and XP
If at just a couple of weeks short of the first anniversary since Windows Vista hit the shelves you are still looking for reasons to upgrade to the latest Windows client, then Biplab Paul, Partner Technical Consultant with Microsoft India, has an impressive, and exhaustive list of features that are bound to tilt the balance in Vista's favor.
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14.1.2008 Free Windows Vista Business and Windows XP SP2 on Parade
Free Windows... Not a concept you would expect from Microsoft. With a business strategy focused on proprietary software, the Redmond company is by all means at the opposite technology spectrum from open source and free software.
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9.3.2008 Microsoft Presents the Lost Comparison: Windows Vista vs. Windows XP
With both Windows XP and Windows Vista being available concomitantly on the market, Microsoft is doing nothing more than inviting the consumers to compare the two operating systems.
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20.4.2008 Windows Server 2008 = Windows Vista SP1 Minus the Pain
Windows Server 2008, formerly codenamed Longhorn, is essentially intimately connected with Windows Vista Service Pack 1, to the level in which the RTM version of Microsoft's latest server operating system features the
SP1 label
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6.5.2008 Windows Embedded NavReady 2009 - Latest Windows Platform from Microsoft
The latest Windows operating system is available for download as of June 16, 2008. And no, it's not a new release of Windows 7, nor the first taste of Windows 7 Server.
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16.6.2008 Free Windows for Supercomputers Available for Download - Windows HPC Server 2008
Microsoft made the latest iteration of its Windows operating system for supercomputers available as a free download.
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23.9.2008 How to Install Windows 7 or Windows Vista on Physical Machine Without DVD Media
A lot of Windows Vista and Windows 7 license has been sold media-less nowadays, where buyers only receive a piece of authenticated certificate with a genuine and legitimate product key printed on it.
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23.12.2008Does Windows 7 return customization to the forefront?
For years it seemed like every new application and operating system was touting its "skinning" capabilities. Then, abruptly, this trend stopped with
the release of Windows Vista as developers began to return to providing a more consistent experience for PC users. To new visitors of Neowin, having
a front page story on skinning might seem unusual. Yet, Neowin got its start largely tracking skinning technology back in the run-up to "Whistler"
(what became known as Windows XP). Neowin and its users have long tracked the ebb and blow in the popularity of skinning. At one time, Neowin
contained a side-bar dedicated to customization sites and the skinning forums on Neowin were the most popular.
Read full story.....
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18.11.2009The end of the road for Yugo
The Yugo, a car my family had as I grew up in Sarajevo has ceased production. This technologically "innovative" and cheap car from the early
1980's has not changed much in design, but consumer customization and the technology being implemented by its drivers launched the modern
"pimping"
of cars. Production of the car has officially ended after almost 30 years. Just like the Lada and the Skoda, the Yugo was
often ridiculed. Apparently Yugos came complete with heated rear windows to keep your hands warm when the car needed a push - just one of many jokes
inspired by its questionable quality. There are cars with spoilers and television screens.
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 21.11.2008
Stardock Delivers Object
Desktop 2007
Stardock on Tuesday released
the 2007 version of its
popular Object Desktop suite
of Windows customization
utilities. The package of
tools enables customers to
completely change the way
Windows looks and functions to
suit their personal tastes...
betanews.com - 02.08.2006
Stardock Launches Gadget
Downloads
Windows customization software
maker Stardock announced that
it had launched a new Web site
devoted to the
mini-applications that can
reside on a user's desktop.
Unlike Konfabulator or
DesktopX, these programs do
not require an additional
program in order to be used...
betanews.com - 23.09.2005
Microsoft Offers New Art Work for Zune Customization
In an effort to push its iPod-a-like Zune portable music player Microsoft have added 46 new designs to its customization website.
Zune is Microsoft’s music and entertainment brand providing an integrated digital
entertainment experience. The Zune platform includes a line of portable digital media players, software, the Zune Marketplace online store, the Zune
Social online music community and the ZuneOriginals.net customization Web site
Microsoft is hoping a splash of designer paint may help sales of its Zune player in the run up to the busy Christmas period. The new Zune
Originals designs include a Zodiac Series featuring exclusive artwork of Eastern and Western astrology from Catalina Estrada and Iosefatu Sua.
“Zune Originals infuses pop culture, style and art into digital entertainment to help consumers turn their Zune into a
personal statement,” said Chris Stephenson, general manager of Global Marketing for Zune at Microsoft. “We’re excited to add
beautiful new designs from these incredible artists and to introduce them to a broader audience.”
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 07.11.2008
The State of Skinning
Tweaking and customizing Windows is a major element of what people do with their PC. Neowin.net's own sidebar has an entire section dedicated to
Customization websites. There are about 50,000 posts on Neowin just about Windows customization.
As we do each year, we take a look at the
state of skinning. Where things stand, and where things are going.
Our conclusion: 2007 was not a great year. Windows Vista made it more
difficult to create customization software and content. Spotty support for Vista X64, and the fragmentation of Windows users between XP and Vista made
it hard for skinners to pick a target to support.
While there were some bright points last year, there were plenty of boo-boos.
Stardock's DesktopX 3.5 never materialized. The Windows Sidebar is a joke. Yahoo finished sucking the soul out of Konfabulator.
In
addition, skinning has become incredibly popular. It's not just mainstream these days, it's ubiquitous. As a result, talented skinners are
finding careers across the industry creating things for Adobe Air, Microsoft Silver Light, and countless other up and coming platforms.
In
2008, the transition to Vista in terms of software should be largely complete. X64 support should start to become more consistent. And the polish
factor should improve.
The full State of Skinning article is very long but goes over alternative shells, msstyles, WindowBlinds, etc. Note
that my day job is at Stardock so I'm obviously more familiar with what Stardock is doing than other companies but I've tried to cover
everything relevant.
neowin.net - 04.03.2008
Gmail Updates Its Look, Adds Themes
Google's beloved web-based email client has always been ripe for third-party design customization (we've always been partial to the Gmail Redesigned skin in Better Gmail, for
example), but now Gmail is officially riding the interface customization train by offering 30-some new themes to spice up your inbox. Keep reading for
a screenshot tour of the cool new offerings...
winbeta.org - 20.11.2008
New YouTube API opens embedded players to customization
A new set of functionality enhancements being released today to Web developers could enable them to build customized video libraries around their
exclusive sites, with YouTube doing less to steal their users away...
betanews.com - 12.03.2008
Japanese browser maker taking on IE, Firefox
A Japanese software company is stepping up international promotion of its Web browser in the hope of carving out a 5 percent share over the next few
years of a market dominated by Internet Explorer and Firefox.
The Sleipnir browser is well-known among Japanese geeks, many of whom value the high level of customization that the browser allows.
At the center of this customization is the ability to select either the Trident or Gecko layout engines for each Web site visited. Trident was
developed by Microsoft and is used in Internet Explorer while Gecko is used in Mozilla's Firefox.
winbeta.org - 23.07.2008
Google Upgrades Analytics Interface
Google Analytics, arguably the
best free tool for webmasters
and marketers to analyze site
traffic and track campaigns,
has received an overhaul just
in time for the Emetrics
Summit in San Francisco. The
reporting interface has been
redesigned for better
customization and
collaboration...
betanews.com - 09.05.2007
Creating, Saving, Sharing Themes in Windows 7
Steven Sinofsky: With Windows 7 we picked a group of settings that we believe represent the most satisfying settings to broadly personalize, and would
also provide the most robust platform that maintains application compatibility, and made those easy to change. In addition we wanted to make it easy
to package up those settings so you could save and share them. We think of this as the start of bringing robust personalization (and customization)
to a broader set of customers. Katie Frigon, a program manager on the core user experience team, authored this post.
winbeta.org - 03.06.2009
Google Desktop 3 Beta Released
Google released a new version
of its desktop search feature
on Thursday, allowing searches
across multiple computers, the
ability to send Sidebar items
to friends, deeper
customization of Sidebar
features, and
password-protected search...
betanews.com - 09.02.2006
MSN Enhances Spaces, Start.com
MSN has been busy making enhancements to some of its services based on the requests of its users. Two popular features of the service, Spaces and its new Start.com testbed, were tweaked to allow greater customization and mobility. MSN Spaces users can now change the default color scheme to their liking...
betanews.com - 14.08.2005
IBM Offers New Collaboration
Tools
IBM on Wednesday launched new
software that it says will
improve the effectiveness of
collaboration between teams in
a software company and reduce
project failures. Called the
Rational Method Composer, it
replaces the Rational Process
Workbench with new process
customization tools...
betanews.com - 20.10.2005
System builders still waiting for Windows 7 tools
In early August, some PC makers were complaining they still didn't have access to tools they
needed to get Windows 7 preloaded on new systems. A month later, system builders smaller, custom PC makers still don't have access to tools
like the OEM Preinstallation Kit (OPK).
The OPK is designed to allow PC makers to automate the installation and customization of Windows and other Microsoft
products on multiple PCs.
winbeta.org - 03.09.2009
Aston 1.9.3 Xmas edition
Aston Shell is a Desktop
replacement software, which
saves your time and computer
resources while giving your
Desktop a unique look. Most
Desktop enhancers just waste
your resources. Unlike them
Aston replaces your old
Windows Desktop with a new
one, which is faster, more
beautiful and can be tuned to
look and behave the way you
like.
Key
features:
* Fast,
stable and highly responsive
even on slow computers
*
Easy customization of any
Desktop parameter
*
Hundreds of free Themes
*
Lots of advanced features
(hotkeys, Toolbars, freeform
animated icons)
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 25.12.2006
The Best Windows Vista Blog Contest 2008
WinVistaClub, in association with Windows Vista Magazine, is organizing a contest to recognize some of the Best Windows Vista Blogs and Websites.
If you run a blog or a website, which primarily focuses on Windows Vista you can submit your blog and participate. It could focus on Tips,
Tutorials, Support, Customization, Themes, News, Views, or anything which may interest a Windows Vista user.
The Panel of Judges comprises
of Steve Sinchak (MVP of TweakVista.com), Steven Bink (Bink.nu), John Barnett (MVP of VistaSupport.mvps.org), Kerry Brown (MVP of VistaHelp.ca),
Barney Tormey (Global Moderator at Neowin.net), James Stables (Windows Vista Magazine), Emil Protalinski (Arstechnica), Aryeh Goretsky (MVP of
Lockergnome.com), and myself (HappyAndyK).
neowin.net - 13.08.2008
Shift Linux Art Contest
Shift Linux, the Linux
distribution developed by
Neowin users, is putting out a
call to all users of Neowin to
help make wallpapers, icons,
bootscreens, and themes for
its upcoming 0.5 release.
Whether you will use Shift or
not, this is a quick way you
can help us out.
We
will be holding an art contest
using all content submitted to
our Shift Linux
Customization Center by
August 20 at 11:59 PM GMT. On
August 21, the voting will
open, and everyone on Neowin
will be encouraged to vote for
their favorites. We'll have
another update for you at that
time.
So, anyone
who is interested should get
started, since we're a bit
pressed for time. We
appreciate all submissions,
even if they are after the
contest deadline, especially
if we have nothing else in
that category (for example, if
you have the only icon set
completed, but it's not
submitted until September,
we'll probably use that).
neowin.net - 06.08.2007
Firefox Personas: Real-time Customization
Mozilla is working on an extension to its open source browser that improves the theming experience for both users and developers. Personas for Firefox
allows the creation of themes without any coding, and lets users apply themes instantly. In other words, a user never has to download or install
anything, nor do designers have to release any software updates when they update their Personas. A team over at Mozilla Labs has released an updated
(there was an earlier one released in May) prototype version in which “ the Persona selector is dynamically loaded and populated from a JSON
feed and all designs are loaded via URLs to remote resources ". Themers will soon be able to submit Personas that are based on Web content,
including support for anything that can load in a content window, thanks to an API that is in the works.
neowin.net - 16.12.2007
Live.com Updated Again
The Windows Live.com team
released another slight update
earlier today. Though the
changes are quite subtle, they
are still numerous, since the
update includes the following
changes:
-Responsiveness improvements
-User customization
security improvements
-Search changes
-A
bunch of new gadgets
-Direct URLs to Search and
Personalized page
-Bug
fixes
Thanks to emexci for
the heads up!
jcxp.net - 10.09.2006
