Let's admit it: Windows Vista does have some graphical eyecandy that many of us would like to enjoy too, that is, if we could have it without having to give up on our beloved XP.

Well, who say we can't? Here's the trick: download TrueTransparency, copy it to any folder on your hard drive (no installation required) and you'll be able to add a sleek transparency effect to your windows. It's as easy as that! Just bear in mind that it may not work with all your apps (during my tests, for instance, Winamp didn't get the Vista look) but most system windows and standard applications will show off a shiny transparent look.

Like I said, the program doesn't require installation and hardly uses any system resources. From the little icon displayed on the system tray you can change between two different skins, set the program to be run on Windows startup and also close it when you grow tired of so much transparency and want to go back to traditional Windows XP windows.

TrueTransparency is a very quick, simple way to have the Vista transparency effect on your XP windows.

Download TrueTransparency 0.9.4 in Softonic

The Start menu is supposed to give you quick access to programs and files, but it often ends up being a real mess. This is the time when you need some alternative like Executor.

Despite its scary name, Executor is a nice, useful application that enables you to open files and launch your favorite applications and websites just by typing the keywords you have previously assigned to them. What's more, as the program auto-completes each entry, the first few letters are usually enough. The program also includes some built-in keywords for the most common tasks, such as performing a Google search or opening the Control Panel.

Executor features an extensive configuration menu that enables you to customize every single detail. It also has support for skins, but the included skins are generally very dark and hard to read. Luckily enough, you can create your own personal color combination and save it as skin.

Download Executor 0.98b in Softonic

If you're a Windows Vista user you'll no doubt be enjoying all those cool sidebar gadgets. But if you don't you can always make do with tools like Thoosje Vista Sidebar.

With Thoosje Vista Sidebar you can have a completely customizable gadgets sidebar on your desktop even if you have Windows XP. Simply run it and start adding any gadget you want by clicking on the little cross button on the top. The gadgets are quite varied and cover different needs: from the PC resources meter to the photo slideshow, from the RSS mini-reader to the weather gadget. Bear in mind that when you select gadgets for Thoosje Vista Sidebar they appear on your desktop – not on the sidebar itself – and you have to manually drag and drop them on Thoosje Vista Sidebar.

Once ready and customized with all your chosen gadgets, Thoosje Vista Sidebar looks really beautiful on your desktop. Plus, it includes some background skins to make it fit perfectly with the image you have as wallpaper. The downside to this graphical beauty is that it may slow down your system. Also, Thoosje Vista Sidebar seems to be a bit slow when opening menu windows. But the main drawback is undoubtedly the fact that you can't download new gadgets – you must stick to the ones the author provides you with in the program's configuration.

Thoosje Vista Sidebar looks beautiful on your desktop, but it may slow down your system. Also, not being able to download new gadgets is really frustrating.

Download Thoosje Vista Sidebar 2.5 in Softonic

With screen sizes, even on laptops, rapidly expanding and external monitors now well above 20 inches, sometimes it can be useful to be able to measure distances on your screen.

StormRuler is a simple utility that enables you to measure objects and distances across your screen. All that's required is that you place StormRuler next to the object you want to measure and anchor StormRuler at the point you want to start measuring from.

If it doesn't have much real practical use for most users, StormRuler does at least look quite cool with semi-transparent skin. However, unfortunately it doesn't seem to work in Vista yet and is only available for Windows 9X/2K and XP. It's rather annoying as well that you can only measure in pixels - there's no way to change the unit of measurement to imperial or metric units.

StormRuler is useful for designers or anyone else that needs to measure the pixels of a certain image or file and has no other way of doing so.

Download StormRuler 1.0 in Softonic

If you'd like to switch to Mac but haven't made up your mind yet, you can have a sneak peek at the operating system with the LeopardXP BricoPack.

LeopardXP BricoPack is a visual theme for Windows XP that completely transforms your old Microsoft OS into the brand new Apple system in just a couple of clicks. Unlike other visual themes that need certain libraries and drivers, or require you to install third-party apps on your own, LeopardXP BricoPack includes everything you need and is incredibly easy to install: click on the Next button a few times, wait for a while, restart and that's it.

LeopardXP BricoPack is obviously not like the real thing but it does quite a good job in trying to make Windows XP look like the Leopard OS. Not only does it install new skins, wallpapers and icons, but it also adds new functionalities such as a Mac OS style dock bar, a Spotlight clone (which by the way doesn't seem to work properly), a top toolbar and a similar file explorer. All of these are included in LeopardXP BricoPack as extra tools and you can choose not to install them. Also, LeopardXP works fine even in systems with low resources.

On the downside, there are still a few areas in which LeopardXP BricoPack could be improved: for example, there are some Windows icons that the theme doesn't replace and don't really fit in, like the Windows logon and switch off screens.

LeopardXP BricoPack is an attractive visual theme that completely transforms Windows XP into Mac OS Leopard. It includes everything you need and is extremely easy to install and uninstall.

Download LeopardXP Bricopack 1.0 in Softonic

Creating the look of Vista on XP has become something of a cottage industry, mainly because most people know that Vista IS XP just with a few fancy skins on.

VistaXP v2 VS is an excellent Vista skin for XP which gives you all the benefits of the Vista look, without paying hundreds of dollars for the upgrade. The package is inspired by the original Windows Vista look (Codename Longhorn) and the package contains two Visual Styles - Black and Silver. The Start menu (which incidentally I hate in Vista) is very realistic and manages to compact all your programs into a shorter Star menu bar than you usually get with XP. There are only 3 different fonts to choose from which surely could have been increased although fonts are not the most important thing when it comes to the look and feel of your operating system. However, it does feature the original Segoe UI font although the wallpaper is limited to the now rather dated Vista Beta 1 wallpaper. It's a shame the developer chose not to include any widgets in this pack as that would really have made it much more realistic but combined with another Vista skin pack, this could make a really impressive Vista look.

A very good Vista skin for XP although it lacks realism in some aspects but for free, you can't complain.

Download VistaXP v2 VS in Softonic

Ever needed to tweak Windows to get the best out of it but have only ended up making it worse rather than better?

MagicTweak is designed to help you optimize and personalize Microsoft Windows and provides one-stop access to a variety of Windows settings that can be altered to improve the operating environment. It's aim is to make all those Windows users who don't know what they are doing, feel like an expert tweaker. It provides a range of tweakers from internet enhancers to various tweaks that will speed up your system. It's extremely easy to use with a simple GUI that offers you a selection of the most important tweaks you might wish to perform. In particular, it greatly enhances the speed at which you can control start-ups and shut downs by removing those essential components that slow it down. It even offers what it calls "hidden" Windows features although what it's tweaking here is so hidden that it's not exactly clear what's going on but it does seem to help programs load more quickly. It's also very good at deinstalling programs as it reveals even those tiny components that don't usually show up in Windows Start Menu. It can also search for all those duplicate temporary files that can slow your PC down.

If you're unsure about tweaking or not sure how to get the best out of your system, MagicTweak reaches the places that other tweakers can't reach.

Download MagicTweak 4.12 in Softonic

If you’ve had enough bad experiences upgrading your Microsoft products, you’re too poor to upgrade to Vista or you just refuse on principle, you can always customise Windows XP to make it look like Vista. The Windows Vista customisation pack gives you all the flashy features of Vista without having to shell-out a few hundred dollars for the original. It’s certainly proved a hit with Softonic users so far who have made this pack one of the site’s most popular downloads.

The pack includes a booty of Vista features including transparency of the windows, 3D Vista style icons, mouse cursors, boot screen, login screen, and a whole host of Vista themes to name a few. After installing the pack, you’ll be asked to restart, when you’ll find that your system has been through an impressive transformation although the fact that Windows Vista isn’t actually that radically different from XP, shouldn’t be held against this pack.

Amongst the major differences you will notice are some jazzy changes to your systems icons, skins and toolbars as well as new enhancements to your desktop such as a dock bar or if you prefer, a totally different system tray clock. Transfer file progress dialogs are transformed with swanky new 3D graphics and the sounds scheme has been beefed up to blow you out of your chair. Microsoft certainly spent lots of time designing these features. It was recently reported that they spent a year and a half just coming up with the start-up music alone.

Other changes include Windows Media Player which also receives a facelift although nothing worth getting excited about. The colours have been changed to a metallic-blue and the drop down menus have been replaced by an invisible menu which pops up when the mouse is waved over it. However, this feature actually becomes increasingly annoying with regular use and is best deactivated.

Whilst initially impressive, after a while these changes can cause problems. Users have reported that the new schemes not only slows down their PC’s but also cause it to crash randomly. It can also be a pain whenever there’s a problem with your PC. Since you are running a somewhat modified version of XP, normal troubleshooting guides may not work. You’ll subsequently have to uninstall the pack to make sure that it isn’t causing the problem. Fortunately however, the pack comes with an uninstaller that makes reverting back to XP simple although in time honoured Windows style, you’ll have to restart the computer.

For anyone who doesn’t add or remove programs regularly, we’d recommend this pack as it does an impressive job at emulating the $200+ Vista look. However, for those that make regular changes to their PC, the pack can end up being more hassle than its worth as the changes made can conflict with interfaces of other programs.

Download Vista Customization Pack 3.6 in Softonic

The term ‘widget’ has traditionally been used to describe some kind of contraption or piece of technology that improves the overall functionality of a particular product. Mac OSX and Microsoft Vista users will be all too aware of how software widgets can bring more power to your desktop, as they now come as standard on these operating systems. For the benefit of the uninitiated, a widget is basically a small application that provides you with easy access to a particular function. These applications are docked on a ‘dashboard’, and you can add as many widgets as you like, giving you instant access to anything from a simple clock to a weather forecasting tool.

Yahoo! was one of the early pioneers of widgets, and this application is likely to intrigue anyone who hasn’t come across the technology before. The package sits on your desktop and allows you to download and install widgets from the Yahoo! site. There’s a healthy range of widgets available here (almost 4,000), each of which are installed automatically as soon as they’re downloaded. Although this helps to keep things simple, it’s frustrating that you cannot change the destination folderwhich folder the widgets are stored in here.

While it all runs from the same package, each widget is actually its own application. In previous releases of the Widget Engine, this had a tendency to tie up your system rescoursces when using multiple widgets. However, tThis issue has been better addressed in this version, and it seems much less memory-intensive than before. Having said this, it’s not a good idea to keep more than about 10 running at once, as you do start to notice it then.

In terms of the widgets themselves, it would obviously be impractical (and quite frankly, boring) for us to review all 4,000 here, but needless to say there are some very useful ones, along with some downright pointless ones. For instance, we can’t really see the benefit of having a dancing skeleton on your desktop , yet there are tools for checking stock quotes, accessing iTunes, organizing your Flickr images, checking your WiFi signal and getting the latest travel news, all directly from your desktop. Graphically, the widgets are very impressive and each of them floats over the screen without the constraints of traditional window borders, ensuring they don’t intrude on your other activities.

We like the fact that you don’t need to register a Yahoo! account in order to use widgets but Yahoo! still doesn’t allow Desktop Widgets to be included on My Yahoo! pages, overlooking something both Microsoft and Google already allow. Although the program doesn’t really add anything you won’t find in Vista’s built-in widgets system, it’s perfect for XP users who want a taste of what they can expect when they get around to upgrading to the new version of Windows.

Download Yahoo! Widgets 4.5 in Softonic

While Windows features its own task manager, there's always the possibility to use better tools with extended functionality like Webkeysoft Process Manager.

This piece of software displays a list with all the applications and processes that are currently active in your system. So far, there's nothing different from the Windows standard tool. But Process Manager goes a step beyond and offers extended information about each process, as long as some interesting options like the ability to show the file responsible for each process or a list of dependencies for each active process. This last feature comes in especially handy when you can't delete a file because it's being used by some unknown application.

The program includes some other nice details, such as a couple of meters to show CPU and RAM usage and a startup list where you can see the processes that are run when Windows launches. You can even configure it to replace the Windows standard task manager. But if there's something I would definitely change in Process Manager is its interface. The usual XP look would fit the program much better than that blueish skin.

Process Manager enables you to see what's going on in your computer with a high level of detail.

Download Process Manager 2.0 Lite in Softonic

Ubuntu XP is not a strange mixture of operating system, as you could tell from that name. It's a complete kit to transform Windows XP into Ubuntu – at least in its appearance.

The pack includes everything you need to give XP the Ubuntu look, from a new visual style (with several color variations) to mouse cursors, featuring also wallpapers, new logon and boot screens, skins for Firefox, icons and even a clone of Beryl, the 3D windows management system used by Ubuntu to change between applications.

The good thing about having a package with all these elements, categorized in several different folders, is that you can choose what to install and what to leave unchanged. The downside is that you have to do it step by step, and sometimes you even need a third-party application - like in the case of the new boot screen, which needs the Bootskin tool. This installation procedure can therefore be a bit complicated, as there's no documentation to explain how to apply the whole kit properly.

Give Windows the clear, colorful Ubuntu look with Ubuntu XP

Download Ubuntu XP 1.0 in Softonic

If you're considering moving to Linux but haven't made up your mind yet, ClearLooks can tip the scales in favour of the open source option. This Windows theme includes two new visual styles that resemble Linux Ubuntu's appearance, with new colors and a refreshed window style.

Simply run the msstyles file and you'll be able to choose the visual theme in Display settings. ClearLooks includes a couple of matching skins for Y'z Toolbar in case you use it, and also a cursor set that must be installed one by one in the Control Panel > Mouse configuration window. However, I missed having some wallpapers bundled in the package.

ClearLooks is a Linux-based visual style that enhances the appearance of your desktop.

Download ClearLooks 2.2 in Softonic

Having dozens of folders helps you categorize files in a better way, but it also makes it more difficult to find what you're exactly looking for, since they all look the same.

The best solution then is to give each folder a different color with iColorFolder. This simple tool also includes a few skins to change the folder's appearance, but I strongly recommend you to download the extra skin package available from the author's website.

After installing the program, folders will be automatically updated with the new skin selected by default, but you can change it afterwards and select a new color simply by right clicking on any folder you want to customize. And if you grow tired of so many colors there's also the possibility to go back to standard yellow folders.

iColorFolder is an easy, fun way to customize your icons and organize files in a more efficient way.

Download iColorFolder 1.4.2 in Softonic

Aston replaces the standard Windows Desktop and provides you with a host of new features, such as Sidebars, clock, weather monitor, animated buttons, transparency effects and much more.

Aston also supports Themes, which allow you to change its appearance and functionality according to your mood and needs. No matter what visual style you like: XP, Aqua or something else; you can always download hundreds of Themes, created by professional designers or amateurs from Aston's homepage or one of numerous other skin sites.

Aston features a powerful and user friendly interface, which lets you change your new desktop's appearance and behavior in few seconds. No need to learn complicated configuration files, everything can be configured in a simple graphical interface.

Download Aston 1.9.5 in Softonic

You may not like the way Vista works, but you have to admit it does have some nice features. One of them is the new Start menu with an embedded search field that enables you to open any file or application by just typing the first few letters of its name.

This convenient function has now been replicated for Windows XP in Vistart, a small app that requires no installation and emulates Vista's Start menu in Windows XP. Vistart is perfectly integrated in XP and works very well, although we missed some other Vista features such as the ability to move up and down the menu with arrow keys or having support for right clicking.

Try it in combination with any of the Vista-inspired visual themes available at Softonic and you'll be able to enjoy a fully Vista themed Windows XP.

Download ViStart build 2489 in Softonic

View images in countless formats, and apply a variety of effects with this small, fast, and powerful application. Dimin Viewer incorporates unique visualization ideas, like Panoramic Photographs Tool and Big Image Navigator. It also features multi language interface to feel yourself at home!

Take a look at what this program can do for you:

• Thumbnail view with cache
• Easy Read/Write multi-page images e.g. TIFF, GIF
• Multi-monitor support, full screen monitor selection
• Skin support
• Smart sorting methods for Play List and Thumbnails
• Slide show with different effects
• Multi folder file manager tool, very convenient for fast image organizing
• Batch conversion and file rename tools
• Advanced filter scripting
• Advanced zoom tool allows perform most common operations using only your mouse Zoom, Hand move, Walk on Play List, etc.
• Really cool modern user interface naturally blending with Windows XP and Windows Vista
• Supports many image formats, including popular such as: JPEG, GIF, TIFF, JPEG-2000, also supports many Digital Cameras RAW formats and provides RAW image size guessing function
• Advanced Metadata support, including EXIF, IPTC, GeoTIFF, GeoJPEG-2000, Fluoview TIFF, etc. Embedded IPTC viewer/editor, read/write support for EXIF, GeoTIFF and GeoJPEG2000, cross conversions and enhanced metadata preview

Download Dimin Viewer n5 5.2.5 in Softonic

XPepius is a toolkit for tweaking, optimizing, tuning and cleaning Windows XP. It helps you increase performance and manage your system using a variety of tweaks and utilities. The program offers a series of handy tools, including a Start-Up Manager, Uninstaller, Cleanup Center, Disk Cleanup, and Designer XP.

Features of the app:

• Tweak System, Windows, Explorer, Start menu, Desktop, Files, Drives, & Control Panel
• Tweaks to Enhance your security and privacy
• Tweaks for Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player and Microsoft Office
• Tool to edit registered application paths (program aliases)
• Tool to prevent users from running specified applications
• Startup Manager to add, delete, enable/disable and edit startup programs
• Uninstaller to easilymanage removal of programs
• Clean temp files, histories, logs and other tracks created by Windows and the web
• Disk Cleanup utility to find and remove temporary and junk files from disk
• Designer XP to enable new visual styles for older applications and softwares
• Skinned, user-friendly and full commented interface

Download XPepius 3.1.0.708 in Softonic

BlazeDVD is a full-featured and easy to use DVD, Video CD, Audio-CD and media file player. It can provide superior video and audio (Dolby) quality, together with other enhanced functions: e.g. record DVD, optional skins, playback image and DV, image capture and bookmark, etc. Furthermore, it supports DIVX, MPEG4, RM, QuickTime, WMV, WMV-HD, MacroMedia Flash and popular media formats of Internet. BlazeDVD can be extensively compatible with hardware, which is operated stable, smoothly under Windows 98\98SE\Me\2000\XP system.

Download BlazeDVD Standard 5.0 in Softonic

Vibe Streamer is a free MP3 streaming server that allows you to connect and stream your music using only a standard web browser. Vibe Streamer features the following and much more:

• Free MP3 Streaming Server.
• Easy installation and configuration.
• Share unlimited files and directories.
• Full support for Windows NT/2000/XP/2003.
• Protect your directories with user accounts and groups.
• Easily manage your users, groups and their access rights.
• Restrict access to your server based on the clients IP address, for better security.
• Unlimited skin possibilities, create your own or download new skins as they appear on our website.
• The included standard skin supports the latest versions of Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Opera.
• Our own Vibe Script Language, for unlimited possibilities in skin creation.
• Guaranteed free from backdoors, spyware, adware and other non-requested software.

Download Vibe Streamer 2.06 in Softonic

If you’re one of those people who spends most of their free time tinkering with your mobile phone ringtone or reorganizing your bedroom, then StyleXP could become your new favorite toy. The application promises to expand the customizability of Windows XP and gives you the power to install new themes that break the mould of the existing XP shell.

The program works by patching your operating system to accept unassigned styles, scores of which are available for download from the web. Once you’ve applied a style you can tweak virtually any aspect of the appearance, including the font size, screensaver, colours, menu transparency, or even the boot screen. What’s more, if you’re particularly artistically minded you can create your own elements in a graphics editor and apply them to the skin.

Although the developer has made strides towards making the interface as simple as possible, there are so many customization options that it can be a little daunting for new users to the program.

There’s no doubt that the temptation to make Windows look like OSX or apply a ‘Windows Pirate Edition’ boot screen is pretty appealing, but pimping your OS in this way does come with a risk. It’s worth bearing in mind that because of the way the application writes files to your System Folder you could end up doing damage to your machine, especially if you install a patch or a new service pack.

Having said this, we’ve experienced no problems yet (touch wood) and also found that it runs pretty smoothly without sucking too much RAM. You can choose to keep Style XP locked in the System Tray, or release it so that it uses no resources, which is a refreshing thing to see from a developer. With so many themes and customization options available, Style XP is well worth a look if you fancy a change of scenery on your desktop, but keep in mind the risks involved in using a patching program such as this.

Download Style XP 3.19 Men in Softonic