Longhorn Transformation Pack

[blobrana]

Do you want to try out Vista - yet still have the stability of your XP?

Well, the Longhorn Transformation Pack version 4 has been released.
The long running project has updated the name to Vista now. As usual, this will transform your XP OS to have sidebars and see through windows etc...(or turned off as required)

Changes in Version 4.0
-Added batch-script blocking detection function (No more transforming with batch problems)
-Added closing explorer.exe to prevent conflicts in Repairing and Uninstalling
-Added Logoff/Shutdown button text removing option
-Added Progress message for Repairing and Uninstalling
-Added repair mode option (to repair only updates files with backing up or all files without backing up)
-Added some Vista 536x wallpapers
-Added un-official Windows Vista sounds by digitalfive.org
-Added Vista.ru's Windows Media Player 11 (codename Eclipse) skin
-Added Vista System Properties dialog
-Added Vista Transformation Pack FAQ (contributed by members in forum)
-Added Windows drive icon
-Fixed font changing bug
-Fixed icons bug in shell32.dll
-Fixed losing updated files after transformation from repairing
-Fixed operating system detection bug in maintenance centre
-Fixed WindowBlinds 5 installation path
-Removed First-Run transformation mode to prevent confusions
-Removed Longhorn and unused stuffs (developed from Lite branch)
-Removed Longhorn SideBar due to discontinued and couple of bugs
-Updated Rebuild Icon Cache program to use Visual Basic 6 Runtime
-Updated Vista Boot Screen to beta 2 inspired
-Updated Vista file processing dialog
-Updated Vista icons to build 5365
-Updated Vista LogonUI to build 5365
-Updated Vista Progress dialog
-Updated Vista Toolbar style options
-Updated Vista tray icons
-Updated visual styles
-Fixed CaptionButton positioning bug in "Aero Style (Vista - Beta 1)"
-Fixed CaptionButton transparency bug in WindowBlinds skin
-Fixed Horizontal shellstyle bug in Beta 2
-Fixed Logoff/Shutdown button alignment in Beta themes and WindowBlinds skin
-Fixed ListviewHeader background
-Fixed PlaceItem positioning bug
-Fixed StartButton bugs
-Fixed TabItem border in WindowBlinds skin
-Fixed UserPicture positioning bug
-Updated Glass border in visual styles WindowBlinds skin (Actual 5342 port)
-Updated ListBox background in WindowBlinds skin
-Updated shellstyles in Beta 2 visual styles with awesome mods!
-Updated StartButton in Beta 2 visual styles
-Updated StartPanel in Beta 2 visual styles
-Updated Shutdown/Logoff button in StartPanel
-Updated TabItem
-Updated ToolBarBackground
-Updated ToolBarButtons
-Updated UserPicture background to common ones

Download: Vista Transformation Pack 4.0
(14.61mb)

(i must mention i`ve tried version 3 on a test machine for several months now  and it`s great)

[X-ray]

@ Blobzie

Is this just a cosmetic 'skin' in effect, or will I for instance be able to see all 4gb of my RAM in the OS?

[blobrana]

Hum,
yeah, it is just a cosmetic skin effect for  XP, (on a PC).

But there are a few features such as the see-through windows , (and RSS sidebar for example) that speed up your productivity.

Obviously, this will require a fairly fast PC, (I for example have CPU/GPU cycles to spare, so don't notice any slowdown.), but  if you are stuck in front of a computer screen all day then it certainly makes it more pleasurable.

[weirdami]

@blobrana

is it the same kind of see through windows like gateway got a patent for back when it owned amiga inc?

[Piru]

But there are a few features such as the see-through windows , (and RSS sidebar for example) that speed up your productivity.

It's questionable if features such as this actually improve productivity. Personally I like to keep eyecandy to the minimum, or at least limit it in a way it's not stealing attention from the actual content.

For example, the first thing I did with Windows XP was to turn off the new colourful skin, and switch back to w2k look.

But naturally YMMV.

[blobrana]

@weirdami

Hum,
i guess yeah,
It had to happen...

@Piru
i know what you mean.
The first thing I did with Windows XP was to turn off the new colourful skin too.

But the see-through bits are quite handy. If i were to type this reply on a word processor, and actually be able to read what I'm replying to through the window, rather than having to click to bring hidden windows forwards and back again...
(but i guess that's just my goldfish brain).

i would say that,  for me, the extra eyecandy is worth it ;  i could for example run my windows colours in 16  bit, but i prefer to run it in 32 bit.. i take a performance hit but, hey, I'm worth it....

[srg86]

X-ray wrote:
@ Blobzie

Is this just a cosmetic 'skin' in effect, or will I for instance be able to see all 4gb of my RAM in the OS?

That is nothing to do with windows, you've got hardware resources in your address space. Even on an Amiga or Mac with 4GB RAM fitted, you would not see all 4GB (This is of course with a 32-bit CPU).

[X-ray]

@ srg86

I'm sorry to tell you that the OS is specifically the reason why I can't see all 4gb of my ram in Windows. Here is how I know:

1) On POST I have 4gb no problems.
2) On Windows XP32 SP2 when I have booted I see 3.25gb of RAM. It doesn't matter whether I use /PAE or /3gb boot.ini parameters, or change paging file parameters, that is what I am stuck with.
3) On exactly the same hardware setup, with a trial version of Windows XP64, I see 4gb on POST and ALSO IN WINDOWS.

This is an AMD 4200+ on a GA-K8N Pro Sli mobo but I am not using an SLi card. I know that hardware resources like PCI-E take up RAM, but not three quarters of a gb worth. Other users on PlanetAMD64 have confirmed my experience because when they have been in a similar situation and booted with only two sticks of 1gb each, they have not been left with only 1.25gb RAM visible in the OS. They have been left with around 1.75gb RAM, but the OS sees that he has 2gb of RAM.

I would love to be wrong about this, oh boy would I love it, but right now I can't fault my hardware setup for the RAM limitation.

[blobrana]

@X-ray
is your bootup time more than 30 seconds?
(ie, perhaps your machine is loading up the OS/prefetch into memory)
Try BootVis if it is a long bootup time.

But it sounds like you`re running a no virtual memory system (er, which is good)...Have a look again at the memsettings.

System properties-advanced--performance settings--advanced--xxx
 
---------------

BTW,
Here is a link to Glass2k (54kb) the standalone transparent .exe bit in the transformation pack at

www.chime.tv/

Just run it at boot time (or double click to start. Read the  instructions  to see which  hot keys to press to activate and increase the visibility...(or the settings on the tray icon)

Its stable and small.

[X-ray]

@ Blobzie

Boot times are okay, I can't complain.

As a matter of interest with my old XP32 SP1 install I was able to get the OS to see the 4gb of RAM by using /PAE and /3gb parameters in the boot.ini file, but unfortunately for me there was some conflict with that parameter (I couldn't nail down the cause) that gave me a BSOD within 10 seconds of Windows loading. I was able to see the RAM in Task Manager just before the crash. In addition to that ballache, the sucker only saw one core out of two. There was nothing I could do to sort this out and in the end I got XP32 SP2 and did an upgrade. Just for giggles I also installed it brand new on a single HD (other one removed) to see if a new install would cure all. No dice, it was the same as this setup now, and for the sake of convenience I settled for the install/upgrade over my old drive.

Edit: the XP32 SP1 was preinstalled on my old setup with a different mobo and CPU. This is a new CPU and mobo and PSU but all my drives are the same.

[ricco32097]

I have 2GB of memory, and I have disabled 'Virtual Memory'. Windows keeps complaining that I do not have enough memory and it will adjust the 'Virtual Memory' setting. I guess I did something wrong or someone forgot to put in some code somewhere.