MAKE VISTA LOOK LIKE XP !

You buy a new computer and it comes with Windows Vista with the glassy-looking "Aero" interface. Now, you can either join the chorus of computer users who complain about how great XP used to be or you can make Vista look like XP! It's easy!

Start off by following the pictorial instructions at

http://www.pcworld.com/article/148511/skin_vista_to_look_like_xp.html

Please ignore the third paragraph of the online article. The information in this paragraph is now obsolete. The rest of the article is great!

The instructions in this article illustrate the steps for making a Vista computer look like an XP computer:

Step 1) Turn off "Aero Glass"

Step 2) Change the "Theme"

Step 3) Restore the "Start Menu"

Step 4) Bring back the Hourglass

Step 5) Turn off User Account Control

Step 6) Restore the XP Boot-Splash

Liz and I usually skip steps 4) and 6) when helping computer users make this conversion. Steps 1) and 2) have a very dramatic effect on the perceived speed of the computer, if performance is your goal from making these modifications.

Finally, disable the Vista "Sidebar" and "Readyboost" by following the instructions at

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-tips-to-speed-up-your-windows-vista-pc/

After running through the above procedure, you will have a computer that looks like an XP computer, runs faster than Vista's default configuration, and is still a Vista computer with all of Vista’s security enhancements.