No defaults, just right. Windows tweaks and hacks to improve the look, performance, and quality of your Windows XP desktop.
Books
First things first
The first steps for every Windows system
- Windows Update
- I shouldn't have to mention this, but be sure that you have Windows Update set to at least make you aware when there is an update available.
- Avast!
- Forget Norton, forget McAfee. Avast! is a well-supported, superior, and FREE virus protection system.
- AVG Free
- Or, if you don't like Avast!, AVG Free is another great alternative.
- Spybot Search & Destroy
- A very useful spyware detector and innoculator.
- Ad-Aware
- Another good utility to remove spyware.
- Firefox
- Friends don't let friends use Internet Explorer. Please don't.
Links
- System Services Guide
- Use this guide to trim down the bloat that Windows loads by default despite the fact that most people do not need all of its services.
- TweakXP
- An excellent resource for all sorts of usability, interface, and performance tweaks.
- Microsoft PowerToys
- Several useful applications that were left out of Windows XP for whatever reason. Pay particular attention to Tweak UI.
- Disk Idle Optimizer
- Enable built-in performance enhancements to speed up your load times.
- Theme Patch
- Get rid of that awful blue monstrosity and get some style on your desktop. This patch makes it possible to use user-created themes for Windows XP.
- ThemeXP
- Get your Windows themes here.
- Blackbox for Windows
- A great port of a minimalist Linux GUI to Windows. Save your system resources, increase usability, and get some style.
- Boxshots
- Now that you have bb4win, get your news and styles here.
- Customize.org
- Wallpapers, skins, and themes for all of your GUI needs.
- DeviantArt
- Wallpapers, skins, and themes for all of your GUI needs.
- Hamachi
- Access your box from anywhere, FREE and SECURE.
- Cygwin
- Add the power of Linux commands, X Windows, etc.
- OpenSSH
- A guide to setting up an OpenSSH server in Cygwin. Also useful for just getting Cygwin installed correctly.
- Console
- A highly configurable aesthetic improvement to the windows command prompt. Get your transparent terminal window here!
- Katmouse
- A handy little mouse tweak that enables you to scroll inactive windows with the scroll wheel.
- Approcket
- A handy application launcher that eliminates the need to click through all those menus to find the program you want.
- Unlocker
- Get around those annoying "Cannot delete file: Access is denied" messages. Find out why your file or folder is locked and remedy the situation with this tool.
Tweaks
The latest tweaks from TweakXP.com
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The latest software for tweakers
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