Windows Vista is here, and regardless of whether you upgraded from XP, or just purchased a new PC with it installed, I’m sure you are ready to customize the way Vista looks.  Now we can go in all sorts of directions in customizing Vista, but I wanted to cover some of the basics as that is enough for most people.

Let me also take this time to cover a few questions about customizing Vista that you might have.

Q. Will it use many resources or “slow” Vista down?

A. By using the tools I will show you, your system performance should not be affected at all.

Q. Will this somehow “hurt” my computer?

A.  Not at all.  The methods used here are not system hacks, and the software I will show here is fully tested on Vista.

Q. Is this free?

A. Some applications are free, and some require a purchase after the trial period runs out.  The price of the applications are typically small and well worth the investment.

Changing the Vista Logon

The logon screen is basically the first thing you see when you start your computer.  Windows Vista has a nice default logon screen, but why not personalize it?  To do that, just go and grab yourself a copy of LogonStudio Vista and have at it.  LogonStudio Vista (free) lets you easily change a create the Windows Vista logon to any number of downloadable logons already available.  If you prefer to use an image of your own, it’s as simple as drag and drop to create your own.

Read the full Customizing your Vista Desktop article….

These are some of the most popular .dreams (animated wallpapers) submitted to Dream.WinCustomize.Com throughout the month of April.  To use .dreams (animated wallpaper) you need to have Windows Vista and Stardock’s DeskScapes (free) installed.  If you are an Object Desktop subscriber, you have beta access to DeskScapes 2.0 which will run on virtually any version of Vista.

Stardock is pleased to announce the “official” public release of MyColors. MyColors makes applying premium suites a snap. A MyColors theme includes everything a user needs to completely and safely transform the Windows experience - a new Windows GUI, a new set of icons, gadgets, wallpaper, etc.

Now available on CNET, MyColors includes the “Diamond theme” which gives Windows XP and Windows Vista users a glimpse at Aero Diamond (one of the concepts Microsoft considered for Windows Vista before going with Aero glass). Diamond supports blurred glass even on Windows XP, a completely new icon set, gadgets and more.

The included Diamond theme is free, and MyColors itself is free as well. Additional suites can be purchased such as themes licensed by the NBA, NCAA, Ford, and others. Even if you don’t purchase additional themes, you still get a phenomenal suite for both Windows Vista and XP.

Download: MyColors

This Cosmos .dream was made to go with the Cosmos MyColors suite, but it’s a fine .dream all by itself.  It’s very subtle, so this is perfect for people who don’t like a lot of movement on the desktop.  For Vista Ultimate users with DeskScapes, or all Vista users with the full beta from Object Desktop.

Link: Download

A few months I released the Vista sidebar gadget that count downs the days until the 2008 Presidential Election. With the release of Vista SP1 it caused some compatibility problems, but I’m happy to say those have been resolved and I can release the updated gadget.

Download 

A new month has started, so that means it’s time as usual for me to create a video featuring some of the best .dreams (animated wallpapers) that were submitted throughout the past month.You need to have Windows Vista and Stardock DeskScapes (free) installed to use these. You can find links to all the featured videos here.

This is a beautiful landscape based animated wallpaper (.dream).  This was created by brenopoubel and be downloaded from the link below.  Windows Vista and Stardock DeskScapes are required to use this.

Download: Poubel Vista

Microsoft released SP1 for Windows Vista this past week and the reviews seem to be mixed.  Some reviewers say SP1 improves various system performance tests, and others say it does the opposite.  I installed Vista SP1 on my main desktop PC last week, and the installation process was flawless.  As far as any “real world” performance issues, I haven’t noticed anything either way.  On my system, I have had no noticeable performance gains or slowdowns as others have reported.

I haven’t installed SP1 as of yet on my HP laptop, as the SP1 betas I have used kept constantly BSODing my machine.  I was never able to narrow down the culprit, but I am a bit wary about installing it again on this computer.  I might fire up Windows Update tomorrow morning and give it another go, so we will see how that works out then.

Otherwise, my question to the community is have you, Vista users, updated to SP1 yet?

I was just browsing through the March issue of PC Magazine and saw that ObjectDock was listed in the "Best Free Software" feature under Application Launchers.

"Windows Organize your application shortcuts in a toolbar that mimics the look and feel of the Macintosh dock, complete with icon animations. It will even mimic Windows Taskbar buttons. Add in extras (docklets) like real-time clock and weather forecasts, even a fully functional Windows Start button and Recycle Bin, to get everything you need."

Link: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2267058,00.asp

Defraggler is a new utility I discovered recently, and it comes from the same folks who make CCleaner. One of the big benefits of this application is that it lets you select files or folders to defrag, not just the entire drive. I have used it on several Vista machines, and the defrag process was fairly quick. It’s free so go check it out.

Link: Defraggler