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Shell Replacement Tips
When venturing into such an activity, there may be consequences if you are
not cautious or take the time to do some research on not only how they work,
but what files they attempt to modify. Considering many will attempt
this on their primary system, there are a few things to consider before you
attempt to modify your operating system. A shell replacement
application is basically one that will offer an alternative to Explorer.exe,
as well as modify other main system files that depend heavily on overall
performance and stability. With that said, here are some tips based on
a few issues I found when applying both of the Vista packs featured in this
article.
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Stick with the Transformation Pack Version
5.5. It not only has less bugs, but will fully customize your
system, right down to the boot and welcome screens.
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If you're one who relies heavily on the
quick launch bar on Windows XP, you should be extra careful prior to
applying any of the options featured here. My recommendation is to
disable the quick launch bar prior to applying any of these tools.
If you don't, you may loose some of your icons, some of which may not be
replaceable without quite a bit of effort and knowledge.
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Close all running applications and/or
processes prior to applying any of these transformation packs. No,
you do not need to resort to safe mode if you take extra steps to ensure
that any of these options will apply all changes properly.
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Disable all toolbars on the taskbar before
proceeding. As mentioned earlier, the quick launch toolbar is not
the only one that can be affected. If you do not disable others
such as the Windows Media Toolbar, you may come across a number of
issues that may not be easy to fix.
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Make sure your hardware is capable of
handling the features it will bring. This is very important,
considering many of these tools rely heavily on CPU and video
performance.
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Be prepared to re-install your operating
system if something should go wrong. No, a system restore or
repair will not solve all the issues you may encounter after
uninstalling them.
Conclusions
Let's face it, many are reluctant to upgrade their operating system due to
many bugs or security flaws it may bring until the product does mature
enough. Regardless, the simple fact is that many like change, and are
drawn into any new changes the interface may bring. That's the
whole purpose of this guide and the software featured throughout this
article. Out of the two transformation packs, I highly recommend the
one from WindowsX. It does an excellent job at replacing everything,
including sounds, pointers, boot screen and welcome screen. However,
it is important to note that this one does not uninstall properly like the 3.5 customization
pack. Should you decide to remove it, be prepared to re-install if you
are unable to manually get everything back to order. Improvements
should be made to the uninstall feature of this particular pack and they can
sure learn a thing or two from the other alternative featured here.
The third-party
tools I showed you here are all excellent and highly recommended. Best
of all, almost all are completely free! TopDesk
will give you that Flip 3D style alt-tab replacement, and the free Sidebar
will allow you to have everything you need in one place, with a high level
of customiziation options. Desktop Search is a must have
tool for all your search needs. It is much more powerful than the
search features on Windows XP. Also, you can also take advantage of Microsoft's
latest browser and Media Player. While one is still in beta, there
have been a number of improvements over previous releases and I can say they
are quite stable.
Most importantly, have fun, and remember that shell replacement is not for everyone.
Take your time and read directions carefully to avoid problems. Also,
be sure you have a backup in case there is a reason you decided to uninstall
any of them. If you need help or have questions, please feel free to
discuss in the
forums.
Questions? Comments?
Discuss them here...
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