Pimp My Windows Vista

One of the greatest thing about Windows Vista™ is its looks. When you start it for the first time it certainly has some of the "Wow" factor Microsoft is talking about in its commercials. When you compare it to the previous Windows operating systems, the Windows Vista desktop looks really great. Even so, people will surely get bored by all the eye candy after a while.
So, what do you do when you get bored with the looks of your operating system? You do what MTV does - you PIMP it!

Free Wallpapers Collections
First, you should try this High Resolution Windows Vista Desktop Wallpaper Pack made by Hamad Darwish. This is a great collection of Windows Vista wallpapers that did not make the cut into the final Windows Vista Collection. If you did not download them already, you should definitely check them out.
A second destination should be the download section of the Windows Vista Ultimate Team Blog. Here you can find a list of high resolution wallpapers that can fit even a 30-inch flat panel monitor.
As a third destination we recommend Brajeshwar B. Oinam's blog. He posted a pretty big collection of wallpapers and download links.
Another great source for free high-resolution wallpapers is Dmitri Sawizki's gallery on deviantART. He posted an archive with 30 plants wallpapers and links to other similar works. All the pictures have a resolution of 1920x1440.
As a final destination, you should definitely check out Desktopography, a "Natural designer wallpaper exhibition". This site is a great web experience: nice presentation, beautiful music and great content. Currently you can find three exhibitions that feature gorgeous wallpapers. All the works are offered in various sizes that can fit most flat panel monitors.


Free Software
RocketDock is very cool and smoothly animated application launcher. It provides a nice clean interface to drop shortcuts on for easy access and organization. It comes with plenty of skins that can match with almost any wallpaper and theme. You can also download additional skins from their file repository.

Unfortunately, RocketDock has only one icon set. If you want to use other icons, you must visit their file repository again or search other resources on the internet.
There are similar programs on the internet but we found RocketDock to be the best of them in terms of stability and number of bugs.
A great way to enhance the looks of your Windows Vista desktop is to combine Windows DreamScene with Stardock DeskScapes. Stardock DeskScapes extends Windows DreamScene to support dynamic, animated wallpapers as their desktop background without slowing down the computer or interfering with how you work with your computer.
DeskScapes also supports the new ".Dream" format which supports adding triggers, author information, and dynamic content. You can download animated wallpapers from the Dream Gallery or you can create them yourself using a free tool called DreamMaker.
Alternatively, you can check out Windows Update and download the latest content pack for Windows DreamScene. They recently released four new video backgrounds:
* A field of thistle, with a bee gathering pollen;
* The rushing water of a forest stream;
* A streetlamp reflected in a puddle, with softly falling rain;
* Orange wisps flowing in a computer-generated scene.
Another must have tool is Yod'm 3D. This application is a virtual desktop manager that allows you to have four separate desktops which you can rotate and zoom at will. The effect is simple and very cool. You can have a different wallpaper for each desktop. Unfortunately this feature doesn't work very well with Windows DreamScene. You can have four different wallpapers only if they are static images. If you use both Windows DreamScene and Yod'm 3D you will be able to use only one animated wallpaper for all four desktops.
If you want to change not only the wallpapers but also the boot screen logo, you can do that using Vista Boot Logo Generator. This tool allows you to change the loading bar with any static wallpaper. Unfortunately, the procedure of replacing the default boot logo is a bit difficult and if you don't know what you are doing, it is better to use the default one. If you want to give it a try, then you must read this guide to learn how to replace the default logo with your custom made ones.


Commercial Software
Windows Blinds - with Windows Blinds you can make Windows Vista look even better and also add some functionality. This tool allows you to create your own skins and add new buttons to the title bar. Starting with version 5.5, Windows Blinds offers support for Windows Vista, updated skins and better performance compared to previous versions.


Software in Beta Stages
Ave3dUserPic - is a small free tool that adds a 3D effect and rotates the user's picture from the Start Menu. Unfortunately this is a work in progress that is not very stable and has plenty of bugs.
Video: Pimp Your Windows Vista - Part1 (12MB)
Video: Pimp Your Windows Vista - Part2 (7MB)

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