Alright, so we’ve got Windows Vista or XP, and we can’t wait for Windows 7 to come out. We absolutely have to make Vista look nice. Like, right now. Here are 5 tools to instantly make Windows Vista or XP that much more bearable. Best of all, they’re free.

1. Ultimate Windows Tweaker

Ever needed to slightly alter the appearance of Windows? Enter Ultimate Windows Tweaker, a utility for Windows Vista and the upcoming Windows 7 to adjust the details of Windows. For example, I remember one time when I decided that shortcut arrows were a nuisance and I didn’t want them to appear on the icons of my desktop. I went into Ultimate Windows Tweaker and performed the adjustments from within – one reboot later, presto! They were gone.

Visit: http://www.thewindowsclub.com/ultimate-windows-tweaker-v2-a-tweak-ui-for-windows-7-vista

2. Avedesk

Avedesk is a favourite amongst many computer customization enthusiasts – it is a program that basically adds a layer onto your desktop that enables gadgets (aka applets, widgets, desklets, etc) to run. I like Avedesk because there are a ton of applets ready to be downloaded, and because it looks beautiful. However, I wouldn’t suggest running it on anything that can’t run Windows XP smoothly – it can significantly slow startup time.

Visit: http://www.avedesk.org/

3. LogonStudio

What’s the first thing anyone sees after the boot screen (excluding those single users who don’t set up a password)? Your login screen! I remembered the first time I saw Vista’s beautiful Aurora-styled login screen – but after a certain number of reboots, it got old. If you’re as bored of the background as I am, be sure to give LogonStudio a look.

Visit: http://www.stardock.com/products/logonstudio/

4. Samurize

Somewhat along the lines of Avedesk (don’t ask me which was the original), Samurize offers a bunch of applets to enhance the look of your Windows desktop. I think Samurize to be a bit more computer-intensive than Avedesk, but it’s still worth a go (hey – it’s free) if you’re wanting to take computer customization to the next level.

Visit: http://www.samurize.com/

5. VistaGlazz (+ DeviantArt)

VistaGlazz is a beautiful two-in-one application – basically, it patches the uxtheme.dll on your computer and replaces the default Aero theme with one that has transparent windows even when maximized. By patching the uxtheme.dll, VistaGlazz opens the world of non-Microsoft themes up to your computer. The transparent Aero theme is reminiscent of the updated theme in Windows 7.

As for third-party themes, there are a ton – stuff designed to emulate OS X, Windows 7, or stuff that’s just way out there. For a grand collection of these themes, visit the Vista Visual Styles collection at DeviantArt (links below).

Visit: http://www.codegazer.com/vistaglazz/

Visit: http://browse.deviantart.com/customization/skins/vistautil/visstyles/

Can you still complain about the ugly look of Windows after running through these five applications? And even if you despise Windows, I’m sure that these applications or patches will make things all the more bearable. More importantly, have fun modifying Windows! Hacking and modifying is an excellent experience to have under your belt.

It’s obvious that OS X looks infinitely better than Windows (Vista included, even freaking Windows 7 included — I’ve seen those screenshots, and they’re not pretty). But my problem with Macs is that they cost an arm and a leg — for the price I’m paying, I could be receiving a ton more in hardware. Which might not seem like that big a problem — but I, much like many of yourselves, am on a budget. Meaning I can’t afford the Macbook Pro, which would’ve been fine had I been willing to sacrifice performance. I’m not. I want performance. I’m telling you straight up that my Dell Inspiron 6400 can perform just as well as a current Macbook (graphics not taken into account, because the nVidia Go! 7300 is a bit weak). Nonetheless, my point is my machine from two years ago for less than the price of a Macbook today, can perform just as well, or even outperform, one of today’s Macbooks (fancy wordplay).

My Dell Inspiron 6400 has:

• Intel Core 2 Duo T5600 (Merom/1.83 GHz/2MB L2)
• Nanya Technology 2x1GB PC2-4200 @ 4-4-4-12
• NVIDIA GeForce Go 7300 128MB
• Seagate 320GB 5400RPM SATA
• 15.4-inch, 1280×800 pixel display

A current $1,399 Macbook has:

• Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0 GHz
• 2GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM – 2x1GB
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics
• 160GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
• 13.3-inch, 1280×800 pixel display

I know that most speeds are different, but I hope I got my point across — with similar processors and RAM, a larger hard drive, and a physically larger display, it wouldn’t be worth it for me to spend another $1,399 (before tax) on a Macbook juuuust yet. I’m a full-time student, so I have to keep my spending as tight as possible, for my own good (haha).

Point made — so, I want OS X on my Dell Inspiron 6400. Ordinarily, I would have stopped there, because it used to be technically impossible. Thankfully, Project OSx86 was created and we can now install a copy of OS X onto our ‘ordinary’ PC’s. I’m now going to warn you about some of the moral things wrong with this:

1. Users can’t install OS X on non-Apple hardware. Last time I checked, it was in the OS X EULA (I’m 92% sure it still is and always will be — how else would Apple make any money?).
2. Users also should have a licensed version of Leopard before they install Leopard on their PC’s. I just feel that this step is necessary to ensure that we are doing it for the right, honourable reason. I’m picking my copy up soon. I’ll post pictures when I do. And if I don’t pick a copy of Leopard up, it’s because…
3. Users should be intending to purchase a Mac, and using this version only as something like a ‘trial’ version to get them accustomed to Mac OS X. I intend to purchase a Macbook this summer (well, I kind of have to — the guilt of doing something like this isn’t right — see reason #1).

As long as we admit that we aren’t going to use this as a permanent solution, I think it’s justifiable even to Apple. For the reason that we are going to buy your product soon and need time to adapt to it (for example, finding software for it).

The Installation

Alright, moving on from guilt to the actual process. There are typically 3 stages of installing OS X onto your PC.

1. Preparation and Downloading — downloading and burning the actual disc. Also, partitioning would be a good idea.
2. Installing — booting up on the disc and then arranging your drive types.
3. Troubleshooting…because there will be trouble. Drivers, software, whatever.

1. Preparation and Downloading

Typically, this is the easy stage. Download an image (I found Kalyway 10.5.2 very friendly, but I can’t provide links — find it yourself). Try to download it all in one session, because I found that my success with Kalyway was mainly owed to the constant downloading. I’m paranoid of Torrents missing some data when I pause it accidentally or shut down the computer. So leave your computer on overnight, and/or while you’re at work/school, and don’t touch anything until the .iso image gets fully downloaded.

Burn it using CDBurnerXP. Typically, I’ve read stories about installations being more successful when burned onto a DVD-R, but I used a DVD-RW without a problem (I like their re-usability).

If you plan to use strictly OS X on your PC, then you don’t need to partition.

If you want to dual-boot Windows XP/Vista and Mac OS X, then you’ll want to partition your drives accordingly. Meaning one drive for Windows, and one drive for Mac. I have one for Windows, one for Documents, and one for Mac. The hard drive partition for Mac should be empty right now, so don’t worry about it. If you’re using Windows Vista, instructions for partitioning are here. XP users I can’t say for sure, but I found a post on how to partition here. Comments in the post are interesting too, read them.

2. Installing

If everything went alright, then you should have a burnt disc. Take it out, inspect it, and then put it back in your drive. Reboot your computer. At the blue/black manufacturer screen (mine says Dell, yours might say HP or Sony or something), press the according button to boot via CD/DVD drive (I think for Dell users it’s F2 or F12). You should see a bunch of text on a black screen, then after a few moments, the OS X installer should pop up. Proceed through the installer, pause on the last step before installing. You’re going to want to customize it according to your computer, because OS X typically isn’t compatible with all sorts of hardware by default. This will be a problem later on.

The installation typically takes an hour including the disc check (I did it for my first couple of times), half an hour without. After rebooting, your computer should play the welcome video (if you have graphical stuttering, it’s because you have a dual core machine and OS X is being cooky. Reboot, type in ‘-v’ and press enter. Then type in ‘cpus=1′ and press enter. Everything should be fine. Type in the information (I didn’t use my real information because I’m really, really paranoid).

3. Troubleshooting

Drivers don’t work. It’s a normal thing. What’s not normal is if everything works fine with your OS X installation on your PC (which can now be dubbed a ‘hackintosh’). Proceed to InsanelyMac and search everything you can find about your specs. Even better — register and write about your problems, or thank them for their work.

Dell Inspiron 6400 users are in luck — user Devilhood has written up a comprehensive guide on how to get everything working on your Dell Inspiron 6400: from sound, to displays. Here’s the link to his guide.

The Secret

The secret is in two parts — the philosophy, and the methodology of installation. Your philosophy at all times should be that you have lived until now without OS X, and you can continue living without OS X. With this mentality, you will be able to sacrifice your stable installation to install some weird drivers to make everything work — which is your goal, to have a functional Hackintosh. Your methodology should be simple and easy — stick to Google and InsanelyMac for your problems. I can be of minor service if you are a Dell Inspiron 6400, but I will not go out of my way to help you find out whether your video card is compatible or something complex like that (sorry, but I’ve got my own things to work on too).

And always remember you can go back to Windows at any time. I know you don’t want to, and you know you don’t want to — but I’ve had to repeatedly agree to the concept of buying a Mac and actually overspending. Because of this though, I feel that I can actually move on and purchase a real Mac eventually. Haha.

I wish you luck. Feel free to comment or pose questions. If you need something silly, like the knowledge of how to get dual monitors to work on your Dell Inspiron 6400 or how to get sound to work, I think I can be of minor assistance.

And in the end, it took me a year and three months to figure out how to do this properly. So be persistent. Prior to 2009, I didn’t even get past the second stage of installation — so yeah, I didn’t get to see an actual working desktop until early March (during the break, when I swore to myself I’d get it working). If you want to see a result of my frustration (and a barrage of insults on my intelligence, haha), feel free to read this post where I wrote about my installing of OS X in third-person and referred to myself as ‘a friend’ because of my paranoia.

If you’re a PC user and have ever had the misfortune of running into trouble on your PC (no doubt you have), you’ll probably have seen articles involving or surrounding Windows registry.  If you’ve never investigated,  Leo Notenboom’s got a great article on what Windows registry is, and why it’s there.  And to sum things up, according to Notenboom, the Windows Registry is a central database of organized program and system settings and information.

photo credit: Signarama – Crystal, MN

For each setting you tweak, change, or delete, Windows registry creates an entry to log it.  Over time, these entries become obsolete — unnecessary.  Is it safe to remove them?  You bet — in fact, by purging these entries, you make clear space in the registry, and make it easier to call up programs and settings.  But, if you’ve got a new computer that’s slow, I’d recommend formatting (since registry probably doesn’t have that many entries anyway).

How can you clear it?  Don’t do it manually — instead, rely on the many programs provided out there.  I personally prefer CCleaner — it does the job well, and it’s free.  If you want to find out more information about Windows registry, or if you want to keep up with the times, I suggest visiting Registry Cleanerz — for information, and a set of forums to help with those questions of yours.  Have fun cleaning!

“Which computer do I buy?”

“What specs should I look for?”

“When should I buy a computer?”

“Will it run Vista?”

“What if I don’t want to risk trying Vista?”

It would be impossible to accurately review every single computer out there.  But why not try to examine the hardware and peripherals that these computers are constructed from?  I’ve got the answer to your questions.

Which computer do I buy?  What specs do I look for?

In terms of brands, I suggest anything (although I have a few reservations about Gateway) from Future Shop or Best Buy will be fine.  I can also recommend Dell — they’ve got great customization abilities, but don’t require you to build your own computer.  I’ve owned an HP Pavilion desktop which I had no problems with either.

The variety in computers makes it quite difficult to choose the right one for you.  I know you probably didn’t come here to read ten page guide, so let me summarize thing for you:

Budget Computer

If you’re running low on money but you’re in desperate need of a new computer (although I wouldn’t know why you’d want to buy a new computer if you’re low on money), here’s one for you.

• CPU: Dual core, no less.  Intel Core 2 Duo, or AMD Athlon X2.
• RAM: 1GB for XP, 2GB for Vista.  Minimum.
• Graphics: Anything for XP, nVidia 8xxx series and up or any new ATI Radeon for Vista — so you can run Aero.
• Storage: 80GB should be fine for a budget, 160GB if you can find a good deal.
• Estimated cost: $500-$1,000

Media Computer:

For the video and music junkies, these specs are still near minimum but should be enough for a smooth computing experience.

• CPU: Preferably quad core.  Intel Core 2 Quad, or AMD Athlon X2 Phenom.  For heavy video processing.
• RAM: 2GB minimum, 4GB preferable.  Good multitasking.
• Graphics: nVidia 9xxx series.  Not so sure about ATI Radeon, I’ll say anything with the 3xxx and higher.  Don’t quote me on that though.
• Storage: 320GB minimum, 500GB preferable.  Gotta have enough storage for those shows.
• TV tuner card a MUST.
• 20″ widescreen monitor, if you know what’s good for you.  Ask if the video card has dual monitor support.
• Estimated cost: >$900

Herbert’s choice:

I would go for a balanced workstation — balanced between work and play.  I’ll be much more specific about what I want here, mainly because I know more about what I want than what you do.  I was able to build it on Dell though, so I’ll be able to give you a much more accurate price.  This was based on what I consider the sleek, nicer case — the Inspiron 518.  Its size allows for upgrades, in contrast to the slim or studio version (although I did consider the two).

Source: http://i.dell.com/images/…/inspndt_518_right_314x314.jpg

• CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 — great for heavy work.  I like to listen to music while I do…well, pretty much anything.  Some light gaming too.
• OS: Windows Vista Home Premium, although Ultimate is also a good choice if you don’t mind the extra cost.
• RAM: 4GB, even though I’ve got 2GB at the moment and Vista runs smoothly anyway.
• Storage: 500GB — I’m a packrat and can’t stand having too little storage (I learned the hard way that even 160GB wasn’t enough for my packing ways — yeah I re-formated).
• Sound card: Here’s where Dell couldn’t really supply me with anything — I’d get a Creative Audigy from Future Shop.  Not the software version that Dell offers.  On a scale of 1 to 10, replacing a sound card is probably a 4/10 (replacing RAM is a 3/10).
• Graphics: All Dell offered was the ATI Radeon HD 3450, which I would gladly take.  The nVidia 9xxx series of cards are more than acceptable though.  Vista’s Aero UI relies on the graphics, as will some light gaming.  And dual-monitor support.
• TV tuner card is a must, again.
• So is a 19-in-1 media reader, for those important SD cards.
• 8 USB ports, please.  4 in front, preferably.
• A 20″ monitor, hopefully coupled with a 17″ monitor.
• Estimated Cost, without the monitors: $1,019 CDN

When should I buy a computer?

Anytime!  There are always specials in stores, so hunt around but don’t waste too much time.  If you’re looking to save, you might want to wait for Black Friday or Boxing Day to hit those stores — although I’m not exactly sure how much cheaper computers will be (I know TV’s are usually a lot cheaper).

If you’re interested in Dell, there are always new deals every week or so, available in a sale or coupon format.  Sometimes these sales offer some outrageous deals, so keep an eye on them!

Will it run Vista?

Any of the suggestions I recommended will be Vista-compatible.  I suggest getting the Home Premium version of Vista, for balance.  Vista Basic is the bare bones without Aero, and Vista Ultimate is probably going a bit overboard (not if you’re a media junkie though).  When in doubt, try to remember: dual core processor, 2GB of RAM, and a recently-created video card (nVidia 9xxx series or an ATI Radeon).  Might want to try it out in-store, if possible.

What if I don’t want to risk trying Vista?

Why, cause you’re afraid you’ll fall in love with it?  Haha.

But seriously folks, there are tons of alternatives to Vista.  Microsoft has recently extended support for Windows XP, and Apple has recently released their OS 10.5 Leopard, and Ubuntu 8.10 should be out, so it’s a great time to choose to explore anything asides from the Windows path.  Keep in mind that OS 10.5 Leopard only runs on Apple hardware.  And Ubuntu’s got some kinks to it.  So you might want to stick with XP, which might be a bit difficult at retailers (I’m sure you’ll be able to find a copy here and there though).

Don’t sweat it…

Don’t worry about buying a computer.  Just buy it.  I know it might sound like a major purchase, but it’s good for at least five or six years (I don’t expect Windows 7 to be as demanding a change as Vista was).  Don’t forget to enjoy your computing experience!  And it’s probably wise to ask for an OEM version of the Vista Home Premium (or Ultimate) disc if you’re buying a computer — in case you want to reformat and partition it (that’s the first thing I did with my own Dell Inspiron 6400).

In the beginning, there was the ordinary white Macbook.  Then, a couple of years ago, they introduced the black Macbook.  And now, in 2008, Apple has finally refreshed their Apple Macbook design.  And boy, what a design it is.

Source: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/10/14/technology/15apple1.600.jpg

Similar to the colour and design scheme of the iMacs, these new Macbooks look absolutely beautiful.  Stunning.  I’ve always been a huge fan of the aluminum Macbook Pro — so much so that I was actually thinking of getting the Macbook Pro just for the aluminum finish.

Not only have the Macbooks been updated in their looks (not to say they weren’t beautiful in their older form), their specs have been updated too.  Absolutely beautiful. Call me an Apple fanboy, but this baby is a Godsend.  I would think that the updated NVidia graphics and the multi-touch trackpad would be the dealmakers though.

Source: http://www.svirtech.com.au/images/Apple_MacBook_White.jpg

Just one problem — its 13″ screen.  At the moment, I’m using a Dell Inspiron 6400 with a 14.1″ screen, and it’s still tiny.  The only solution I can suggest is adding an external monitor, and it looks like Apple’s kicked up the graphics to allow for an external monitor to be added onto the Macbook — prior to the revision, this could only be applied to the Macbook Pro.

Source: http://images.pcworld.com/news/graphics/152257-0810macbook_fam.jpg

Apple’s never failed at consumer design, in this reviewer’s opinion — and this revision is no exception.  Apple’s Macbook has caught my heart, and my wallet.

TweakVista is a piece of Stardock’s Object Desktop Ultimate 2008 that makes system-tweaking look good. It’s not exactly a piece of software that allows you to customize the look and feel of Vista – and it’s not to be confused with a piece of software called TweakVI, which tweaks the quirkier items that Vista does not allow by default.

I like to see TweakVista as a sort of aggregator or central location for the user to have easy-access to all the Windows Vista software tweaks allowed by default. As I noticed – everything kind of led to a system file or window of some sort. For example, clicking on the Display tab would have links leading to monitor configuration, etc. However, I see this is as a positive – for users new to Windows Vista, it can be a rough neighbourhood to run through, thanks to UAC patrol. I think that this piece of software, although not a necessity, could be useful to have handy if you run into trouble tweaking.

That’s TweakVista in two paragraphs, I really can’t say much more about it because it’s all pretty self-explanatory. Also, to fix up our review schedule – TweakShell is incompatible with Vista – so it looks like we’re finally done two weeks worth of reviews (took longer than two weeks – yeah, I know).

I’m a “relatively” diehard Windows Vista user. I’m not ashamed to tell people that I use Windows Vista – in fact, I think I kind of like Windows Vista a bit. More than XP anyway.

So, as a special surprise for everyone with Windows Vista out there, WPF is integrated into it. Meaning that these applications running on WPF is perfect for your computer – as long as your processor, RAM, and graphics card can handle them. I found a blog with a nice long list.

http://blogs.technet.com/james/archive/2007/06/15/where-are-all-the-wpf-applications.aspx

Have fun, and tell me what you think of them!