IconPackager 4 is here and with this new release comes several new features, some of which will definitely please users of Windows Vista, and XP alike.  If you aren't too familiar with IconPackager, let me first start off with telling you what exactly IP does.  IconPackager is an application that allows you to change the icons in Windows.  The big advantage of using IconPackager is that it changes nearly the entire set of Windows icons at one time, so you don't have to change each...

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 wil...

This screencast gives a brief introduction to ObjectDock Plus, including tabbed docks, fly-out menus, and more.

  Rafael from WithinWindows visited us this past week and took some great pictures. I'm stealing this from his site.. Rafael is best known as the world's leading expert on uxtheme patching (XP and Vista).  But he's not just a great developer, he's a great guy too.

 

The wetlands on the Stardock property.



Bee hives

 



 

inside the hives

 

 

Outside the Stardock building



Rafael inside

...

I recently tried to change my sound scheme with SoundPackager and I can hear the preview, but when I click APPLY I get a windows error that says something has prevented the program from working and will now close.

I've been using the much easier to use IconPackager and really love it, but I'd love it even more (pretty please, Stardock) if we could have the option to apply additional desktop icons to shortcuts for various programs/apps, etc.... something akin to the option to add or remove file types. 

OK, so I'm getting lazy in my old age, but yeah, it would great if IP could do this when changing themes, rather than users having to manually change icons for desktop shortcuts.

Pretty please, ...

Since nearly the beginning of the Windows Vista launch back in 2007, animated wallpapers were only available for people who opted for the Ultimate Version of Windows Vista.  This was a very exciting announcement, but as time went on it was obvious other editions of Vista such as Home Premium were becoming the choice of most consumers.  Stardock announced the availability of DeskScapes for Vista Ultimate users which was showcased as an enhancement to Windows DreamScene.  DeskScapes...

Another week down, and another weekend is upon us.  This was another week where I had a difficult time choose the picks for this week.  I shouldn't complain though because that is actually a good thing. 

Now for this weeks picks!



 

Conspiracy for CursorFX
by J. Aroche

J. Aroche always comes through with some great CursorFx themes.  I especially like the animations on this one.

 

Conspiracy for Iconpackager
by J. Aroche

Well I guess the cu...

hi all, whats the easiest and free program to use to manipulate images. like removing text without changing the image. can one of these programs coexsit with infanview which i already have...thank you

WindowBlinds 6.1 was recently released, and one of its new features is the ability to change the background in Windows Explorer.  This is a really cool feature, and adds another level of customization to Windows.  There are several ways you can customize the Explorer backgrounds.  There are over 20 included backgrounds you can change them to, and you can also change the color and opacity. 

You can find these options in the "Explorer Backgrounds" tab under the "Look & Feel...

This is the screencast to go along with the article about changing Windows cursors with Stardock's CursorFX.

Just a quick question...when a skin already has a 5 star rating and I want to give it a 5 star rating  does my rating count?  Or is it just redundant?

Jeff Schader, the CEO of his home-based art contracting company "The Skins Factory" has decided to write about me (again).  Now, normally I try not to get involved in this kind of thing. Life is short and all that.  But what Jeff is doing is obnoxious enough that I've decided to do the one thing that I think will stop it: Write about it.

Here's the deal, Jeff will write some post or comment about me that's incredibly vile. When people naturally become outraged about what he's writte...

When it comes to skinning the OS, I'm a fanatic. I've been into changing the look and feel of the OS for nearly 15 years now.  From Object Desktop on OS/2 to working on the very first GUI skinning program on Windows, skinning is a passion of mine.

Over the years, I've seen a lot of programs, companies, and ideas come and go.  On the software side, there's been great programs like eFX and Chroma (to name two) along with the ubiquitous WindowBlinds.  On the content side, there'...