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Windows XP Hacks
book

Windows XP Hacks

by Preston Gralla
August 2003
Beginner
416 pages
12h 47m
English
O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Content preview from Windows XP Hacks

Chapter 2. The User Interface

Hacks #8-20

The Windows XP makeover was the biggest change Microsoft made to the Windows interface since it moved from Windows 3.1 to Windows 95. Rounded-edge windows, large, cartoon-like icons, and a completely redesigned Control Panel are just a few of the most obvious changes. It’s not merely the way XP looks that has been changed, but how it works as well. It’s based on a more stable kernel and finally gets rid of its DOS-based heritage.

But let’s face it: XP’s interface isn’t perfect. As shipped, its cartoonish user-friendliness may help newbies, but it can frustrate power users. XP’s graphical user interface (GUI) need not be one-size-fits-all, though. Under the hood, there are countless changes you can make to the way it looks and functions. In this chapter, you’ll learn how to hack your way to a better GUI—one that reflects your own preferences, not the market-driven designs of Microsoft engineers.

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Publisher Resources

ISBN: 0596005113