Windows XP Hacks

Force Older Programs to Use XP Common Controls

Older Windows programs look ancient and outdated in XP, because they don’t use the newer-style buttons and check boxes. Here’s how to make them use XP common controls.

When you run an older program in XP, the operating system applies an XP-type frame around it, with rounded title bars. But the older program itself still uses its older style interface. You can, however, force older programs to use XP-type common controls for things such as checkboxes and buttons. You’ll have to create a manifest file (a specifically formatted XML file) and place it in the same directory as the older file.

Example 9-1 shows the code to put in your manifest file. For Description of Program, enter a description for the program, and for Program Name, enter the name of the program.

Example 9-1. Creating a .manifest file

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<assembly xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v1" manifestVersion="1.0">
<assemblyIdentity
    version="1.0.0.0"
    processorArchitecture="X86"
    name="Program Name"
    type="win32"
/>
<description>Description of Program</description>
<dependency>
    <dependentAssembly>
        <assemblyIdentity
            type="win32"
            name="Microsoft.Windows.Common-Controls"
            version="6.0.0.0"
            processorArchitecture="X86"
            publicKeyToken="6595b64144ccf1df"
            language="*"
        />
    </dependentAssembly>
</dependency>
</assembly>

To create the file, open Notepad, copy the text into it, and save it to the same folder as the executable file of the program ...