Windows Vista is a great operating system, but there are some tweaks that can make it even better. One tweak that has been popular in the past is to add a “look and feel” setting to the Windows Vista Control Panel. This setting allows you to change the look and feel of your windows, including how they are displayed on your screen. There are a few different look and feel settings that you can choose from, but one of the most popular ones is called “Metro.” Metro is designed to be more modern and sleek than traditional windows. It uses icons and colors instead of traditional windows borders and text, which makes it look more like a modern computer screen. If you want to try out Metro mode on Windows Vista, you can do so by going to the Control Panel and clicking on “Appearance.” Then, under “Appearance,” click on “Metro.” From here, you will be able to choose how much space your Metro window takes up on your screen. You can also choose whether or not to have any borders around your Metro window. If you decide that you want to use Metro mode on Windows Vista, then you will need some software that supports it. Some programs that supportMetro mode include Microsoft Office 2007 and 2010, Adobe Photoshop CS6 and CS7, Mozilla Firefox 3.5 or later, and Opera 11 or later. If you don’t have any software that supportsMetro mode yet, then you can still try out metro mode by using one of the many free metro modes tools available online.
Boot/Logon Screens
Customize Your Windows Vista Logon ScreenThat default Vista screen gets boring after a while, but it’s easy to change.
Create a Custom Boot Logo for Windows VistaYou can customize that boring Windows Vista boot screen with a small utility.
Enable Hidden BootScreen in Windows VistaWindows Vista has a built-in “Aurora” boot screen that you can enable with a quick tweak.
Fun Window Manager Stuff
Increase Size of Windows Vista Taskbar PreviewsMake the built-in taskbar previews much bigger with a free utility by the brilliant Andreas Verhoeven.
Get the Beryl/Ubuntu “Desktop Cube” Effect for Windows[update: This is no longer available for free, sadly, and is temporarily completely unavailable. This is why we should all support Open Source projects.]
Great Expose Clone for Windows VistaThis is one of the better clones out there, with many configurable features.
Mac OSX Expose Clone for Windows VistaThe first expose clone, but you might want to try the one above first.
Fonts and Icons
Tune Your ClearType Font Settings in Windows VistaYou can tune those fonts to look however you’d like.
Disable Shortcut Icon Arrow Overlay in Windows VistaA perennial favorite, disabling the shortcut icons.
Why Do My Windows Vista Fonts Look Horrible?Your computer manufacturer might have screwed up the default settings.
Hide Desktop Icon Text on Windows VistaAnother favorite, hiding the text on your icons.
Aero and Stuff
Trim Windows Vista’s Bloated Window BordersIf you don’t like the huge Vista borders, you can make them smaller easily
Enable Slow-Motion Aero Animations in Windows VistaSlow motion? What an odd registry hack.
Disable Aero on Windows VistaDon’t like Aero? You can disable it easily.
Disable Flip3D in Windows VistaFlip3D got you down because it’s so pathetic? Just get rid of it.
View Hidden 3D Benchmarks in Windows VistaThis one is pretty cool.
