Yep... it's time.

Time to get into how to tweak the ever-lovin' CRAP out of your desktop in Windows XP.

I've been asked question "Dark... how do you guys do that?"
Well, it's time to reveal this long-awaited how-to!


DARKSAMURAIÂ’S DOJO: HOW-TO (one of hopefully several).



Want your desktop to kick THIS much ass?!? LetÂ’s
start workinÂ’ some black-belt *kung-foo on yoÂ’ rig!

*- Kung Foo being a little different from “Kung Fu” (The misspelling is more representative of elite computer hacking if you didn’t know!)

XP Desktop Tweaking: A guide to pimpinÂ’ out your desktop!

PimpinÂ’ ainÂ’t easy. Still, with a little advice, you can turn your
boring-ass desktop into somethinÂ’ l337 and awe-inspiring. Remember, pimpinÂ’ a rig isnÂ’t ALWAYS done on the outside!

Basically, what youÂ’ll need are the following:

• Windows XP, internet access and IÂ’d say at LEAST a 500 Mhz computer with better than 384 megs of RAM (mostly so the addition of a few tweaking programs donÂ’t slow you up at all).
  
• StyleXP (or Aston, or Winblinds or litestep) and Icon Packager (weÂ’ll get to those in a minute)
  
• TweakUI Powertoy (which weÂ’ll also get to in a minute)
  
• About a good half-hour
  

NOTE: You can follow along with some of these on older versions of Windows. I might do a follow up “Tweaking the Crap out of 98, ME and 2000” as an all-around performance/desktop tweaking deal later though.



Fresh load of Windows XP there. I’d have to say she looks pretty clean. This is pre-driver load, pre-software install, etc… When I first wrote this article, I had recently upgraded my operating system from XP home to XP pro (studying for MS 70-270 certification requires Pro), so this is “from the top” so to speak.



First thing I always do is to clear the crap off the list. Windows
“tour” bores me, I don’t like Microsoft Network, I’ve never used remote assistance and for “file settings and transfer”, I dumped all my favorite stuff over from my other computer into my docs… so life is already good there.





A little “before and after” for ya’ll. The Ninja is more “Me” than some frog or a rubber duck!

Okay, now it’s time to start making some changes. Go ahead and click on that little icon on your start menu (up at the left hand corner). Then hit “Browse for more pictures”. I personally selected an image of a ninja ‘cause it looked cool. If you have an image in mind, realize it will be crunched down pretty good unless it’s the exact size of that icon…

Oh man, can't wait for you to finish this series

no offence... but its a little light even for a part one.

Tiz... This started out four months ago as a complete "How To"... GK's been busy, so it never got posted.

When I decided to just post it, I have hit all of PR's size restrictions, so I had to chop it down to this. I've got about five or more posts worth of stuff... I was actually hoping to have a bit more to day 1...