The new windows – Windows 7!

XP is outdated and Vista feels sluggish. Everyone is looking forward to Windows 7 , but it will only be launched late this year. I found and offer this new version of Windows for your PC with help of a few free utilities that put all the pieces  together. Smart programmers have already started offering free tools which replicate all the new functions announced for Windows 7, and sometimes even offer more. You can install an improved search tool, check out the new visual

appearance, and make use of the web-integrated desktop features, with

the tools I will show you. So end your wait for Windows 7 now, and instead

transform your present XP or Vista into a super OS.

Our Fake Windows 7 requires many tweaks and modifications to core of Windows. Since some of the changes affect important system files, it is best

to back up the entire Windows partition using either Acronis True Image or the

free Cobian Backup utility. If anything goes off track, you can simply restore

your PC to the way it was before starting.

Revamping windows XP

For XP users, we recommend the BricoPack Vista Inspirat Ultimate (www.

crystalxp.net/bricopack/) as a base to start the remodeling. With it, you can

make XP match the looks of Vista. The difference in look and feel between

Vista and Windows 7 is not much, since the Start menu and taskbar are

almost identical in appearance. We caution against any of the Windows 7

transformation packs currently available on the Internet; none of them come

close to running smoothly. The only drawback with our solution is that you will get a rectangular Start button instead of the circular one available in Windows 7. However, it performs your tasks just as well. With little fine tuning, the effect will

become more realistic. Install the tools ViOrb and ViStart from the website

www.lee-soft.com to create a perfectly round start button and fake the Vista

start menu as well. You can even find the default desktop wallpapers from the

Windows 7 beta and milestone releases online, or copy them from a friend’s

computer.

Giving Vista a New Look

We need not make too much effort in this case, since most of the features

of Windows 7 look exactly the same as its predecessor. After changing the

wallpaper, we are left with pretty much what we want. Since we are not using

the new icon-based taskbar, we decided to revisit a concept feature from one of

the older non-public builds of Windows 7, a circular taskbar. We’ll use Circle Dock (circledock. wikidot.com), a free and powerful Windows shell customization. The first time you use it, an empty circle appears on screen. You can put links to all your favorite programs here. Subsequently, a simple click is enough to launch the new dock. Since it doesn’t automatically launch with Windows, you have to copy a shortcut for it to the Windows Startup folder to make sure it’s always running. Now we can take care of the minute details. For Vista to look just like

Windows 7, you must install Service Pack 1 and the Vista Glazz tool (www.

codegazer.com). It functions similar to the UxTheme Multi-Patcher that some XP users will be familiar with. It alters three system files (uxtheme. dll, themeui.dll, shsv cs.dll), in order to let you apply personalized desktop themes. To do this in Vista Glazz, click on the second button from the left and select “Patch Style | Patch everything at once”. After a computer restart once again launch Vista Glazz. If the grey signs in the selection screen are replaced by green, it indicates that the changes were made in the system file successfully. Now you require a desktop theme like “Windows_7_Vista_Style_Final” available on the website www.deviantart.com. Unzip the archive in the

 “Windows\  resources\Themes” folder. Once this is done, open the “Properties” dialog of the themes folder and here change the permissions to allow complete access to this folder in “Security | Advanced | User”. Vista does annoy with dozens of security dialogs, but you simply need to click through all of them. If the

folder is unzipped, open the “Themes\ Windows_7_Vista_Style\Windows7”

directory; double click on “Windows7”, and finally apply the new style.

New User Interface Options

Once the desktop is set up, you can work on making your PC future-ready

by dispensing with the keyboard and mouse. In addition to being controlled

with a touch screen and voice commands, our Fake Windows 7 allows you to control your PC through gestures which are recorded by a webcam. Touchscreen:Monitors that respond to touch will soon become available

at reasonable rates. If you are able to obtain a monitor that supports

multitouch input, you will be able to control you PC in same manner as you

would use an iPhone. Simply touch the large, inviting icons in the Rocket Dock

(XP) or Circle Dock (Vista) to launch your favorite programs. If you wish to

type text, invoke the Windows on-screen keyboard by going to “Start | Run…” and typing ‘osk followed by [Enter].

Language:If you have a microphone, you can control Windows with voice

commands. Unfortunately only Vista has free integrated voice recognition

software, with which you can open menus, run programs or compose

email messages. Simply enter the word “speech” in the Start menu search

box and start the “Windows Speech Recognition” program. A wizard guides

you through the process. Windows XP users have to install a

program like Dragon Naturally Speaking or Voice Pro, which will cost a bit of

money. Unfortunately, neither of these manufacturers offer demo versions.

Webcam:Your camera can do much more than just record videos for YouTube. It is the interface control tool of the future! Fake Windows 7 is at the forefront of this revolution. Two different tools can help you add gesture commands to your PC: CamSpace and Mouse WebCam. The two tools use different approaches, so try both and decide what works best for you. With either of these programs set up, you will be able to point to any icon or button on the monitor to click on it and run applications or enter commands. But it is important that the camera properly

recognizes your intention, for example you have to define a distinct pointing

object with CamSpace (www.camspace. com), say for example a bright red

wooden spoon. Once this is done, CamSpace converts the movements

recorded by the camera into commands for the PC. You can find further information and programs optimized for CamSpace on the manufacturer’s

website. If you do not have a suitable object for CamSpace, install Mouse WebCam (http://dftuz.unizar.es/~rivero/alumnos/vmouse.html). This tool records hand gestures which can then be assigned to a macro. If you perform one of the pre-defined gestures, the associated program is launched. You can even start Word with the last opened document by performing a gesture designated for it. At present, Mouse WebCam is unfortunately still only a research project. Another option is HeadMouse2

(http://robotica.udl.cat/headmouse/headmouse2/headmouse2e.html) which

is also not ready for a full release, but operates quite stably.

Note:Low-cost webcams usually have inferior sensors; in which case the room

must be as bright as possible. When using gesture controls, keep your hands

away from your body, so that your extremities can be identified better by

the software.

Better Search Tool

Compared to Vista, Windows 7’s search function will be a lot quicker and more

useful, with the results organized better. But did you know that the new search

tool is also available for XP and Vista? To download it, simply enter

“kb940157” in the search bar on www.microsoft.com. When downloading Windows Search 4.0, pay attention since there are different variants for

different versions of Windows. Once it is installed, you will see a new search field

in the task bar. Type a specific file name or something like “*.jpeg” in this. You

can even choose whether Windows will search only your computer or even on

the Internet for the term.