Are you still using Windows XP and either cannot or will not upgrade to Windows 7? You can have the look of Windows 7 on your Windows XP system with Seven Remix XP. This is a free, easy-to-install program that gives your Windows XP desktop the appearance of Windows 7.
Download Seven Remix XP from
http://niwradsoft.blogspot.com/2010/07/seven-remix-xp-241.html.
To begin, unzip the .zip file you downloaded and double-click the resulting .exe file. Select the desired language on the Installer Language dialog box and click OK.
The Welcome screen of the installer displays. Click Next.
Read through the License Agreement and select the I accept the terms of the License Agreement check box. Click Next.
Read through the Read Me file that displays on the next screen and click Next.
On the next screen, select the components you want to install. Make sure the Create System Restore Point check box is selected. Later in this post, we will discuss how to use the restore point to “uninstall” Seven Remix XP and return to the standard look of Windows XP. Click Install.
The next screen displays the progress of the installation process.
When the installation has finished, click Next.
A screen displays informing you that your computer must be rebooted to complete the installation of Seven Remix XP. Select whether the Reboot now radio button or the I want to manually reboot later radio button and click Finish. If you choose to manually reboot your computer, make sure you do so before continuing with these procedures.
The first change you will notice is that the login screen looks like the Windows 7 login screen. It even says Windows 7 Ultimate at the bottom of the screen.
Once your computer has rebooted and you have logged in, the Welcome Center displays. For now, click the Close button to close the Welcome Center screen.
NOTE: When you close the Welcome Center dialog box, your default browser is automatically opened to the webpage for Seven Remix XP. Close the browser.
An icon has been added to your desktop that provides access to the NS Welcome Center.
You desktop now looks like Windows 7, complete with the standard wallpaper and the Start orb in the lower, left corner.
Your Start menu is transformed into a Start menu similar to the one in Windows 7. There is no Search box directly on the menu as in Windows 7, but there is a Search option on the right side of the menu.
Click the NS Welcome Center icon on the desktop to open the Welcome Center dialog box. Click the Config User Account box on the Welcome Center dialog box to adjust various settings.
On the Settings dialog box, select the check boxes in the Settings box for the settings you want.
If you want to run the Reloader at Windows startup, select the Reloader check box in the Run at Startup box on the Settings dialog box. The Reloader repairs or reinstalls Seven Remix XP after performing a Windows Update, installing software, or making any other changes to the system.
Click the Reloader box on the Welcome Center dialog box to start the Reloader Wizard. This wizard checks all the Seven Remix XP files to see if they need to be reloaded and reloads them as necessary.
Make sure you have no other programs running before you start the Reloader Wizard. This makes it possible to update the files without rebooting your computer, although this is not guaranteed.
On the Welcome screen, click Reload to start the reloading process.
When we ran the Reloader, three files needed to be reloaded. In our case, we needed to reboot. Click Next.
You will see the same screen you saw when you finished the initial installation of Seven Remix XP. Choose a reboot option and click Finish. Again, if you chose to reboot later, be sure you reboot your machine to have the changes take effect.
If you decide you want your system to look like Windows XP again, there are a few methods for returning to the standard look of Windows XP. First, you can uninstall Seven Remix XP, like most Windows programs. Select the Control Panel from the Start menu.
On the Control Panel window, click the Add or Remove Programs link.
On the Add or Remove Programs dialog box, you will notice Seven Remix XP is listed just like a normal Windows program. Select it and click the Change/Remove button. Then, just follow the instructions in the wizard.
You can also uninstall Seven Remix XP using the Uninstall box on the Welcome Center dialog box. This takes you through the same uninstall process as using the Add or Remove Programs option.
The second, and cleaner, method of making your computer look like Windows XP again, is to return to the system restore point that was created when you installed Seven Remix XP. Select All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | System Restore from the Start menu.
On the System Restore dialog box, select the Restore my computer to an earlier time radio button and click Next.
On the Select a Restore Point screen, select the date on which you installed Seven Remix XP from the calendar on the left. Dates that contain restore points are displayed in bold on the calendar. Then, select the Seven Remix XP: Installation restore point from the list on the right. Click Next.
The Confirm Restore Point Selection screen displays so you can be sure you have selected the correct restore point. To continue with the restore, click Next.
You are logged out of your session and a dialog box displays the progress of the System Restore process.
When the process is complete, your computer is rebooted and you see the following dialog box once you log in again. Click OK to close it.
If you want the look of Windows 7 on your Windows XP machine without having to upgrade, Seven Remix XP is a good option. It is easy to install, and it also provides a system restore point so you can easily return to the standard Windows XP look. There is also a black version and a version for Vista called Seven Remix Reloaded.
by Lori Kaufman
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