OCTOBER 2004 MA XIMUMPC 37
Turn WinXP into Longhorn
Here are 4 steps you can take today to make Windows XP look and function like Longhorn
SmartBarXP
SmartBarXP is a freeware
utility that replicates
the upcoming Windows
Longhorn “sidebar.” This
is sort of like a vertical
Taskbar, but the primary
difference is that the
Taskbar is used to dis-
play running applications
whereas SmartBar can
be used to display a wide
range of data, such as
system performance, news
feeds, the time, and more.
It works by hosting numer-
ous “panes,” each of which
you can configure to dis-
play practically any infor-
mation your heart desires.
The best part is that the
bar is 100 percent custom-
izable, so you’re not forced
into displaying a clock or
stock ticker, for example,
if you don’t want to. Plus,
you can make it auto-hide,
or set it to have a custom
level of transparency (in
the above screenshot, its
set to about 30 percent).
http://www.smartbarxp.comWindowBlinds with
Longhorn Theme, New
Bliss Wallpaper
If you want XP to look and feel like
Longhorn (at least in its present imple-
mentation), install a Windows skinning
utility such as WindowBlinds. Although
we’re generally wary of intrusive soft-
ware like this (it re-skins your entire OS,
including folders, menus, windows, etc),
we have experienced little trouble using
WindowBlinds’ Longhorn Slate 4051
skin, which is a dead ringer for the beta
versions of Longhorn thus far. It literally
transforms XP into an entirely new-look-
ing OS, complete with Longhorn-like
menus, windows, and more. The only
thing missing is the 3D interface. The
new skin combined with this Longhorn
beta version of the all-new “Bliss” wall-
paper, makes it look exactly like you’re
running Longhorn. Fool your friends!
http://www.windowsblinds.netWindows Media
Player 10 with
Compact Skin
The beta version of Windows
Media Player 10 (the final
version should be available
by the end of the year) was
designed with Longhorn in
mind, so it’s not surprising
that, when combined with the
“Compact” skin, Media Player
10 perfectly matches the Slate
skin we’ve seen in the early
versions of Longhorn. There’s
a good chance WMP will be
completely revved by the time
Longhorn comes out, but until
then this is as close to “next-
gen” as you can get.
http://www.microsoft.com/wmpdtSearch
Longhorn’s upcoming Windows File
System (WinFS) will reportedly allow con-
textual searches as well as the ability to
scan your entire system in seconds thanks
to its database structure. But here’s a news
flash: You can get this functionality now
using dtSearch , a powerful filing system
Maximum PC discovered as a way of quick-
ly searching through all the content from
our issue archives. Once dtSearch scans
the files and directories you specify, it cre-
ates an index that allows it to retrieve files
instantly. It not only pulls up file names
but also words within the individual files
too, and you can search using more than
two dozen different search methods includ-
ing fuzzy searching (for animal pictures),
Boolean queries, and more. Sounds famil-
iar, right?
http://www.dtsearch.comWINDOWS LONGHORN