I think you're right about the future, the road Longhorn is taking is doubtful in some ways. I've tried a couple of Linux distro's and haven't been overwelmed by them, Mac might be an alternative, I use Mac everyday at work, but I feel more comfortable with my PC at home. If Apple could just port Mac OSX to x86 architecture. There's been some stories about this recently at osnews.com. It's possible and should even be quite easy for Apple to do so. Drivers need to be written, but that shouldn't take that long. Darwin which OSX is based on is possible to run on some x86 machines. I kindof think Apple already has a "backup plan" if things get worse for them. We see how they've already made iPod and iTunes for Windows. For now it's a PR stunt hoping to get people switch to Apple. They're not even making money on ITMS. It's marketing. I wouldn't think of buying a Mac, too expensive, and I've seen different benchmark tests on various IT sites saying the new G5 really isn't that fast.

Anyway, I've mailed Frogboy to take this thread away. Looking back when posting this thread, I already had my doubts. I'll stick to graphic design in the future, keeping my mouth shut.

Oooh I'll check that Windows 2000 problem with my sysadmins tomorrow, maybe they know something?

I don't think you did anything wrong. What you suggested is how most of us started 'skinning' to begin with, replacing the resource files in non-skinnable software. I just think that warez idiots have given MS and the rest an excuse to prevent us from doing so in the future. The software isn't ours any more, we just buy the right to use it.

mmm, yeah it can be removed

"Messing with the defaults is dangerous"

Through reshacking? Yes, yes it is. That's part of what makes it so much more fun. (Though for a system-wide replace, nothing but IconPackager. )

I'm curious about one big thing though... What ugly yellow icon are you talking about Pixel Pirate? For the life of me, I can't think of any 'ugly yellow icon' associated with XP - and inquiring minds want to know.

I haven't been able to turn off WFP since I upgraded to SP3. The value has changed, so I can't hexedit it, and I haven't been able to track down the new one.

This probably isn't a kosher topic, though. Sorry

This probably isn't a kosher topic, though.

too true. ahhh, yeah, hey how about those Buc's?

Not sure if Pixel-Pirate is speaking of that silly exclamation road sign or not?
But almost all the System Icons are rather ugly in Windows when your forced to use
them on top of a skin/theme with different icons and colors

Well we're luckily not all alike. I don't personaly think The first look of Windows XP is pretty. Powerful blue windows and yellow icons...yuck. More specifically what I'm referring to is the explorer icon on the taskbar. You can change that with reshacking.

should have said "with different icons applied with iconpacker than the defaults hard coded into windows"

There's nothing intrinsically wrong with the topic of this thread.  GUI customizing really started with this sort of 'adventurous' modification of code.

I've used 16 bit and 32 bit resource hackers in the past....but then I've also taken full responsibility for my actions, knowing full-well that if and when things go pear-shaped I'm stuck with getting myself out of my mess.

Promotion of resource-hack use is a 'bit' of a problem as the naive impetuous could mangle their dad's computer and succeed in nothing more than having their butts kicked.

The caveat is, as with alpha and beta proggy use.....enter at your own risk.

Generally it is considered a violation of the EULA as it is reverse-engineering to open a dll or exe file [modified or not]....

heck, my wife called one day and said she needed some help. Seems she was deleteing files on a PC at work to free up some room and had entered C:\del ..\*.* just like the book said...

I told her not to reboot and she went on to explain that is how she found she had a problem!