Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Freeware
Vista Transformation Pack 8 makes Windows XP look even more like Vista
We first looked at Vista Transformation Pack last year when the utility was still in its infancy. But now it's all grown up, and this week version 8 was released with a bunch of features that make XP look even more like Vista:
- Added TrueTransparency 0.8.5 to bring Aero glass-like transparency effects
- Added WinFlip 0.42 to emulate Vista Flip3D
- Added CPU speed to welcome center
- Updated Vista Sidebar to version 2.3 Lite
[via makeuseof]

Get a WordPress.com Blog
With Halloween fast approaching, it's a great time to get in some practice defending your territory against zombies. In Graveyard Shift, you take aim at zombies and other creepy-crawlies, blasting them into splatters of cartoony green guts. It's a casual first-person shooter, and it's very easy to get the hang of - use the mouse to aim, click to fire. Graveyard Shift has at least 15 levels, and it might even have some secret stages I haven't unlocked yet.
They key to getting good at Graveyard Shift is learning to use ...

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
iwan said 1:31PM on 2-07-2008
i want to try this freeware
Reply
nima said 9:10AM on 2-09-2008
whenever i open it it crashes on me! what can i do?!?!?!? please someone help! :(
Reply
raihan said 6:46AM on 2-14-2008
It should be easy to get.
Reply
the punk said 7:52AM on 2-15-2008
i tried downloading the transformation pack from various sites. but whenever i run the exe file it just crashes. what do i do; i have tried it a number of times. can you guys suggest me some way out.....
Reply
John said 7:39PM on 2-22-2008
Well I downloaded it, but everytime I try to install it and error report comes up, what do I do
Reply
TechDune said 10:00PM on 11-29-2007
Vista Transformation pack has been showing some trouble when tried to un-install..
Reply
Chris said 11:11PM on 11-29-2007
Crashed as soon as I tried to open it.
Reply
Erik Sagen said 11:11PM on 11-29-2007
Why someone would want to do this is beyond me.
Although, the transparency effects are pretty neat, but the novelty of it doesn't last long enough to keep it enabled.
Now, having the ability to use widgets/gadgets/fidgets on the desktop is great considering (to my knowledge) on the Mac you're limited to using widgets within the Dash only.
Reply
Mysterius said 9:36AM on 11-30-2007
There are ways to hack that, I believe, or you can just use Yahoo Widgets (aka Konfabulator).
Laddi said 11:52PM on 11-29-2007
i like vista
Reply
Mysterius said 1:23AM on 11-30-2007
"Love the look of Windows Vista, but don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on to "upgrade" your operating system and potentially slow down your computer's performance? Vista Transformation Pack 8 gives you most of Vista's visual candy without the operating system's security enhancements, user account control, or power management features."
And... this won't slow down my computer?
Wouldn't a system designed to handle these effects work better than a retrofit?
Reply
DooDee said 9:37AM on 11-30-2007
transformation s packs DO slow down computer performance A L OT , advanced computer users will always try to gain more performance on multitasking and speed by disabling even native windows xp visual effects and believe me you gain at least 60 % in rapidity.
with transformation pack active you will be losing a lot of substantivity of menus and file browsing and everything,
Besides the un installation process of these packs is too hard to be not suspicious of some kinda spy ware ..
In windows vista those visual effects are native and work a lot more faster than with the transformation pack on xp.
Reply
BGM said 9:38AM on 11-30-2007
The installer crashes whenever i try to open it.
Its the same exe file extracted from the rar file in the developer's forum.
Here are 2 screenshots as proof,
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s240/guy6600crazy/Misc/vtp1.jpg
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s240/guy6600crazy/Misc/vtp2.jpg
Reply
Guido said 9:41AM on 11-30-2007
Mysterius: Of course it will slow down your computer. You have maybe 6 separate programs running to emulate the Vista "effects". This is really why Vista - itself - is slower, and there it's built into the core.
A better option really is Windows Blinds.. I have Vista and use blinds on it .. The "enhances" have long sense worn off for me.
I'll take WB+Object Dock + Launchy (Thanks DS!) any day over the boring Vista look.
Reply
RV said 9:52AM on 11-30-2007
U guys might also want to try this....works wonderfully so far...only one thing I am not sure of is whether the "Remote Procedure Recall" error I keep getting is due to this or not....but otherwise this does do a good transformation from Xp to Vista...
http://www.crystalxp.net/galerie/en.id.130.htm
Reply
Raúl C. said 12:50PM on 11-30-2007
@ Erik Sagen:
You can put Dashboard widgets on the desktop. It's not available as a default option, though. You need to turn on the "Developer Dashboard", then grab and drag the widget you want, close Dashboard and drop the widget onto the desktop.
Useless, though. Vista's SideBar and Google Desktop's sidebar do a better job at that.
Wouldn't change my Mac for Vista though. Maybe XP SP3, but not yet.
Reply
michael said 6:01PM on 11-30-2007
But it doesn't come with the extra security enhancements, several of Vista's new programs, and support for Vista-only programs.
So just get the real thing. No need to install something like this.
Reply
Tired_ said 8:43PM on 11-30-2007
I wouldn't install anything like this, this close to SP3. If nothing else, SP3 will break the uxtheme patch, which will leave you in a sorry state after all these modifications are applied. Wait till there's a version tested with SP3.
Reply
Dan said 6:16PM on 12-05-2007
After uninstalling this program, the htp://www.windowsxlive.net has hijacked the browser and has installed itself as home page.
Any suggestions how I can get rid of this. BTW, Hijack This" didn't work on this.
Reply
gopher87 said 8:52AM on 12-06-2007
as bgm said, vtp 8 also crashes on installation on my machine... a good alternative is boot the system in safe mode and then try installation.... give it a try
Reply