Making XP look like Win95?

[Mikeus Caesar]

What with everyone looking forwards to the future and to Vista, i for some reason find myself yearning for a simpler time, when cutting edge GUI's were a thing of dreams. Yes, i want to make my XP look like Win 95. So far i've done quite well - i'm using the Windows Classic Theme, i've disabled it from hiding unused icons, and i've changed most of the important desktop icons (recycle bin, my computer, etc) into the old ones, changed the start bar to classic, even using an old Win 95 background. (blue lace, one of the few backgrounds left from the old days)

But ultimately, i want it all changed. I want an old windows logo next to where it says start, i want an old style log-on screen when i boot up, i want a wider selection of backgrounds. I want the screensaver of the windows logo bouncing around the screen to be the old Windows logo, not the new fangled one.

So, anyone know the answers to my questions that will enable me to turn my high-spec PC into a retro blast from the past?

[The_Doctor]

So, anyone know the answers to my questions that will enable me to turn my high-spec PC into a retro blast from the past?

I would suggest hitting things with a hammer.

[Bijo]

Or pour water on your hardware

Nah, but really... I think it should be possible. I do remember one could alter certain files so that he could change for instance the startup screen, but I don't really remember exactly
Maybe it was in the Windows folder somewhere, probably a hidden file, and most likely an image file (I think .bmp).

G'luck with it

[Husar]

What with everyone looking forwards to the future and to Vista, i for some reason find myself yearning for a simpler time, when cutting edge GUI's were a thing of dreams. Yes, i want to make my XP look like Win 95. So far i've done quite well - i'm using the Windows Classic Theme, i've disabled it from hiding unused icons, and i've changed most of the important desktop icons (recycle bin, my computer, etc) into the old ones, changed the start bar to classic, even using an old Win 95 background. (blue lace, one of the few backgrounds left from the old days)

But ultimately, i want it all changed. I want an old windows logo next to where it says start, i want an old style log-on screen when i boot up, i want a wider selection of backgrounds. I want the screensaver of the windows logo bouncing around the screen to be the old Windows logo, not the new fangled one.

Now all you need is a Pentium 2, a Voodoo 3 graphicscard, downgrade to 128MB RAM and a 15" CRT monitor and you're most likely the happiest man on earth.

[caravel]

Now all you need is a Pentium 2, a Voodoo 3 graphicscard, downgrade to 128MB RAM and a 15" CRT monitor and you're most likely the happiest man on earth.

Personally I wouldn't bother with all of that. If you want to get it as lightweight as possible there are alot of tweaks you can try. Once you've set the Windows classic theme, you should download tweakUI and install it, then copy your desktop preferences to the login screen's desktop preferences (actually user NT AUTHORITY/SYSTEM's desktop preferences). After this, stop and disable the themes service, go into the control panel -> users -> change how users log on -> use the welcome screen=off, fast user switching=off, and reboot. The old Win2k style log in system will then be in use. When logging in and out it wno't keep changing the schema, which is annoying and slows down the boot process.

Another thing you can adjust in tweakui is the menu delay. With this you can have instant menus that are there as soon as you mouse over them. This is better than stupid menus that delay a fraction of a second or unfold. This assumes that you've already disabled all of the of the eye candy in performance options apart from font smoothing and whole window dragging. You can also easily enable the classic search in explorer.

The biggest gain comes from disabling useless system services. There is a thread in here somewhere started by lemur that links to a guide. I had added some more to it.

[Caius]

Now all you need is a Pentium 2, a Voodoo 3 graphicscard, downgrade to 128MB RAM and a 15" CRT monitor and you're most likely the happiest man on earth.

I have a AMD Duron 700 Mhz 120 RAM and onboard card.
Use my pc then

[Mikeus Caesar]

Thanks Caravel. Very handy indeed! No more crap WinXP log-in for me.

I have to say, in some respects, the past is the future. Less bells and whistles means faster performance, which is just what i need.

And also because it gives me the warm fuzzies and make me feel like a little kid again.

Now all you need is a Pentium 2, a Voodoo 3 graphicscard, downgrade to 128MB RAM and a 15" CRT monitor and you're most likely the happiest man on earth.

I am actually building an ancient computer out of old bits, to satisfy my retroistic urge for nostalgia.

It won't be used much, but i'll definitely enjoy having it around. Plus, i have the Win95 installation floppies somewhere, so it can have Win 95 and be completely backwards.

[caravel]

I'm surrounded by old computers. In my job, old computers abound and I still have a few at home. The worst spec we have here are some Pentium 166 Laptops with 32MB of RAM and 2GB HDDs. Originally they came with Win95 but they've been upgraded to Win98SE. Slow as hell, no USB or Network, just old PCMCIA, Serial, Parallel and interchangeable CDROM and Floppy.

[Geezer57]

I built a DOS box out of old parts, just to be able to play old DOS games in their native environment. It uses an unlocked Slot-1 Pentium-II 300mhz CPU, which can be underclocked to 133mhz (2x66mhz FSB) by changing the BIOS settings. The rest of the system: 16 megs of PC100 RAM, a Voodoo Banshee PCI video card, two 512 meg (yes, that's megs, not gigs) Quantum Fireball hard drives, and an ISA bus SoundBlaster AWE32 sound card. The CPU overclocks just fine to 400mhz (4x100mhz), so it gives me potential processor speeds anywhere from 133mhz to 400mhz at need, depending on the age of the game involved.

It's just about perfect for trips down "Nostalgia Lane".

[Mikeus Caesar]

Those last two PC's sound like dreams come true...

[caravel]

Voodoo Banshee PCI video card

That's an oldie, but not quite as old as my Rendition Verite V2200. I've no idea if it works as I've never fired it up.

The Banshee was in fact the Voodoo3 with one of the Texture Mapping Units disabled. It also differed from the Voodoo3 in that it was based on a 0.35 micron process whereas the Voodoo3 was built on a 0.25 micron technology. Apart from that there's not a lot of difference apart from the core clock/memory speed. The later drivers for the Voodoo3/4/5 also work on the Banshee.

The old "Velocity" 100/200 cards are also Voodoo3's that have been Banshee'fied. In their case the second TMU can be re-enabled via the registry, dramatically improving performance.

[x-dANGEr]

Lol.. I remember we had some GPU with 8 MB ram.. Though, I was such a little kid, that I don't have the slightest memory of it's name.. (8, then 32, then 128.. Till just 1 year ago.. The idea of how good a GPU was it's ram size.. :~) )

[caravel]

Lol.. I remember we had some GPU with 8 MB ram.. Though, I was such a little kid, that I don't have the slightest memory of it's name..

That could have been anything from a Voodoo2, Rage128, Riva128, RivaTNT, Voodoo3 1000 etc. Older 2D graphics cards commonly had less than 1MB of RAM.

(8, then 32, then 128.. Till just 1 year ago.. The idea of how good a GPU was it's ram size.. :~) )

The GPU is the processor that sits on the board, a separate entity to the memory modules. The board itself is commonly known as a "graphics card". You are correct that large amounts of cheap RAM were commonly used on low end cards to provide more of an incentive to buy. Unfortunately lots of cheap ram on a board with half it's pipelines neutered and low core/memory clock does not equal performance.

[Geezer57]

Voodoo Banshee PCI video card

That's an oldie, but not quite as old as my Rendition Verite V2200. I've no idea if it works as I've never fired it up.

I think I've also got one of those laying around, a Canopus Total3D that cost almost $300 new - a new one's now getting $15 bids on eBay. Hmmm, we're showing our age, Caravel.

[x-dANGEr]

That could have been anything from a Voodoo2, Rage128, Riva128, RivaTNT, Voodoo3 1000 etc. Older 2D graphics cards commonly had less than 1MB of RAM.

The GPU is the processor that sits on the board, a separate entity to the memory modules. The board itself is commonly known as a "graphics card". You are correct that large amounts of cheap RAM were commonly used on low end cards to provide more of an incentive to buy. Unfortunately lots of cheap ram on a board with half it's pipelines neutered and low core/memory clock does not equal performance.

I forgot to add "for me". I mean I had it the wrong way! :P

[caravel]

I think I've also got one of those laying around, a Canopus Total3D that cost almost $300 new - a new one's now getting $15 bids on eBay.

That was the one with the glasses based on the Verite 1000 IIRC? The later one was I think based on the Riva128. The Pure3D was a Voodoo Graphics based accelerator. They cost a fortune back then, and now you can get one for next to nothing on ebay. I picked up a pair of Voodoo2s (for SLI) for running old Glide API games a few years back for £5. I sold them off on ebay again for £15 last year.

Hmmm, we're showing our age, Caravel.

I gave up on graphics cards and all things hardware years ago. I've done all kinds of modifications to both hardware and software for 3dfx cards. I still have my old Voodoo5 that is OC'd through the bios (the only way to OC a Voodoo5), and has replacement coolers and ramsinks hanging around gathering dust. It does about 190MHz, which is a jaw dropping gain of 24MHz!

[Xiahou]

I always revert to the classic theme and classic task bar on any XP box that I'm going to be spending any significant amount of time working on. The XP theme and start menu are absolutely obnoxious in my opinion. Having 'My Computer', ect. under the start button is just one extra click that I'd rather not be making when I'm trying to work on a PC. With 2000,XP & 2003, most of what I need to do on a server can be accomplished by right-clicking My Computer and selecting Manage.

[caravel]

The XP theme and start menu are absolutely obnoxious in my opinion.

Seconded. That appalling start menu is the first thing that get's turned off, and I mean the very first. I simply cannot work with it.

[x-dANGEr]

Well.. I believe it is nice.. !

[BDC]

Well.. I believe it is nice.. !

I like it too. Far more intuitive.

Vista takes it even further, you get a nice search bar and stuff. It's almost as good as OS X...