Replace Alt + Tab in Windows XP with a Vista-Style Switcher

Do you often have many programs open in Windows XP and use Alt + Tab to switch among them? With the default Alt + Tab window switcher in Windows XP, you have to cycle through, small icons, where the label for each icon only displays as you move over the icon.

There is a free utility, called VistaSwitcher, that displays a full-sized preview of each task window and an easy-to-read list of all the running tasks with titles next to the icons.
Download VistaSwitcher from
http://www.ntwind.com/software/vistaswitcher/download.html.
To install VistaSwitcher, double-click on the .exe file you downloaded. The Installer Language dialog box displays. Choose your desired language from the drop-down list and click OK.

Read through the License Agreement and click I Agree.

Choose which components of VistaSwitcher you want to install. We accepted the default of all components selected. Click Next.

Accept the default install location and click Install to begin the installation process.

When the installation is done, click Finish.

An icon for VistaSwitcher is added to the system tray. Right-click on the icon to access the menu.

There are two main shortcuts in VistaSwitcher:

• Alt + Tab: The familiar key combination to switch among all open windows, and
• Alt + ` (Backtick): The key combination to switch among open windows of a single application, for example, switching among open instances of Microsoft Word or Windows Explorer.

NOTE: The Backtick key is right above the Tab key on a US English keyboard layout.
For more keyboard shortcuts for VistaSwitcher, see
http://www.ntwind.com/software/vistaswitcher/shortcuts.html.
To access VistaSwitcher, press Alt + Tab or click once on the VistaSwitcher icon in the system tray.
NOTE: Using Alt + Tab initially, still requires you to hold Alt down while you select a window with the mouse or with the arrow keys. There is a setting to change this, but we will discuss this setting later in this post. Clicking on the VistaSwitcher icon in the system tray makes the VistaSwitcher “sticky” and it will stay up until you select a window.

To change the options for VistaSwitcher, right-click on the icon in the system tray and select Preferences from the popup menu.

The VistaSwitcher Preferences dialog box displays with the General tab active. The General tab allows you to change the language, and has some check boxes for you to specify whether want VistaSwitcher to start when you start Windows (Autostart VistaSwitcher on system startup) and whether you want to have access to the VistaSwitcher icon in the system tray (Show VistaSwitcher icon in notification area).
You can also have VistaSwitcher replace the standard Alt + Tab functionality (Replace standard ALT-TAB key combinations) and replace the right mouse button and wheel functionality (Replace the Right Mouse Button + Wheel) allowing you to use the right mouse button to activate VistaSwitcher and use the mouse wheel to scroll through the list of open windows. You can also change the hotkeys on the General tab.

The Theme box on the Appearance tab allows you to change the appearance of the VistaSwitcher window with themes (there are no additional themes available yet). Use the Preview box to specify whether the preview has a “Desktop” style or a “Window” style.
You can also turn off the preview so all you see is a list of windows. The Task List box allows you to change the width and height of the each item in the list of windows and to specify how many items to display.

The Position box on the Behavior tab allows you to specify the position of the VistaSwitcher. There are also some options below the Position box. One option you might find useful, is the Don’t hide VistaSwitcher when ALT is release (Sticky Mode) option. If this option is on, you don’t have to hold down the Alt key to keep the VistaSwitcher window visible.

The Exclusions tab allows you to specify programs that you don’t want listed in VistaSwitcher. To add a program to the Exclusions list, click the New button on the Exclusions tab.

The VistaSwitcher Exclusion dialog box displays. A list of Active applications displays at the top of the dialog box. If you start another application while the VistaSwitcher Exclusion dialog box is open, click the Update button to add it to the list of Active applications. Select an application in the list and specify, in the Action box, whether the selected application should be excluded from the preview or from the task list. Click OK.

The application you selected to exclude displays on the Exclusions tab. You can easily choose to include the application again by unchecking the check box for the application.
Click OK to save your changes and close the VistaSwitcher Preferences dialog box.

The next time you bring up the VistaSwitcher, the application you excluded will not display in the list of tasks or display a preview, depending on how you chose to exclude it.

VistaSwitcher makes it much easier to switch among running tasks. You don’t have to press Alt + Tab repeatedly to scroll through windows and select your desired application. Now, with a simple setting, you can have VistaSwitcher stay up when you press Alt + Tab. VistaSwitcher will stay visible while you navigate using your mouse or the arrow keys and select the desired window from the easy-to-read list

Make the Windows XP Taskbar Look Like the Windows 7 Taskbar

You may still be using Windows XP and have not been able to move to Windows 7. You may have heard about or tried out the improved Taskbar (or “Superbar”) in Windows 7, and would like to have that functionality in Windows XP. Now you can use a free tool, called ViGlance, that imitates the Windows 7 Taskbar in Windows XP.
Download ViGlance from
http://lee-soft.com/viglance/.
ViGlance does not need to be installed. To use it, simply unzip the .zip file you downloaded and double-click on the .exe file.

When you run ViGlance for the first time, the Thank You web page displays in your default browser. You can close your browser.

ViGlance runs in the background (putting an icon in the system tray), converting your Windows XP Taskbar into a Windows 7 Taskbar.
NOTE: When you hold Shift key down and left-click on a program’s icon on the Taskbar, with ViGlance running, a new instance of the program will open, just like in Windows 7.

ViGlance even simulates the Jump List feature in Windows 7 by retrieving your most recently opened documents from several locations on the operating system. Now, you can easily access your recently opened files for your currently opened or pinned programs. Simply, right-click on a program’s icon on the Taskbar to access recently opened files for that program.

Speaking of pinned programs, ViGlance allows you to pin programs onto the Taskbar like you can in Windows 7. When a program is open or minimized to the Taskbar, right-click on the program’s icon and select Pin from the popup menu.

When the program is closed, the icon for the program remains on the Taskbar, allowing you to start the program by clicking on that  icon.

There are some options you can set in ViGlance. To change options in ViGlance, right-click on the ViGlance icon in the system tray and select Options from the popup menu.

On the Options dialog box, select the check boxes for the desired options. We turned on the Enable Start button (ViOrb) check box to convert the Start button to the Windows 7 Start orb. Click OK.
NOTE: If you want to unpin all programs you have pinned to Taskbar, click the Clear Pinned Items button. The Options dialog box automatically closes when you press the Clear Pinned Items button.

If you select the Enable Start button (ViOrb) option on the Options dialog box, the Start button converts to the Start orb from Windows 7, as pictured below.

NOTE: If you are looking to obtain other Windows 7 Taskbar functionality in Windows XP, we have also written about how to organize the Taskbar buttons in Windows XP and Vista like you can in Windows 7

How to Use the Windows XP Fax Service

If you don’t have a fax machine or want to scrap your fax machine, you can still send faxes from your computer if you have Windows XP. The Windows XP Fax service is a program that uses your modem instead of a fax machine to send faxes.

To use the Windows XP Fax service, you will also need a scanner to scan existing documents or a word processing program or text editor to create documents to fax. Ensure that your modem is connected to the phone line before continuing.

Installing and Configuring the Windows XP Fax Service

Windows XP Fax Services aren’t installed by default in Windows XP Home Edition. To install the fax software, click Start, then Control Panel and Add or Remove Programs. Select Add/Remove Windows Components, then select Fax Services and click Next.

Click Start and access the All Programs menu. Select Accessories, Communications, Fax and then Fax Console. From the Tools menu, select Configure Fax and click Next. Type your name and fax number in the Sender Information window. Select your modem in the Select Device for Sending and Receiving Faxes window. Select the check box beside Enable Send, then select Next.

In the Transmitting Subscriber Identification window, type your name and fax number again and click Next.

Then in the Tools menu, choose Fax Printer Configuration. Type a name such as Fax. Click the Devices tab. Make sure that your modem appears under Device Name then click OK.

Sending Faxes with Windows XP Fax Service

If you would like to send a text or word processing document as a fax, open your text editor or word processor to create a file. If you’d like to fax a printed document or a photograph, scan it and open the image in an image viewer or image processing program.
If you have to send multiple text or word processing documents as a fax in Windows XP, you can easily do so by creating a multi-page file in your word processor or text editor. However, if you want to send multiple scanned documents in Windows XP Fax Services, you will have to use the scans to create a PDF file.
You can do this using Create Adobe PDF Online. For a small monthly fee, this service allows you unlimited PDF file conversions, unlimited print to paperless PDF and combining multiple files into one PDF file.

When you’re ready to send your fax, select Print from the program’s File menu. In the Send Fax Wizard, type the name and fax number of the person to whom you’d like to fax your document or image. Type a cover page, if necessary. Click Next. Choose when to send your fax and choose the priority of the fax. Click Next and Finish to send the fax.

How to Use the Microsoft Scanner and Camera Wizard

The Microsoft Scanner and Camera Wizard is a useful program that can copy pictures from your scanner or digital camera in Windows XP. This program allows you to create and choose folders for your pictures.
It also names all your pictures with a variation on a name you choose. This makes it very easy to access the picture files later on. You can use this software, which comes included with Windows XP Home Edition and Professional, to make your digital picture management faster and easier.

Download Pictures from a Digital Camera

Turn on your digital camera and connect it to your computer by USB. If a dialog box asks you what you want to do with your device, select Microsoft Scanner and Camera Wizard, then click OK.
If you prefer, you can take the memory card out of the camera and place it in your computer’s memory card reader. If you choose this option, select Copy pictures to a folder on my computer using Microsoft Scanner and Camera Wizard and click OK. When the Scanner and Camera Wizard opens, click Next.

In the Choose Pictures to Copy window, select the check box above each picture you’d like to copy, then click Next.

In the Picture Name and Destination window, type a name for the group of pictures. Then select a location on your computer where you’d like to save the pictures. If you want to remove the pictures after copying them, select the check box beside Delete pictures from my device after copying them. Click Next.
When the copying is complete, the Other options window will open. Select whether you’d like to publish the pictures to the Web, order prints or finish your copying session. Click Next, then Finish.  Windows will automatically open your pictures in the picture viewer.

Download Pictures from a Scanner

To download pictures from your scanner, click Start, All Programs, Accessories and Scanner and Camera Wizard. Select your scanner from the list and click OK.

When the Scanner and Camera Wizard opens, click Next. Select whether you’d like to scan a color picture, a grayscale picture, a black and white picture or text or a custom picture. If you’d like to see the scan ahead of time, click Preview. When you’re satisfied with the preview, click Next.

In the Picture Name and Destination window, type the name for your scans, the file format and the location to save the files. Click Next again. When the scan is complete, you will see the same options in the Other Options window as when copying pictures from your digital camera. Select one of them and click Next, then Finish.

Move the Recycle Bin to the System Tray in Windows

If you are into minimalism and have very few icons on your desktop in Windows, we found a free utility, called SysTray Recycler, that allows you to move the recycle bin to the system tray so you can remove it from your desktop. Using SysTray Recycler, you can easily empty or open the Recycle Bin, and even view how many files are in the Recycle Bin and how much space the files use.
Download SysTray Recycler from
http://solo-dev.deviantart.com/art/SysTray-Recycler-1-3b1-194356687.
SysTray Recycler works with Windows XP, Windows 7, and Windows Vista. It does not need to be installed. Simply unzip the .zip file you downloaded and double-click on the SysTray Recycler.exe file.

A dialog box displays telling you that the Manifest file has been re-initialized. This is normal and only happens the first time you run SysTray Recycler (unless you delete the manifest file). The Manifest file is a file needed by the .exe file to run the program. Click OK and then double-click on the SysTray Recycler.exe file again to run the program.

The SysTray Recycler icon displays in the system tray. There is one icon that displays if the Recycle Bin contains items and a different one if the Recycle Bin is empty. Moving the mouse over the icon shows you how many items are in the Recycle Bin.

Before we show you the features of SysTray Recycler, we will show you how to make it more convenient to access the icon by putting it directly on the Taskbar. To do this, click the system tray up arrow and click the Customize link.

The Notification Area Icons screen on the Control Panel displays. Find SysTray Recycler in the list of system tray icons and select Show icon and notifications from the drop-down list to the right of the program name.

Click OK to close the Control Panel.

When you left- or right-click on the SysTray Recycler icon in the system tray, the number of files in the Recycle Bin displays at the top of the popup menu along with how much space the files are using. To empty the Recycle Bin, select Recycle Bin | Empty from the popup menu. You can also open the Recycle Bin to view the files in it using the Open option.

SysTray Recycler also allows you to clean out the temp files in your system. To do this, click on the SysTray Recycler icon and select Clean | Temp Files from the popup menu.
If you have a utility called CCleaner installed on your system, an option is also added to the Clean submenu that allows you to open CCleaner from the SysTray Recycler icon. CCleaner is a free utility that allows you to clean up your hard drive of temporary files, browsing history, cookies etc., from several web browsers and clean up the Recycle Bin, Recent Documents, temporary files and log files in Windows. It also has a registry cleaner. You can download CCleaner from
http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner.

There are a few options you can change in SysTray Recycler. To access the options, click on the SysTray Recycler icon and select Options from the popup menu.

The Options dialog box displays. You can specify the number of files after which SysTray Recycler will automatically empty the Recycle Bin. To do this, select the Empty Recycle Bin if there are more than check box and enter a number in the edit box. This option is selected by default.
NOTE: Using this option will empty the Recycle Bin of all files regardless of how long ago they were deleted. If you want to control how old the files are that automatically get deleted, see our post, Extend and Enhance the Functionality of the Recycle Bin in Windows, for a tool that allows you to automatically empty the Recycle Bin based on the age of the deleted files.
If you want SysTray Recycler to be added to the system tray automatically when you start Windows, select the Auto Start with Windows check box. This option is not selected by default.
SysTray Recycler also allows you to use your own custom icons to display in the system tray. To use your own icons, name them FULL.ICO and EMPTY.ICO and copy the files to the folder containing the SysTray Recycler.exe file. Restart SysTray Recycler to use the custom icons.

Now that you have a handy Recycle Bin in the system tray, you can remove the Recycle Bin icon from the desktop. If you are using Windows 7 or Vista, right-click on an empty area of the desktop and select Personalize from the popup menu.

The Personalization screen on the Control Panel displays. Click the Change desktop icons link in the left pane.

The Desktop Icon Settings dialog box displays. To hide the Recycle Bin on the desktop, select the Recycle Bin check box in the Desktop icons box so there is NO check mark in the box.

Click OK to accept your change and close the Desktop Icon Settings dialog box.
NOTE: If there are other changes you want to make on the Desktop Icon Settings dialog box, you can click Apply to apply the changes made so far, and then continue to make changes before closing the dialog box.

To close the Control Panel, click the X in the upper, right corner of the window.

If you are using Windows XP, there is no easy way to hide the Recycle Bin unless you use a special tool. Microsoft’s TweakUI PowerToy tool allows you to easily show and hide items on the desktop just like the Desktop Icon Settings dialog box in Windows 7. Download TweakUI from
Windows XP downloads – Microsoft Windows
You do not need to install TweakUI. Simply double-click on the .exe file you downloaded. To hide the Recycle Bin, click the Desktop item in the tree on the left and select the Recycle Bin check box in the Desktop Icons list so there is NO check mark in the box.

If you are finished making changes in TweakUI, click OK to accept your changes and close TweakUI. If you still want to make changes, click the Apply button to apply the changes made so far, and click OK when you are ready to close TweakUI.

SysTray Recycler is a very handy replacement for the Recycle Bin. It is lightweight, free, and portable and also allows you to easily see the state of the Recycle Bin without having to show the desktop, if you have may program windows open.