Like Neon

I’ve always been one of those people who loves to customize their Windows desktop. Even back in the day when my resources were limited, I made custom wallpapers and spent entirely too much time tweaking window color schemes and fonts. Fortunately, the internet and technology in general has made it much more simple to create a desktop set up that is uniquely you, and I thought I’d share some of the resources I’ve found indispensable when it comes to making my user interface exactly what I want.

Customize.org is pretty much the mecca of free Windows customization. You can find everything there, from wallpapers to cursors and logon screens. Want a custom skin for your media player? They’ve got it. See an awesome desktop and want to make yours just like it? They’ll tell you just how to do it. The best part is that everything is completely free. If there’s one drawback to customize.org, it’s the size—It’s exceptionally easy to get swallowed by it, and emerge hours later without realising how much time has passed.

Rainmeter is the gold standard for free Windows desktop apps. As you can see at a glance on customize.org, the support for it is massive, and with just a little time and effort, you can make it do pretty much whatever you want, and with a brand new version just released, its potential is even greater than ever.

WindowBlinds is a utility that allows you to change your Windows interface on the fly. It’s not free, unfortunately, but having paid for it myself, I can say it’s worth the $19.95 price tag if you’re particular about your interface, but don’t want to have to worry about it. There is a free 30 day trial, though, if you want to try it out.

ObjectDock is another program by the folks that make WindowBlinds. It creates a Mac-like taskbar on your desktop that is completely customizable. I can’t live without mine now that I’ve gotten used to having my shortcuts a quick click away, and I love how slick it looks. Plus, the standard version is free!

Rainlendar is a free customizable desktop calendar. It’s a full-bodied scheduling system on par with Google Calendar: It allows you to create appointments, make notes, and set up alarms.

Prettify collects the very best icons and wallpapers across the web and curates them in one place. Everything on this blog is gorgeous.

The Iconfactory has the best quality free desktop icons on the internet, period. Make sure you pop in periodically, as they’re always updating with awesome new stuff.

My current desktop incorporates all of the above, along with a Star Trek desktop you can grab for yourself at my graphics blog. You can see what a difference it makes. You may not be able to incorporate everything if you have an older computer, but I find the addition of these programs uses very little memory.