Making Windows XP Do Windows Vista

There's an old saying about "You can't teach an old dog new tricks." Well in some cases you can teach old dogs new tricks or, in this case, an old Operating System new tricks.

When Windows Vista was released earlier this year it introduced a lot of new features, but at the same time the drastic changes done under-the-hood of this new product caused other issues. While Vista underwent extensive testing by customers and companies ahead of its release a lot of users are choosing not to upgrade due to being "Burned" in the past by buggy or unstable products.

Well what do you do if you want to use the new features in Windows Vista, but aren't willing to upgrade from good old Windows XP? Fortunately there are options available to those who want to take advantage of the new features on Windows XP and this article will show you how to implement some of these features.

One of the features getting the most press in Windows Vista is the Windows Sidebar aspect of the interface. The Windows Sidebar is a feature in Vista designed to allow one to add and configure software applets called Gadgets which can be used to display information such as stock portfolios, time zones or even RSS feeds to name a few. Windows XP does not have this feature by default, but it can be installed via a freeware utility called "Desktop Sidebar" which comes with a set of it's own Gadgets that can be added and configured just like Windows Vista.

Download: You can obtain Desktop Sidebar over at http://www.desktopsidebar.com/

With Spyware being such a big problem Microsoft finally decided to add an anti-spyware scanner in the product called Windows Defender. Windows Defender in Vista can do real-time scanning of memory as well as regular scans of the hard drive and other parts of the system to detect and eliminate all kinds of spyware when it finds them. In Windows XP users had to download a free or fee-based solution to detect and remove spyware, but Microsoft has made Defender available for free for Windows XP users which will bring all the features of the Vista version to the XP desktop.

Download: You can download Windows Defender over at www.microsoft.com/defender

Note: I would also suggest downloading a backup spyware removal tool such as Spybot over at www.kolla.de to give yourself another layer of protection.

Windows Vista adds a new feature to the Windows product line called ASLR or Address Space Layout Randomization which gives an additional layer of protection to the system. ASLR is a technology that randomizes the location of key system libraries and executables in memory in such a way that makes it difficult for an attacker to locate. An adversary wishing to attack a system with ASLR must first locate the particular code they want to target in memory before carrying out the attack which, while not impossible, is very difficult and out of the reach of most.

Download: You can download a free software application called WehnTrust at http://www.wehnus.com/ that will add this feature into Windows XP Pro.

Note: For additional reading point your browser to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASLR which offers a very detailed write up on the theory and concepts behind ASLR.

Probably the most obvious feature one will notice when using Windows Vista is the new interface and theme called AERO. AERO gives a polished and elegant look to Windows Vista for those with the necessary hardware on their systems adding cool enhancements such as transparencies to the product. Well Windows XP does not have this ability, but once again we can add this via one of a number of downloads that "Re-Skin" Windows XP to give it the AERO feel. My favorite is an application named the Windows Vista Transformation pack which can setup a theme with a number of the applications and details seen in the Windows Vista AERO theme.

Download: You can download the Windows Vista Transformation Pack over at http://www.windowsxlive.net/?page_id=15

Note: The Windows Vista Transformation Pack includes its own sidebar so if you install this one don't worry about the sidebar application mentioned above.

Windows Media Player has been enhanced in Windows Vista, in fact it has been upgraded to a brand new version (11) that makes the old Media Player that much better. While Windows XP did not include this version of Media Player it can be added into Windows XP by downloading directly from the Windows Update site.

Download: You can get Windows Media Player 11 over at www.windowsupdate.com

In Windows Vista Internet Explorer has received a much needed upgraded to version 7 adding many new features over version 6. Vista users get to enjoy tabbed browsing, protection from Phishing Scams and an enhanced security model none of which are present in IE 6. Windows XP users are not out of luck here as one can download IE7 from Microsoft's Windows Update site and start using the application today.

Download: You can get IE7 from Microsoft at www.windowsupdate.com

Note: While most of the features of IE7 are available when the browser is installed on to Windows XP certain features such as the enhanced "Sandbox" model of security are not used when IE7 is installed on XP.

So there you have it, Windows XP can masquerade as Windows Vista without the hassle of dealing with all the "Quirks" of Windows Vista. Keep in mind that there is much more that can be done to make Windows XP act more and more like Windows Vista, but at the heart of it all you are still running Windows XP so there are limitations on just how far you can change things.

Until next time, stay safe.