Details
    NanoSkin

        Why did I do this?  Well, being an (ex) programmer, I'm used to making things a little bit better.
    Not just my own code, but the environment in which it's written.  If your spending uncounted hours in
    this environment, you want it to be nice.  So, I fill my virtual workshop with all sorts of neat tools and
    gadgets, but I like cool posters on the walls and a sharp decor too.  I also like uniformity, with
    everything co-ordinating in easy to recognize patterns.  I've always found that the scroll bar and
    drop down arrows were hard to spot (as well as being ubiquitous), so I couldn't resist making them
    "a little bit better".
        Change the look of Windows using no resources at all?  It's this simple.  I used a font editor and
    altered the Marlett font to make the arrows more visible.  Done.  The change seems to be universal,
    except for Internet Explorers main scroll bars.  Bill!  Standards, eh?  Other IE 5 scroll bars and
    drop down arrows are changed.  My new arrows are reminiscent of the original Amiga OS, which I
    used until just 2 1/2 years ago.  A bit of a surprise was that this change effects the menu arrows
    (to submenus) too!  Well... except for the Netscape 'Bookmarks' menu.  The Netscape main menu
    arrows get changed though.  Go figure.  The new font is actually smaller then the original, so it uses
    even less resources.  This must be a first!

        Since this is a nano site, you only get a few screen shots, but here's some info on the other
    skinning tools I use and how I use them.

    EppieDesk

        Now, this is a neat one.  EppieDesk replaces the boring standard caption (title bar) buttons with
    bitmaps.  Each state (up, down or disabled) of each caption button is replaced.  The new buttons
    work in a very Windows compliant way, appearing only if the window supports them.
        WARNING!  Set your favorite caption height BEFORE you install EppieDesk! If you try to
    change the caption height while EppieDesk is running, you may get a NASTY crash, at least I did.
    (It now seems that the crash could be related to a caption height of 20 or more.  So beware!) /\V/\
    Otherwise, it's very stable.  This toy is easy to set up from a Control Panel applet and it can be
    turned off, if you really need to change that caption height, by using Startup Control Panel.
        Try my blue AmigaED buttons (for old times sake).

    WindowBlinds

        WindowBlinds is the only shareware component I use for the "look" of my desktop. I could get by
    without it because I only use the button makeup anyway.  Unfortunately,  Windows Make-Up misses
    Visual Basic buttons and WindowBlinds doesn't.  Also, the WindowBlinds tool bar and task bar
    makeup give Windows a nice clean look.  I turn off WindowBlinds border skinning to make things
    a little more stable.  Although I use an early version of WindowBlinds (it's smaller), I found that
    even later versions didn't work well skinning some dialog boxes with border skinning activated.
    The 'Define Custom Colors' dialog is an example, as well as 'Open' dialogs that add a preview panel.
    I don't miss this feature because I let EppieDesk take care of the caption buttons.

    Windows Make-Up 

        The main feature of Windows Make-Up is not so obvious.  Besides skinning buttons very well,
    it also allows you to enlarge the size of the 'Open/Save' dialog boxes and drop down menus.  You can
    set the dialogs to 'Details View' too.  Even though I don't use this feature, the button makeup allows
    you to match different button images to text strings, like making every 'Delete' button red, for
    instance.  Sadly, the registry keys for these settings don't survive a RegClean.  I've found it easier
    to just reset them all the same.  Other then that, Windows Make-Up skins most Windows buttons
    and the other settings survive.
        Warning! (small warning)  If you use WindowBlinds, make sure that you start Windows Make-Up
    early on in the StartUp.  Make a Windows Make-Up shortcut in the StartUp folder and then use
    Startup Control Panel to move the shortcut to HKCU/Run.  Make sure that the WindowBlinds
    shortcut is in the StartUp folder.  Also, changing Windows Make-Up's settings interferes with
    WindowBlinds buttons, messing them up.  Leave it alone or turn off WindowBlinds temporarily.

        If you don't mind fiddlin' with the settings (it's what tinkers DO!), Windows Make-Up and
    WindowBlinds will skin just about every button on every window.  The big difference between them
    is that Windows Make-Up uses two bitmaps and a built in focus (appearing as box corners the same
    colour as the button text) and WindowBlinds uses one bitmap divided into five buttons images, focus
    included.  My WindowBlinds skin mimics the Windows Make-Up built in focus enough that it's hard
    to tell them apart.  Another thing, WindowBlinds skins Dial-Up Networkings 'Connecting to...' dialog
    but misses the 'Connected to...' dialog that pops up from the system tray, which Windows Make-Up
    skins.  (I hear that WindowBlinds 2.0 addresses this issue,  Haven't tried it.) /\v/\

    Startup Control Panel

        Although not a skinning utility, Startup Control Panel gets a mention because of the problems
    discussed above.  This Control Panel applet lets you view and control the contents of the StartUp
    folder and the hidden registry StartUp keys.  Two of these keys, HKLM/Run (Local Machine,
    everybody) and HKCU/Run (Current User, obvious), are where some software installations  place
    their StartUp shortcuts.  These keys run before the StartUp folder shortcuts, so if one program
    doesn't seem to work right, you can shuffle it to another key or to and from the StartUp folder.
    Actually, all the StartUp programs load at the same time but the registry keys (HKLM/Run and 
    HKCU/Run) get a bit of a head start. Startup Control Panel is also a good snooping tool to see which
    programs have snuck in a "notifier" or a "pre-loader".  Some of these can be disabled or removed,
    saving memory at boot time.

    The Start Button

        EppieDesk, WindowBlinds and Windows Make-Up all have Start Button skinning.
        EppieDesk gives you the choice of a built-in Start button or a bitmap.  If you use WindowBlinds,
    make your bitmap transparent so that the task bar skin will show through. EppieDesk just shifts the 
    image a little bit down and to the right.
        WindowBlinds will skin beneath the standard Start Button (and EppieDesks) or you can design
    one of your own using the button bitmap as a template and adding a few lines to the skin definition.
        Again, Windows Make-Up does not get along with WindowBlinds.  If you use WindowBlinds,
    don't use a Windows Make-Up Start Button.  If you don't use WindowBlinds, Windows Make-Up
    does a good job of skinning the Start Button.  It uses two bitmaps, up and down (clicked), a bit nicer
    then EppieDesk.    
        Here's my GoldGoGlobe Start Button for Windows Make-Up.  Matching, of course.
                                     ^(Say that three times fast!)

    My Colour Scheme

        If you liked my colour scheme (I do, nice friendly colours) then grab GoldWin.  This is a small
    registry file that will insert my scheme without deleting any of yours (tested).  Just double click on
    the file to install.  Call it up from the 'Display Properties/Appearance' tab under 'Schemes:'.  You
    may have to fiddle with the caption and font heights to get them just right then 'Save as..' it.  Notice  
    that I make the caption colour the same as the window, only the text colour changes.  You'd be
    surprised at how much this changes the way Windows looks!  I was.  This is another skinning option
    that uses no resources ;<{)>.
    Gee, you might as well take GoldPoint, a collection of matching gold animated cursors.

    A Request (I gave up serious programming 'bout 16 bits ago.)

        Oh yeah, if you think doing stuff like this is cool (and I've kept your attention this far), the top of
    my wish list from you (active) programmers would be to skin the Windows menus. Just the menus.
    Like the arrows, menus are everywhere.  Well?  How 'bout it.  I know it can be done.  I've seen
    something like it done before... badly.  Just a little Control Panel applet with one field for picking a
    background image... uh, maybe one more for 'Selected'... Damn!  See what I mean?  I spent half an
    hour altering that font.  But,  it took me several days just to find out how it could be done. After that,
    more hours writing this web page (with NotePad, old habits die hard) so that you could understand
    and enjoy this (re) discovery too.  I know how things like this go!
        NanoSkin already changes the menu arrows.
        It's a start.
        I'll beta test.

    In Conclusion  (Really!)

        These programs working in concert give a clean, consistent look to Windows.  A different look.
    Enough to provide a more appealing environment with easier to see controls.  Changing those
    arrows (a constant reminder) is just icing on the cake for me.  If you like icing too, go for it.
        I've checked all my scripts, archives and the "manual" method on my own machine (Penny), and
    other victims machines as well.

    Thanx

        So in keeping with the nano spirit (meaning a tiny web site), I'll just pass on my special thanks to
    the folks @ Shell Extension City  for having such a cool and useful cyberplace.  All of the tools
    mentioned on this web site have links @ ShellEx and many, many others that I use as well.
        Another time, maybe, or I'm gonna have to start calling this project PicoSkin pretty soon.

    Practice makes better!   tinker