What Windows XP Should've Been - XPize Demo

[@brundle_fly_3895]

The panic of “don’t go watch it” had me rolling

[@aaronytdev]

me too

[@MagicalFlower]

Must watch it now

[@TorutheRedFox]

real "Don't let your kids watch it!" energy

[@markusTegelane]

too late, already seen it before this video was released

[@near5148]

​@@TorutheRedFox lol

[@woodland586]

the screensaver at 6:00 is titled "3D Windows XP" and could be downloaded from the old Microsoft website circa 2001. I still have the installer. The screensaver does downright refuse to run on any Windows version that is not XP, no matter what.

[@wadmodderschalton5763]

I think it's been slightly modified in XPize to run on modern Windows versions.

[@ShadowStarzYT]

This is a great "sit down, grab snacks, and relax" at the end of the day kind of video, all of yours are✨

[@itisliamhfjone22]

agreed!

[@User-v7e4e]

i'm sat i'm eatin snacks and i am relaxed i love mjd

[@R3troBoi]

I love when Michael MJD makes new videos about vintage tech, i learn new stuff about vintage tech, and i try these things on my old computers.

[@BaileyMagikz]

bro calling windows xp vintage making me feel old an i'm only 24... 😂

[@osamaahmed-t6k]

me too bro

[@loganmitchell1382]

Then there's people calling their pc that came with widows 10 old...​@BaileyMagikz

[@osamaahmed-t6k]

@@loganmitchell1382 ؟

[@Redmage913]

Try growing up on DOS until 10 years old, friend… :)

[@Ademar440]

The royale noir theme was my thing back then, ah memories.

[@Tailslol]

same,awesome theme with longhorn blue

[@BlackTarH]

I liked and used royale noir and zune themes in XP

[@da_pawz]

@@BlackTarH Zune for me was the best lol

[@1marcelfilms]

zune or embedded theme

[@HolgerNestmann]

zune. Dark Mode before it was cool😊

[@DavidWonn]

I always wanted the opposite back in the day, making XP look more like 95 or NT4. Natively you could drop to 256-color mode and some icons would revert even after changing back to high or true color. Additionally some 3rd party software took it a step further, like litepc, Window Blinds, or Classic Shell, but each had its quirks.

[@miraakthuri]

well there is the "Inexperience Patcher" that does exactly that actually and michael made a video on it if i remember well

[@gymnasiast90]

I used the Inexperience Patcher to do that. It was also possible to replace them by hand using Resource Hacker. Combined with hiding the toolbars and the throbber, I could make it look like Windows 95/NT.

[@DavidWonn]

@@gymnasiast90 Definitely good to know. I tried replacing the explorer shell back in the day, but it had weird side effects of placing 10 task manager icons in the systray, one at each CPU level. I always preferred having taskmgr set to hide to the systray when minimized since NT4, so this may have been the side effect of mismatched files.

[@KyanoAng3l0_24]

@@gymnasiast90 Just tried all that on a retro VM I've set up to maximize my nostalgia, and I'm happy with the result so far. I'm missing webview in Explorer, tho; it's possible but tedious to do in XP.

[@ChocoRainbowCorn]

Doing that to your beautiful XP install is basically comparable to an procedure on an male human child. Don't do that to your system. You are ruining near perfection.

[@c.n.crowther438]

it totally tracks that some random people on the internet care about windows xp more than microsoft actually did.

[@jovetj]

I didn't much care for XP when it came out, but compared to the abominations that have come since (e.g. everything but Seven), it's a humble stalwart of simplicity and ease. This is a pretty neat thing I'd never heard of before.

[@soulextracter]

@@jovetj Vista was pretty though, even if it was buggy. 7 was essentially the same OS, just updated.

[@agnel47]

I used a Vista Transformation pack on Windows XP for more than 7 years. My dad used to use the PC till last year. 😅

[@willfultrain6779]

I miss Windows 7 and back because 10 and 11 honestly feel kinda soulless and corporatey.

[@sonicjam717]

I know how you feel that's why I have a 98/XP and XP/7 PC lol

[@KiraSlith]

Ehh, 10 looks fine, 11 is ugly asf. The real problem is they feel like crap to use, because they're just so slimey about everything you do on your own damn PC, and the OS runs like crap even at the best of times.

[@ShiroCh_ID]

@@KiraSlith win11 visual os defo am upgrade, but the performance cost for mamy is defo a downgrade

[@pacifico4999]

​@@ShiroCh_IDFr 11th gen i7 and chugging

[@KiraSlith]

@@ShiroCh_ID What do you mean "upgrade"?! The UI looks like a toy made for babies who can't use a normal desktop, very carefully presenting big icons in the middle with text popups so little brain doesn't miss the button. If I wanted big baby buttons I'd install Rocketdock, assuming that still exists.

[@JerryDX]

Damn, I didn't know that even back then Microsoft didn't care about Windows' UI being consistent.

[@stevethepocket]

It goes even further back than that; there are elements in 95 that are left over from the 3.x days.

[@theblah12]

@@stevethepocket XP was where it started to be noticeable since this was the first time they’d done a proper visual overhaul of the OS. Of course it got much worse with Vista and 7, as those OS’s had a drastically different style from XP and especially the 9x releases which looked ancient by that point.

[@ribbonmusha]

Windows is just Valve GoldSrc of operating system, an old software that were just patched and applied hotfix so it can run and looks better in new hardware.

[@parasatc8183]

​@@stevethepocketIn 95 it makes sense. 3.x style error messages for example served as fallbacks when memory was too low for the normal ones.

[@CatCrafter7]

Fun fact, even in Windows 10, the icon for quotas in the local disk properties applet is unchanged from the 90s (it's a traffic signal)

[@gayfemboyuwu]

i love this type of stuff man, its so cool that packs like these are still around somewhere on the internet 20 years later

[@asminqps3003]

What the fuck is that username

[@Somerandomdude592]

I honestly love these windows modifier program’s, I think it gives the particular windows version a bit of life .w.

[@asminqps3003]

@@gayfemboyuwu what the fuck is that username

[@mseDgEツ]

are u gay

[@mseDgEツ]

no srsly

[@Berg085]

One video I'd like to see is a video on nLite and what all is no longer really needed for an XP install. I know most of the custom XP ISOs use it to strip out unneeded things, but it's not always easy to tell what is or isn't needed.

[@philtkaswahl2124]

I remember using a Vista transformation pack on the ol' family PC. Satisfied my younger self's "at least it _feels_ shiny and new" needs until I fell into the Linux distro rabbit hole.

[@codezero7981]

the XP Royale style is so pretty, it should've been the default theme from the beginning.

[@ChocoRainbowCorn]

_Never_ repeat those words again in an public comment. EVER. OG Luna theme forever!

[@UltraZelda64]

Setting up the Royale Blue theme used to be one of the first things I did back in the days of XP when setting up a new machine or reinstalling. Great theme.

[@chaos.corner]

MS Upgrades: Slap a fresh coat of paint on some of the UI, throw in some more telemetry, remove two or three features people really like, EOL a previous version people are using and is still perfectly functional, bump the number and release.

[@Lizard_of_Linux_Lane]

Sad but true.

[@whompronnie]

And then pull support from the previous version so that people will be mercilessly hacked and robbed because they didn't want yet another layer of ugly, intrusive obfuscation and nagware.

[@jovetj]

You forgot: add in advertising and fully-bloated spyware.

[@ChocoRainbowCorn]

The only things valid here are removal of features and EOL previous version. If you hate telemetry, it's only your own problem - No one else's. Besides that, Windows 11 introduced a _lot_ of great improvements that were _not_ centered around AI features. Improved emoji picker menu for one thing, tabbed explorer as default for another. Microsoft hate is Microsoft hate though. You people won't get bored of it.

[@ChocoRainbowCorn]

@@whompronnie Absolutely loving the hell out of my Win 11 install. Wanna stay on 10? Go right ahead. I'm staying secure and keeping up with the times.

[@wettuga2762]

Nothing like the clean look of Windows 2000, that's how I liked my XP.

[@jovetj]

Agreed! None of that Fisher-Price BS.

[@ChocoRainbowCorn]

Original Luna theme for the win! Windows 2000 design is amazing, but XP's is thousand times better any day.

[@darnoldie]

Yeah, W2000 Pro just had a sweet look to it. Nothing fancy going on. It just worked well.

[@MetallicBlade]

Ngl, that Zune theme looks pretty slick.

[@xXx_Regulus_xXx]

it's a shame MS doesn't do interesting themes anymore, just flat light and flat dark.

[@MetallicBlade]

@@xXx_Regulus_xXx That minimalist-look layout BS has pretty much infected everything in the industry. From every OS to IoT devices, to even the menus in modern games. It's all flat, plain and boring. Nothing pops out anymore.

[@p_mouse8676]

Interesting what people consider as the default WinXP look. I know that many people used the NT classic theme as default instead (and still do)

[@cateatingbread]

Some schools did as well. My primary school used to have every pc with the classic theme, while my secondary school used the regular luna theme. I wonder what they're using nowadays...

[@thatoneglitchpokemon]

Brilliant video as usual MJD!

[@MichaelMJD]

Thank you!

[@kemal.mapping]

​@@MichaelMJDI like your videos, keep it up!

[@sthfangame]

snooping as usual I see (can you see the hidden word?)

[@gengar-1997]

@@sthfangame PINGAS

[@kameko_exe]

Man, that Zune theme brings back so many memories. Spent the best parts of my life rocking that theme.

[@Gui2226]

Yea. Me felling like I was using Vista because of its black style. Pretty elegant.

[@Edd8]

The appearance options menu is one of those features I just can't believe aren't anymore on modern Windows systems. You need to install WindowBlinds to make this much level of customization on Windows 8 / 10 / 11. I hope that someday Microsoft brings back these options. Thanks for the video Michael!

[@ThatRandomToast]

Don't use WindowBlinds, use these instead: - Patching uxtheme: SecureUXTheme or the UXTheme hook mod on Windhawk - msstyles from DeviantArt (ones made for Windows 10 version 1607 will work in all later versions with the above mentioned ones) - DWMBlurGlass (if you want window title bars and borders transparency)

[@TommyCrosby]

Most people will learn about Xpize, me, I'm here for the nostalgia because I'm old and used this when it was still in active development...

[@jovetj]

"Old" user here, never heard of or seen XPize before. It's not really as revolutionary as Calmira or even All3D were for Windows 3.1, but....

[@AB-Prince]

I find it funny that if you click around enough, you can find graphical elements from all the way back to windows 3.1 in windows 10.

[@rigues]

I remember using the Zune and Royale themes way back in the day on my XP Laptop. Ah, the memories...

[@MiguelTorrellas]

omg I worked on IT during the WXP/Vista/7 era and this brought me back so many memories

[@CEO100able]

XPize is very cool! The Welcome screen's background in this video looks like something that would have been used in Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 due to its colors identical to the Royale / Energy Blue theme's UI. Nice work!

[@panjimartiandaru3081]

Oh gosh that take me back.... I used Windows XP right until its support ended before upgrading to 7. Those color scheme and UI are so nostalgic!

[@HardbassTV.]

1:44 how does the wayback machine work, it is down

[@M084MM3D]

i think the video was recorded before it was taken down

[@AngelCastillo029]

That's a good question

[@zeddwulfen7737]

Yep they got DDosed and hacked to hell if I remember right.

[@jhop-pd4qu]

Videos are usually recorded weeks to months before I believe so with the Wayback machine happening just this past week or so kinda makes sense to me as to why it's in this video but not available right now.

[@HardbassTV.]

@@jhop-pd4qu ah ok thx

[@LatitudeSky]

If you are doing the Zune, there's a weird tangent nobody talks about. Way way way back when podcasts were called newscasts and many were repackaged regular radio shows, there was this program called WebTalk Radio, which was a tech show podcast heavily featured on Microsoft's old Sync and Go PDA program. KZbin didn't exist back then and shows had all sorts of weird distribution. WebTalk Radio was co-hosted by a husband and wife team, Rob and Dana Greenlee. Rob eventually left that job and went to Microsoft to be something like product manager for Zune. Of all things. The guy is an excellent radio/podcast guest and likely would have lots to say about what happened with Zune, as seen through the eyes of somebody making content before anyone even knew what that was.

[@lukewt1017]

It's like the Inexperience Patcher but the other way around. Instead of making it look more Windows 9x than Windows XP, it makes it feel more Windows XP than usual.

[@DanielClear2]

This just goes to show that Windows was always fragmented. We just see more of it now.

[@dmwzr]

I always XPize my XP installations. XPize is great. It works for server 2003 too.

[@colinstu]

You don't have to open the dropdown every time. Should be able to open and close it, and then use down/up arrows to go up and down and see option change right away.

[@BoKB5]

Gonna try this on my Tecra at home. Thanks Michael!

[@xan1242]

I remember XPize like it was yesterday! It was so cool at the time when it released. It really felt like an update to XP's style.

[@TimothyCizadlo]

Luna Element was a series of themes the last one being Luna Element 5 by a person who went by em3 and later Tornado5. Alas, the artist's deviantArt page is no more, but the Luna Element 5.1 Black version by Jamush is still available. I think I have the Blue version five saved someplace. I would also note that for version three there were a number of different shell styles (the panels that were next to the folder you had open in explorer that listed off various common tasks) that were online (mostly on dA - Midnight-Mick was the user that made them) and are still available if you know where to look.

[@jonessperandio]

Luna Element Black was the best XP theme of all time (IMO).

[@TimothyCizadlo]

@@jonessperandio The theme set I remember using most was one now lost to time called "Royale DX2" It took the general look of Royale, used the short start button (there are a few entries on dA for program skins that matched the style that show the start button - which was dark grey in most of the color schemes IIRC), and offered it in something like eight different colors. I long ago lost my copy, and the dA page for it is no more. A few months ago I was able to contact the original author, but even he didn't have it, meaning it is likely lost to time. I think I still have the "Royale DX" theme which is similar, but without the smaller task bar.

[@JimnyVR5]

WindowBlinds with the dragon on the taskbar was my choice for many years :)

[@LellePrinter82]

the darkside theme gives it a kinda windows longhorn slate theme feeling to it

[@Dark_Matter2]

Royal Theme was so cool. I remember installing it on computer and thinking how good it looks

[@kepuexe1]

I thought by the look of the name "That sounds familiar". I used XPize back in my XP days in 2005 or 2006. Long time I saw this. Was a really nice modification. Later I installed some kind of "Vista Inspirat" pack.

[@crashbandicoot4everr]

Vista Inspirat and TrueTransparency. Oh man those were the days...

[@MaxOakland]

Every time I see Windows XP it's amazing how much better Mac OS X looked. I like these Royale themes though, they're pretty nice

[@FrankMcalary]

Wow, this is so fresh, I'm putting it on my XP machine

[@jovanzeng]

Haven’t heard about XPize in ages. Loved using it. I really have to install XP again soon.

[@markusTegelane]

The C in Windows stands for consistent

[@apatsa_basiteni]

That almost dark theme /mode looks amazing

[@xxemixx703]

So enjoying watching Windows XP based video contents. I wanna see more of em

[@dttrsp]

damn, those videos made me thinking ''those all years ago i really wanted the zune theme...'' and now we have so many combinations that are beautiful.. time flies

[@SmilyTheMare]

i never saw that video im glad ur doing it again tho cuz im gonna try this now

[@SkiNet201]

I still remember when you uploaded the original XPize video like it was yesterday.

[@robertoXCX]

I don't recall exactly when the floppy disks went up, but that is some 10/10 room decor that I just now noticed

[@alexsudati]

This is SO nostalgic. Windows XP was a game changer. I've used Windows since the 3.11 version and, don't get me wrong, I love 98 but XP has a special place in my heart

[@robsquared2]

A channel that covers old hardware and software is now covering its own old videos. The snake has begun eating its tail.

[@vornamenachname9331]

Did someone noticed that the Royale theme (released by Microsoft New Zealand) has a 3D gray menu style? The XP Luna theme has a flat blue menu style and so does the Energy Blue theme. I assume that the Royale theme was manually ported and therefore the menu style was ignored. Also the window base color of Royale is a more lighter gray than the Energy Blue window base color, which shows a more darker gray. Last but not least the standard window borders of Royale are thicker, than the standard borders of Energy Blue, which match the thickness of Luna. When you copy the installed Energy Blue theme from Tablet PC Edition over to a normal XP you can compare it with the Royale theme. I think that they are different and therefore can not be adressed as the same theme. My suggestion is to differentiate between "Energy Blue" (Microsoft Experience Pack for Tablet PC) and "Royale" (Microsoft New Zealand theme port).

[@ebridgewater]

I remember using XPize in the mid-2000s before upgrading to Vista in 2006. Nostalgia.

[@Aceplaying27]

Plz respond asap I plugged in a windows 8.1 install usb into a Mac it it just installed directly how is that possible I can send pics

[@CesareVesdani]

Are there any new XP additions like themes available in 2024?

[@plprzemo]

Windows Classic look was always my first and only choice

[@readybear64]

The zune video is gonna be one of Michael’s finest, can’t wait.

[@dalebenton3354]

Ive just brought a desktop PC with Windows 11,Paid over £700 for it,It's all ready packed up,Ive been feeling gutted about it since and worked hard for it,Glad its under warranty,I be taking it back to the computer shop this week,Im back on my old gaming computer Ive had about 4 years now with Windows 10

[@gestaltstate]

I remember first encountering the royale theme on a media center installation at a friend's house and installing it the second I got home. Hyper specific 2006-9 memories, cute

[@Ribeanie]

I used StyleXP there were sooooo many different themes it was incredible.

[@Ribeanie]

It was a website where you would download user made themes for free and some of them were amazing, the software had a small license fee and I begged my dad to let me buy it eventually he did and I spent hours getting all different themes. If it still exists somewhere you should check it out.

[@RemyJustice97]

The new alt-tab/task switch UI 😍

[@TomBudin]

I remember the vize pack back in the day wow thats a throwback the orange 3d theme with the sick wallpapers Daym brow

[@TomBudin]

luna royale bruh throwbackssss

[@TomBudin]

in fact i remember now it was the ZUNE theme

[@GermanEmmanuel]

Fun fact, the modified Windows XP UE version (Windows XP Unattended Edition) used a variant of Luna Royale and had many of the features of Xpize and its Assets integrated by default, In addition to a wallpaper that became characteristic of that version (the one with the aqua fruits)

[@Guilherme36594]

XP is supreme, i don´t use today because of the lack of compatibility with modern emulators

[@activemotionpictures]

1:42, is the wayback machine back?! Have the hijackers lifted the restriction?

[@RoverFlushed]

the black theme is so badass

[@EpureAF]

Damn, I remember on my old xp machine from back in the day i wanted this theme so bad but didn’t know what it was called.. it was xpize. Absolutely crazy. Thank you for this video, shit brought back so many memories. I’m gonna try n throw it on one of my old machines. Shout out MJD 🙏🏾😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨

[@FlintG]

I also love the zune orange theme too that you can get on Windows XP.

[@BastiWill]

This perfectly describes how Windows always feels like the design is not finished. Wherever you go, there is always a small design piece that is not fitting to the rest of the UI as it was designed for a previous Windows version…

[@Aranimda]

I prefer the watercolor theme in XP. And then with the Windows 2000 icon set.

[@GeorgeArthurJr]

I used to use Windows XP MCE simply because I LOVED the Royale and Royal Noir themes.

[@windows9988]

Wow, I remember this "windows flag" screensaver! I remember waking up at night just to go to the toilet (or just to get a drink), and after returning to my room, my computer greeted me with this screensaver, (I didn't turn off my computer at night) and I would stand infront of my computer, watching this screensaver for 1-3 minutes. (If I did an typing error, I'm sorry, English is not my native language.)

[@sriramsundar8388]

Man, I am really MJDDocumentary deprived. I need some documentary from you man.

[@rahithahsan188]

7:53 I don’t like how the text on the pane on the right side of the start menu got deleted.

[@DiabolikalRA]

I loved XP Last windows I used intensively.

[@computerfreak2014]

I absolutely loved the MCE Theme back in the days

[@amr4211]

I loved XP specifically because it added usability without updating the look or the “how” of functionality too much. This is sort of disturbing honestly. I actually made XP look more like 98, back in the day…something I’m still doing today with my (almost) modern os.

[@KyanoAng3l0_24]

As a big fan of XP and the Royale theme, I would've loved this back in the day, as the leftovers from prev. Windows were ticking me off for some reason (which turned out to be then-undiagnosed OCD). Only discovered XPize in 2009, when Windows 7 was just around the corner. Also, I still can't get over that floppy disk wall. I want one, too.

[@matt92hun]

I vaguely remember a theme pack for 98 (or maybe Me?) that had loads of themes that changed sounds, colors, animations, cursors, loading screens, probably more. There was for example a Star Wars theme where the error sound was a loud Tie Fighter noise. Any idea what that program could have been?

[@nredextreme8240]

Nice! Your bliss video inspired me to go to the real place.

[@HilltopGaming]

Zune theme will always be top tier but I would've loved this for a true black theme back in the day

[@nimlouth]

This looks super cool. I hope someon makes a KDE plasma or XFCE theme for Linux based on it.

[@KanokYT]

Zune Theme was my jam back in the day. I miss it.

[@gmt-yt]

Personally I always felt and still do that if we take visual consistency along with UX latency and pleasantness factors together, Windows 2000 late service packs and fully patched Windows Me had the best UI. To me with it's slower draw speed and wasted screen space the XP look/feel always seemed worse even if it had more "pizzaz" or whatever. What was worse, if you go to XP options and choose the Windows 2000 visual theme, it's is even slower than the XP theme. So there's simply no way to claw that performance back. Perhaps it relied on too much cooperative multitasking? idk but you can feel the difference, it's not all that subtle.

[@gobbins]

It'd be sweet to see you cover a true XP Media Center PC.

[@seshpenguin]

That floppy disk wall is sick

[@StrangelyIronic]

Eh, I used Win2K until SP2 came out for XP and loved Win2k. When I "upgraded" I expected a massive upgrade according to everyone around... but it was kind of whatever? Not bad, still probably my favorite version of Windows after the final unofficial SP installed and classic theme enabled, but it really just felt like Win2k with a theme. I know it wasn't, there were compatibility issues (I never ran into, even with games, but I know they exist(ed)) with Win2k that were solved with XP. That's probably more because it was the home OS that everybody used, so everything was written with it in mind while Win2K was NT, or the business version. I got Win2K off my uncle for free, whereas I spent my 6th grade graduation money to buy XP SP2 (yeah, I was a nerd, my "people I look up to" were Leo Laporte and Patrick Norton that were doing The Screen Savers on TechTV at the time, the channel I had my TV set to 24/7 before G4 took over and ruined it).

[@chaos.corner]

Win2K was the peak of MS OSs. I'd still be using it if I could. 7 was an upward blip on the downward slide but slide it has been.

[@jovetj]

@@chaos.corner Absolutely. Windows2000.... Rock solid, no fuss, no muss.

[@wileysneak]

i think its quite interesting how the old win2k bitmaps work with all the visual styles pretty well by default, maybe that's why ms didn't change them

[@DONOTTOUCH-j1w]

How did you get internet archive

[@ChrisSpartan]

0:38 I mean it just looks darker and that’s it

[@BaileyMagikz]

Michael heres how i read XPize before you said it "x-peazee" so now you have three ways of saying it

[@jovetj]

I am guessing that "EX-pee-eyes" is correct.

[@BaileyMagikz]

ex-pea-zee how i read it as someone british (so might be the whole zeebra, zedbra thing) pronouncing letters differently

[@MenkoDany]

daaamn, I wish I knew of this back in the xp days :(

[@LabCat]

I consider Windows XP MCE to be the ultimate version of XP, graphically. I always ran my XP machines in Classic mode but I could deal with the Royale theme. Oddly enough, though, I loved Aero Glass and missed it when Windows 7 came along.

[@l3alamiya]

I was looking for this xpize theme for a while

[@FubarMike]

I'm about to install this on my windows 10 computer. Wish me luck!

[@mix3k818]

Imagine if Windows XP launched like this. PS. For those with Linux Mint - what's the closest (downloadable) theme to Vista/Longhorn?

[@xXx_Regulus_xXx]

I'm not sure Cinnamon has good XP themes but I know KDE does

[@phoenixfireclusterbomb]

You should make pixel artwork with the floppy disk on your wall.