Windows 9x Shell Tweak Guide (Page 3/3) Written By: Keith "Farrel" McClellan
Posted: October 4, 1999 Other Shell Replacements There are tens of other Windows shell replacements in various stages of development. Some are easier to use, some are more stable, some are more customizable, etc. There is no way I could possibly provide a link to every single shell replacement available - but I most certainly will try. If you know of another shell replacement that should be included, gimme a hollar and I'll do what I can. And the list (in no particular order) is:

Litestep
Dimension
EVWM
E-Sence
GeOShell
OpenView
Reveal
Center
Europa
Gnome
Outsider 99
Sharp OS

Also, believe it or not, if you are a serious "hard core" tweaker that doesn't want anything except a graphical file loader (GUIDOS... oh great), you can use taskman as your Windows shell. What's taskman? It's a little program that pops up (sometimes) if explorer.exe doesn't start up properly which will allow you to load files (and usually try to restart explorer). To switch your shell to taskman, go to your run dialogue box and type in sysedit. Go to the system.ini file and search for the line that says shell= under the [boot] section and change it to read shell=taskman.exe. But I like the new Windows 98 shell! Is there any hope for me? My son [or daughter for that matter], there is always hope for ye misguided souls who insist on being different by agreeing with Bill. First, start by downloading IE 5.0. Its got some really great features (I love the new Outlook Express), and reports are pouring in (from our very own Tweaky Monkey, Dan Kennedy) that it is infinitely more stable than its younger brethren (and even better yet, it also appears to be smaller and thus faster). Next, install the Windows 98 version of TweakUI off of the Windows 98 CD and use it to turn off Window Animation, Smooth Scrolling, Menu Animation, Combo Box Animation, and List Box Animation (actually, this will work for you guys using alternative shells [including the Win95 shell] as well), for even more speed.

After you have done all that, head on over to Magellass.com and download a copy of WinBoost 2000. This program will allow you to turn on and off a large number of features that I have found nowhere else. Some of them will increase speed, some usability, and some are just plain shitty... but it's nice to have the option. Conclusion Well, there you have it. This one is a little shorter than the original, I know, but it packs more of a punch - trust me. Enjoy! First Page