21 replies to this topic

[Rudy]

original vista search engine on xp = Windows Search 4.0 (yes you can add the deskbar/searchbar to the left of taskbar)

vista searchbar on xp's start menu= only vistart or launchy so far (if you still want the feature so bad just upgrade to real vista or 7 lol)

oh by the way Vista Start Menu (not VSE) uses windows search engine to index files and programs, maybe you can give it atry: http://www.vistastar....com/index.html

[AMIRZ]

Lol it reminds me of one of my old threads here : http://www.winmatrix...alling-vistart/

Another one by navy: http://www.winmatrix...for-windows-xp/


EDIT: I think it's already solved, here as quoted from my own thread above (updated) below http://www.winmatrix...alling-vistart/

Yeah you can install Windows Search 4.0 (formerly Windows Desktop Search/WDS) and drag/put the Deskbar on taskbar under start menu (the left of taskbar as said above) to make the layout look like Vista:

1. Xp Start Menu SeachBar:


2. Xp Start Menu Scroll Program (Vertical):

> SOME FREE ADD ONS FOR WINDOWS DESKTOP SEARCH (WDS) / WINDOWS SEARCH (GET VISTA / WINDOWS 7 SEARCH ENGINE ON XP): http://www.microsoft...owssearch4.mspx
Also With search bar, e.g. on XP start menu too and so on...

- Visual Desktop Search 1.0 (VDS 1.0) - Freeware, by Michael J. Lowe (thanks, all credits to him): Seems originally inspired by Longhorn/Vista desktop search and WinFS. A desktop search user interface, called Visual Desktop Search (VDS), has been designed and implemented to enhance the capabilities of Microsoft Windows Desktop Search (WDS, now just called "Windows Search"). Visual Desktop provides facilities allowing you to search for information stored on your computer, such as emails in Microsoft Office Outlook or Microsoft Outlook Express, as well as documents, music files and photos. Using file properties and attributes (metadata) as search parameter beside names and word contents in advanced and informative UI and control features, etc and so on...



Download: http://www.kalio.inf...Desktop_Search/
4Shared mirror: http://www.4shared.c...h_10__Wind.html

- Vista Start Menu Pro - much better than Vistart IMHO (By Dennis Nazarenko, available as free version and pro/payware): Vista Start Menu is the convenient alternative to the plain Start menu you find in Windows XP and Windows Vista. The program uses your cognitive abilities (visual memory, reflexes,etc.); however, while it is easily understandable for beginners, it is also highly efficient for experienced users. Replaces standard Windows Start Menu (works well on XP, Vista, and Windows 7) with better start menu with better features. Also supports Windows Search and Search companion in XP as well as Vista / 7 search, and brings Vista / 7 search bar to XP start menu with full Windows search capabilities to search programs and files etc. Overall, also seems this Vista Start Menu application is even much better than Vistart and the original Vista start menu itself IMHO!



Download: http://www.vistastartmenu.com/

Tips: To get Vista / Windows 7 icons on Vista Start Menu you have to patch Shell32.dll/use any XP shell transformation pack like VTP, Bricopack Vista Inspirate, Vistamizer, etc).

- MSN/Windows Live Toolbar: (Old) MSN Toolbar (Version 2.5+), Also provides toolbar with searchbar for Windows Desktop Search on both Internet Explorer and Windows Explorer in Windows 2000 and XP (with "stupid" MSN logo though lol. However some people still said it's nicer than the newer version). It's not supported anymore by Microsoft though, nor optimized/designed for newer version of Windows Search (4.0). Newer Windows Live and MSN Toolbar (now Bing?) for Internet Explorer also has both live search and Windows (Desktop) Search features, and been optimized.

Download and more info: http://toolbar.msn.com/ , http://download.live.com/toolbar , and http://www.discoverbing.com/toolbar/ (or just google etc...)

.........

^ Well, as you can read & see above, so far beside installing Windows Search 4.0 and drag/put the Deskbar on taskbar under start menu to make the layout look like Vista's / 7 (style), then the (only) best answer about how to get working Vista/7 like search bar on XP start menu is installing Vista Start Menu Application for XP since it's tightly integrated with searchbar and Windows (Desktop) Search 3.1 / 4.0 on XP as well as Vista and Windows 7, just get it (available as both freeware and pro/payware versions, i've already tried and used it, a great application). Anyway good luck...

^ Edit again: Oops lolz seems Rudy has already told us about that on the above post before me sorry haha, just explained it more detailly here, hopefully useful thanks

Edited by AMIRZ, 14 January 2010 - 02:32 PM.