I will be making replys to this orriginal post, that way i can add pictures and other things in a series on how to make your desktop cool and different. We all get tired of looking at the same old thing day after day...this will breakup the dull and you can make your XP desktop different from everyone else's.
Anything you find links to here is safe...I will not post anything that may have spyware or other crap. I have tried all this myself. When the average user tries to get COOL things to perk up the desktop they usually end up with a machine full of spyware and serious problems....this post intends to show you the safest way to have some cool things without the headaches.
First I would any of you that do not have Tweak UI to download it, and any of the other power toys you want, they are all safe from Microsoft and FREE.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/d...powertoys.mspx

Now there are many, many sites to get icons, wallpaper, and screensavers...but for now if you dant have the ones you want already, just use from the links I provide for saftey reasons.

snowmonkey---from the old site posted this link a while back, it has very good icons for free
http://www.foood.net/more-icons.htm

screensavers are a real problem, alot of the older ones do not want to work correctly on xp, and most are just spyware bundles wrapped around a crappy SS. the ones on the link below are all Microsoft's...they will work for you and wont be crap.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/d.../xpscreensaver.
mspx

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en
if you look around the site they also have a American flag and a few others....

wallpaper is about the easiest thing to find
this link has great 3d wallpaper in the free section, the user galleries are very nice also
http://www.digitalblasphemy.com/dbhome.shtml

http://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi&q=
type in what you want, or use random words or names of things like xp to search. if you find one you like, go to it's full image before you right click and "save picture"
for those of you that want to do something and have no idea what, download this wallpaper
http://www.babagene.net/download/wal...%20MK%20VI.jpg
this screensaver
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/d...reensaver.mspx
and the crome icons from
http://www.foood.net/more-icons.htm

Now for your wallpaper and icons to look really good, you will need to right click a open area of the desktop and select properties. go to the settings tab. set your color quality to 32 bit, it reduces performance a little bit, but it will make the wallpaper look like glass and the icons wont have the white edges.


Screen resolution is up to the person using the computer, if you have a 17" monitor or biger resolutions like 1024x768, if you have a monitor that is less then 17" use 800x600 unless you have great eyesight...it will strain your eyes even if you do.

Ok, lets start on your icons...you downloaded or have the ones you want ready, in a folder(extracted) and you know where they are. back in the display properties click desktop.


click the customize desktop button, then select the icon on the screen you want, or remove the check from the ones you dont. now you can click a icon in the window and the select "change icon". you will have to navigate to where you saved the ones you want to use...My computer, IE, Network places, are easy, the trash bin make sure you change the full and empty to a matched pair(well do what you want) but you have to change both.

now, any other icon you have on your desktop is a shortcut, the icons for them are easy, just right click any you want to change, click change icon, then browse to the one you want and apply.

the screensavers, if you got the ones i directed you to will be on the list with the others xp comes with, just select the one you want. One side note, the settings tab can be handy...screensavers like flying objects can be set in different ways and really look cool.... wallpaper, because some third party programs take control of some of windows XP's default feature i will tell you the old faithful way..display properties>desktop>Browse...make sure you saved the wallpaper to your hard drive somewhere, if you right click a image on the web and set as destop background the first time you dump your net temp files or do a disk cleanup it is gone.

Ok, you should have tweak ui, it has many things you can play with, thats up to you. the reason I wanted you to get it was to remove the little arrows from your icons...this really annoys me, but MS made the fix easy with this utility.

now while you are in tweak ui, lets do something about IE's looks. even though i dont like to use it, it is something you have to have because xp and many software programs depend on it to work.


for those of you using the suggestions i made you can save the bitmap image from this link.
http://img158.exs.cx/img158/1354/chromexpmkvi2zx.png
the image you use needs to be a bitmap. the one i posted is. it will make your IE look like this if you add it to toolbar background.

Changing other system icons is not a easy task, most of the programs that will change these for you with a click of the mouse cost alot of $$$.
Some i have not had the best of luck with...I use a copy of window blinds 4, but it was not free.MS plus, and Plus media edition are a wast of money, if you want system "sweetness" talk to members like Ren about how to skin windows if the custom options i provided here did not give you your full "FIX". there are fun things you can add also that are free. if you have time, go to majorgeeks, tucows and other download sites and see what you find in freeware. one thing Vidster posted you all might have fun with is modolate.
Vidster's post
http://www.cbttechs.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=34

direct link to the file.
http://www.windowsx.org/download/mtate_202_en.rar

now the program is not in english, it really dont matter, you have me to tell you the" how to"
download and extract the file, there is a couple of text pads with it, you can delete them all..you just need the modolate app. now put it in here.
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
now any user account will auto start it and all you have to do is click the cup shaped box at the top of your window.

click it, then you can drag it to where you want it to be on the screen. double click the window and it returns to the foreground.
This is the end of my tips, feel free to add some of yours if you have them.