Feed your icon fever with two icon editors highly rated on File Forum. Axialis IconWorkshop 6.20 is an industry standard shareware editor with a 30-day timeout. It is great for high-quality icons, logos and even user interfaces. It can convert Mac icons to Windows, and create icons from images instantly, produce composites, design toolbars, among other features. The workspace is well designed and fully integrated.

IcoFX 1.6.1 is a freeware icon editor by Attila Kovrig. Like IconWorkshop, it can convert Mac icons to Windows. It allows you to create icon libraries, favicons for websites or blogs, convert images to icons, and has over 40 effects. Users were impressed with the ease of use and clean UI.

Another highly rated software available for download is Lavasoft’s Ad-Aware 2008. “Designed for real people”, this latest release of the well-known software is user-friendly, whether you are an advanced user or have basic computing skills. When it comes to spyware and adware detection and removal, this one comes on top. Featuring faster product updates and improved threat detection, Ad-Aware 2008 conducts regular scans and is free for personal home use. The Plus version provides sophisticated real-time protection against Trojans, viruses, worms, password stealers, bots, and keyloggers, and free tech support. It is normally $26.95 online, but is free through a TrialPay offer. The Pro version is $39.95. 

If you think Microsoft knows too much about you, this little tool might end all your suspicions of the Automatic Updates. Disable such functions easily and quickly with XP-AntiSpy. Nothing to do with spyware, more for your piece of mind. At 346KB, the program is light on your hard drive but not a lightweight in usefulness. Saves you a lot of time, too. It garnered a 4.7 out of 5 rating from 231 votes over at FileForum and has been downloaded nearly 55,000 times. It also comes in a number of languages, mostly European, except for Chinese. It is available as a free download from XP-AntiSpy.org.

Are there some places on your PC that are off-limits to you? Take the registry as an example. You may have heard of it but you are not the type to fiddle around it because it contains Windows settings, and making a wrong move could lead to problems with your operating system. All that is about to change with WinSecret Pro, which brings together the top Windows registry settings into a user-friendly control panel. Increase your Internet speed or edit the logon display message easily and quickly. Settings are grouped into categories: Applications, Control Panel, Desktop, Miscellaneous, Network & Internet, OEM Info, Special Folders, Start Menu, User Accounts, Windows Core, and Windows Explorer. WinSecret is free for non-commercial use and also runs on Windows Vista.

Kenny Kerr’s Window Clippings is a screen capture tool for those who are serious about their screenshots. Promising “the highest quality screenshots with the least amount of effort”, Window Clippings allows users to switch between window and rectangular selections, capture pop-ups, convert black and white, remove the background, include parent window or multiple windows, and crop automatically. It can also send the screenshot directly to OneNote or Paint.NET. An external add-in allows you to add a watermark on your screens. In its latest build (2.1.28), it is no longer freeware, but has trial x64 and x86 editions that are still worth checking out.

If your computer is ready for a full makeover, dressing up Windows XP in Vista garb is easy with Vista Transformation Pack. The latest release, VTP 8.0.1, all of has Vista’s icons and screens at 27.5 MB. After over 9 million downloads on Softpedia, it manages to have a good user rating and a 5 out of 5 rating from Softpedia which awarded it Softpedia Pick status. Despite the complaints that it wouldn’t run on some machines, many users are happy with their desktop’s new look. Of course, the changes are superficial, but at least your desktop will appear sleek and updated, though it’s still running on good ol’ XP.

If your answer is yes, these downloads will help emulate Vista without resorting to massive (or costly) upgrades. Start by replacing your cursors with the sleek ones very similar to those used by the Vista’s Aero interface. Don’t be put off by the Norwegian on this download page. It will come out alright.

Next, splash on new wallpaper. Kuwait-born photographer Hamad Darwish was commissioned to shoot the Vista wallpapers. These 22 beautiful “outtakes” make for a hefty 30.9MB download, but the effect on your desktop will be stunning. If that’s not enough, his Flickr photostream has plenty of eye candy for the visual connoiseur.