Creating A Windows XP Shell

[santellan17585]

I am looking to create a shell for Windows XP. I tried to create an OS with Windows apps compatibility. However, I was unsuccessful. Therefore, I have taken a different approach. I am looking to create an OS shell for Windows XP. However, I really don't know how to do such a thing. Can someone please tell me what I need, as well as where to get it. Also, what will I need to do to make this possible? It has to have the ability to be fully customizable, be redesigned compared to Windows traditional Explorer.exe, be able to run while using very little resources, have its own bootscreen, screensaver, and startup/shutdown audio tracks, and also be able to be uninstalled freely as if it were a standard application, therefore returning the PC to its default Windows XP state. If anyone could help, or knows someone who can, I would really appreciate it. Thanks.

[carbonBased]

Take a look at the BlackBox 4 Windows source code (bb4win also has branches named bbLean and xoblite, umong others -- check out http://shells.loose-screws.com/ for some others).

I'm not a windows guy, so I can't say how this is done, but these sources should help -- and they're fairly light, as well, so they shouldn't be too hard to understand.

Cheers,
Jeff[/list]

[santellan17585]

I checked that, but it was only a list of precreated shells. I am looking to create my own shell that will install independently without the use of thrid-party utilities.

[Daedalus]

The shell is just a program that gets run when you login.
Simply create your own, using whatever method you want. You could even use VB if you like

You could go a 3D route and use Direct3D, or OpenGL, etc.
Using the standard windows forms, just create an application that takes up the entire screen, and paint an image on it for the background. Then add your other controls, such as a taskbar that can be clicked to bring up your running apps, and some sort of menu to launch your other programs.

To replace the current windows shell, you'd have to look at how BlackBox does it, since it's changed since the old days. In past times, you'd simply change a value in win.ini and it would load up whatever application you specified as the shell.

[carbonBased]

I checked that, but it was only a list of precreated shells.

With source code...

I am looking to create my own shell that will install independently without the use of thrid-party utilities

And these should give you a working model.

--Jeff

[santellan17585]

Yeah. It is true that it has source code, but that is their source code. it is only a speculation, and a big one too, but what if i wanna go commercial with this? i cant use their source code to do that.

[carbonBased]

Wouldn't know... have you actually looked at the licensing? Some (noteably BSD) allow this.

I don't think you're going to find a better source of information on this then an actual working implementation. I don't think this stuff is commonly published (knowing MS, they'd probably like to keep details of this sort of behaviour pretty silent, as it makes there interface less consistant...)

--Jeff

[earlz]

have its own bootscreen

actually that is by the actual OS but anyway


I actually kindof attempted that it was like an OS that ran on top of an OS except for it sucked

[santellan17585]

there r shells that have there own boot screen, like the one called flyakitosx. it is a hacked version of osx that run as a shell over windows xp. after you install it, wen u restart, it still says xp, but on ur next restart and from then on out, it has the mac bootscreen. on diff is that in a way, this is the actual mac osx. it just alters the code of xp to match that of osx. also, incase u wanna return to xp, it caches the original xp code. therefore, u r running the actual osx...not a shell. this is wat i am tryin to do, only instead of mimicing an existing os, i wanna create an original os of my own. check it out on http://osx.portraitofakite.com/

[earlz]

there is no way you could do that without running it in emulation or somehow completely converting all OSX code to x86 code, not to mention stuff like different hardware and interfaces and if it runs ontop of xp then it is ring3 which means you DON'T have access to everything so i think it is pretty well impossible

[santellan17585]

well, how do u do it period?

[Daedalus]

Showing the OSX boot instead of WinXP's is just a hack.
If you download BootSkin, you too can change Windows' boot screen.
There is also ones for skinning different things such as logon windows, changing your taskbar to look like OSX's, skin your apps, etc.

You're still running WinXP, it just looks different.

[santellan17585]

Quote: I actually kindof attempted that it was like an OS that ran on top of an OS except for it sucked


How did you do it?

[Da_Maestro]

Quote: I actually kindof attempted that it was like an OS that ran on top of an OS except for it sucked


How did you do it?

The shell is just a program that gets run when you login.
Simply create your own, using whatever method you want. You could even use VB if you like

You could go a 3D route and use Direct3D, or OpenGL, etc.
Using the standard windows forms, just create an application that takes up the entire screen, and paint an image on it for the background. Then add your other controls, such as a taskbar that can be clicked to bring up your running apps, and some sort of menu to launch your other programs.

To replace the current windows shell, you'd have to look at how BlackBox does it, since it's changed since the old days. In past times, you'd simply change a value in win.ini and it would load up whatever application you specified as the shell.

[earlz]

^^
exactly but i actually made it all in dbp(darkbasic pro)

btw
basic to make a shell, BAAADDD...