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BoS 1.1 - Skinnable, customizable desktop replacement - now with AOL Instant Messaging

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Submitted on: 6/1/2000 9:05:59 PM
By: Brian 
Level: Advanced
User Rating: By 16 Users
Compatibility: VB 5.0, VB 6.0
Views: 28513
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     BoS is a complete desktop replacement. It replaces your desktop icons, taskbar, system tray, and start menu with customizable, translucent versions. BoS also has AOL Instant Messaging built in, and a lot more. BoS inculdes four skins: BoS Standard, Green Shades, Red Shades, and BMac. Additional skins can be downloaded with the integrated skin downloader! *** Note: BoS is for Windows 98 and Windows 2000 only. Be sure to put Alphablending.dll in your \windows\system directory. Alphablending.dll will not register with rcreg32 ***

 
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Other User Comments

6/2/2000 12:16:44 AMBryan

This code is great...
But there is more room for improvement.
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6/2/2000 5:47:23 PMWILKSEY

Hey, Great Work, Could U Please Email me, I Need to ask an important question, it's a bit too long to write here. Thanx

-Wilksey-
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6/3/2000 10:03:41 AMDanny Moss

This fu***ng code is the blooody best. keep the good work up. Also i need help on my Project. Please Mail me
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6/3/2000 9:53:44 PM!nnovation Software

oh, never mind. i didnt edit that BAS, sorry:-)
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6/6/2000 1:33:11 PMBrian

You can't select "VB6 Only" on Planet Source Code.
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6/6/2000 6:47:05 PMBS

If you want to make it the shell on windows 2000, change explorer.exe in the registry
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6/6/2000 6:49:22 PMBS

The key to change is HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows NT/Current Version/Winlogon
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6/9/2000 5:28:10 PMWÏ©kÊÐ_WΣ£ÿ

It is new and a little better but it is far from complete it still has alot of bugs. But I like it. I was wondering if you could send me the source code for the installer so I can make my own thanx.
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6/13/2000 7:47:23 AMDane Jones

I was wondering about the origin of the Alphablending.dll, were did you get it? did you write it? Is it a C++ compiled DLL? Were can I get further information on it? Can I freely distribute it with my own applications?
Why do I get these errors:

Run-time error '48':
File not found: Alphableeding.dll

&
LoadLibrary("C:\Windows\System\AlphaB~1.dll")Failed.
Ge tLastError
returns 0x00000485

I'm running win95+ie5.....

Thanks for your time



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6/13/2000 4:30:12 PMwonka

All I get is file not found: AlphaBlending.dll

I can't register it using regsvr32, either.
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6/23/2000 2:20:03 PMopello

Wouldn't this work on Win95?
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6/23/2000 2:22:03 PMopello

Also, could you post the compiled version? Because my VB6 LE won't run anymore =( ... TiA!
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6/23/2000 8:18:22 PMBrian

The compiled version is 2.2 megs. PSC times out after I send about 600K, so I can't send the EXE.
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6/25/2000 8:40:15 PMWÏ©kÊÐ_WΣ£ÿ

Brian when will the next version come out.
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6/28/2000 1:50:41 AMBrian

BoS 1.2 will be released on August 1, and will include lots of new features including a Talking AIM client with a profanity filter, a resizable start button, a CD player, a DUN connection manager, icons for the taskbar buttons, and a lot more.
(If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)

 
7/5/2000 11:34:52 AMPhilip Neil

This is awesome.. But I am doing an even better one so watch out
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7/6/2000 8:46:08 AMPhilip Neil

Hey I am trying to make my own but it wont be as good as this.. Brian can you tell me how to get the icons from the bmp to the program you wrote the pics in so perfect. I am using micrografx and it fills part of the pic which makes it look bad.. Or can you please send me the icons/bmp's
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7/7/2000 12:28:48 PMPhilip Neil

Hey brian. Awesome code. Can ya send me the code to get the windows desktop icons in the form. I would really appreciate it
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7/8/2000 9:13:57 PMCozmik X

Not Bad at all... this is a great code!
But I have a problem when running it. The Btoday screen forces itself to always relocate to the side of my screen... I don't know why it does this... It's fine at first but when I click on one of the tabs it does it
(If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)

 
7/9/2000 9:16:42 PMYusuf

Whenever I try to unextract the zip file, it does nothing. When I try to make a checkout dir it says
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7/9/2000 9:23:12 PMYusuf

Whenever I try to extract the zip file it doesnt do anything when i try to make a checkout it says it cant make the folder "C:"... why is it trying to make a folder named "c:"??? Please e-mail me y_simonson@hotmail.com
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7/10/2000 4:54:35 AMKhalil

Very promising project! I hoep it will keep improving ...

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7/10/2000 11:26:58 AMcozmik x

wow, I just fixed a few things in it and this code kicks a-s-s. and the cooler part is you did it in VISUAL BASIC! This rocks, I hope to see more improvements in the future. Later, Cozmik X
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7/11/2000 8:40:35 PMYusuf

Hold up dude. Are my unextracting probs cause i got win98 instead of NT? S***!
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7/11/2000 8:42:54 PMYusuf

O wait... it does work with 98... him... then what is wrong...?
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7/12/2000 9:25:38 AMAlex Ionescu

Yet again, this thing is too bloat-ware.... Tell me, how many people are going to download a 3MB shell (2.2 MB compiled msvbvm60.dll alphablending.dll). And the shell itself is 2.2MB, meaning that it loads slowly in memory, and uses up a whole load of ressources. Alphablending in a shell is rather useless, unless you're an excellent coder.. Even MacOS X is having problems with transparency and all that... Anyways, once the code gets to about 400kb, and has a much faster start menu, a better desktop and a systray handler, then I will consider it
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7/13/2000 1:44:47 AMSuper Postman

Alex, go ahead and make something better than this...then i will consider yours.
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7/15/2000 1:45:51 PMYusuf

nevermind about the zip prob... i got PKZIP and it unzips perfectly with that... this junk is awesome! Where's the code that resizes all the windows so that BoS's desktop is always on top???
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7/17/2000 11:11:07 PMMack 10

Great job!

Could you please submit this to a new great VB site at http://www.dev-center.com
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7/26/2000 1:53:57 PMDrarok

hmm doesn't run properly on my system! i have the resolution one about 1024x768, which i have to change, and then the windows arrange themselves wherever they want!
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7/28/2000 2:23:53 PMChris Rose

Hi, i am curerently working on a project for logos/sms/phone book manager 4 nokia phones and i need someone to help out with good looking splash screen/other area's graphics. If you think that you can help then please email me:
chris_1024@hotmail.com

The grapx need to be good and i am flat broke so i cant give you anything except fame when ur name comes up in the corner of the splash screen seen by millions every time they turn on there pc.

Chris
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7/29/2000 9:01:29 PMMorphius

I've Found that BoS works on Windows 95 only if you have "msimg32.dll" and "alphablending.dll" in your system folder, the msimg32 translates the alpha blending.
(If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)

 
7/30/2000 8:39:41 PMMichael L. Barker

Doesn't work well at all on W2K. Also try and not hard code your paths. Like:
Public Const DesktopPath = "C:\Windows\Desktop"

You should use API get the the paths.
(If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)

 
7/31/2000 8:02:14 PMMarcelo

Its better than those 100 betas u posted, but still, what you are doing is re-building explorer.exe funcionality, and lets face it, if anyone was to waste memory with another shell, they wouldn´t do it for a slower, memory hungry one, that does exactly, or actually, not even as good as the standard one? hehe, just my way of looking at it...
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8/2/2000 9:28:24 PMWÏ©kÊÐ_WΣ£ÿ

When are you going to release the final version of BoS, and when will your site be back up. 1 other thing you need to make a program that will let you make skinz like winamp has instead of having to make them by hand
(If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)

 
8/17/2000 4:14:01 PMjason

there is a major problem with this program at least on my comp.......every time i load it it puts my programs that i have open at the top of the screen and i can't do anything with them.....it also causes half my screen to mess up please help me.....hasent78@hotmail.com
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8/17/2000 4:42:10 PMjason

Nevermind i think i got it.....but there is one thing that could be fixed that is that when normal windows is started there are things in the task bar near the clock....or programs that are running...with bos these programs don't show up in this area....this would be amazing if that could be fixed
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10/7/2000 10:57:09 AMSauron

This code looks greate!!!
I am going to download it and vote for it right away!!!
(If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)

 
3/22/2001 8:49:59 PMJamie Lindgren

This sounds very great although I wouldn't try it myself because I don't want to screw around with my desktop anymore than I already have. lol
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10/3/2002 3:34:39 AM

Simple Question:
Why don't you offer a compiled version with either PGP sig or CRC ?
I want to try, but wasting a few hundred bucks for VB5 or 6 just because there is no compiled version is a strange thing to me.
Please provide a precompiled version too, nobody can expect everyone in the world who downloads this replacement has a compiler on it's machine.

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10/3/2002 3:38:04 AM

Why don't you provide a precompiled verion ? Please do so.
I am eager to kick explorer as shell, but I feel like it is expected that everyone in the world who want's to try BoS is forced to waste a few hundred bucks to buy the compiler from M$.

If I missed something (compiler for free) please say so.

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4/27/2003 4:08:45 AM80 SpitFire 08

Where the sh*t can i get alphablending.dll
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6/19/2004 8:44:09 AM

I am missing vbkeyboardhook.dll how could i get it
mail me at:get_vb6help@yahoo.com
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12/30/2004 4:11:37 PM

im missing vbkeyboardhook.dll, to.. can anybody send me this s*it library at foresth@ibryle.cz? thx a lot
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3/12/2005 10:11:38 AM

Add the required DLLs (alphablending and the like) so I can actually run it and i'll probably like it. Also, a hint, Comic Sans MS is one of the worst fonts you can use. Nice work otherwise!
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9/13/2005 12:18:57 PMJC-Soft

Missing DLL's such as vbkeyboardhook.dll and alphablending.dll
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10/17/2007 8:25:46 AMHemal

Its not complite, not much usefull without proper files.
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