HOW IT'S DONE

        Windows uses a True Type Font for it's system glyphs.  These include scroll bar, drop down and
    menu arrows, check marks and caption buttons (Help, Min, Max and Close). The font, Marlett.ttf,
    is hidden from Windows Explorer (for good reason).  I modified the arrows to make them more
    visible and turned the 'Minimize' button into a down arrow.  Actually, I saw a screen shot with a
    'Minimize' button altered just that way, so I poked around until I found out how it was done.  As far
    as I know, this trick will work on Windows 95 and should work with any Windows OS that has the
    Marlett font.  The font file is 17,412 bytes long on Windows 95 & 98 and it exists on Windows NT
    but I couldn't confirm the file size.  The Marlett Font on Windows 2000 is larger then the one on 
    Win 95/98, so don't install until I have this resolved.  Help on installation for Windows NT & 2000
    would be appreciated.
    Let me know.  

    HOW TO INSTALL

    If you used the "MarNewB" method to install NanoSkin and wish to upgrade:
    Instruction on uninstalling "NarNewB" are included in the distibution.  The advantages?  NanoSkin
    no longer needs to be installed in the "C:\Windows" folder (it was intruisive).  The NanoSkin folder
    can be moved anywhere (it defaults to "C:\Program Files\NanoSkin".  Also, this arrangement allows
    for the addition of other "skins" besides MarNew (I'm working on one).

    The automatic way (just double click, a real nano-brainer):
    First, download the font and batch files, NanoSkin and unzip to "C:\Progam Files\NanoSkin".
    Next, using Windows Explorer, enter the NanoSkin folder.  Double click on 'Install MarNew Font'.
    An "ALERT! Windows Restart!" dialog will appear.  Save any inportant data you may have open
    then answer 'yes'.  Windows will restart with the new font installed.  Could it be simpler?

     If you need (or just want) to get things back to "normal":
    Double click on 'Restore Original Font'.  An "ALERT! Windows Restart!" dialog will appear.  Save
    any inportant data you may have open then answer 'yes'.  Windows will restart with the original font
    restored.  If you wish to remove NanoSkin, now's the time.  Just delete the NanoSkin folder.

        The batch files will copy to and from the folder they are executed from so you could install it
    someplace else. I left the .ttf extension on the fonts so that they could be viewed and edited.
        Care to try making your own NanoSkin?

    The manual way (If you really know what you're doing):
    First, download the new font, MarNew, and unzip.
    Next, close all your windows and 'Restart in MS-DOS mode'.  The font is locked in Windows mode.
    Then, type the commands in [square brackets].  '<Enter>' means press the 'Enter' key.
        C:\Windows>[cd fonts <Enter>]  Move to the "C:\Windows\Fonts" folder.
        C:\Windows\Fonts>[attrib -s -h -r marlett.ttf <Enter>]  Make the Marlett font visible to DOS.
        C:\Windows\Fonts>[move marlett.ttf (to a safe place) <Enter>]  Save the original font, or else!
        C:\Windows\Fonts>[copy C:\(path to)\marnew.ttf marlett.ttf <Enter>]  Replace with the new font.
        C:\Windows\Fonts>[attrib +s +h +r marlett.ttf <Enter>]  Hide the font from Windows Explorer.
        C:\Windows\Fonts>[win <Enter>]  Restart Windows.  You may have to press 'Ctrl/Atl/Delete'.

        After reboot, the new font is in place and hidden, arrows changed, simple as that. If you use this
    method, you know how to put things back to "normal", right?


  Taskbar Icons
Make your task bar buttons into Taskbar Icons!



    HOW IT'S DONE

        Here is another "no overhead" trick to improve Windows look and functionality.  Seems that
    when Bill released Windows 95, many "windows metrics" features were included but they were not
    implemented.  Without the appropriate registry keys, these new features default to preset values
    and we're none the wiser.  I found this while looking for something else, as karma would have it.
    The end result is two nano '.reg' files (less then 100 bytes each) which insert one new key into the
    registry.  In the screen shot above you see ,on the right, the System Tray and four small Toolbars.
    Now look on the left, beside my GoldGoGlobe Start Button, can you see that row of icons?  the ones
    near the cat and the tool tip?  These are the task bar buttons transformed into icons of a fixed width.
    Tool tips are important here, in case you have more then one of something open.  No longer do you
    see snippets of text which are entirely useless, giving the buttons the appearance of being crammed
    in together.
        Now your task bar has lots of room!
    (Lado points out: "(The) 'MinWidth' registry trick works fine even on Win95 without IE4 shell
    integration."  Thanx for the help.  I was not going the downgrade just to find out!)

    UPDATE  Hey, neat trick with the task bar and Taskbar Icons ("discovered" quite independently
    by Richard & myself).  Right click on the task bar to add a toolbar.  If the 'Toolbar' submenu is not
    on the context menu then you don't have the Internet Explorer shell inegration and this won't work.
    If you do, proceed.  Let's say you add the 'Quick Launch' toolbar to your task bar.  Right click on
    its "handle" then uncheck 'Show Title' and check "Show Text'.  Surprise!  Now you can reduce
    the Toolbar down to one icon!  On the screen shot below you can see three Toolbars; Quick Launch,
    Control Panel and a one icon Toolbar for NaviScope (an "on" switch).  Now the Toolbars take no
    more room then they need.  A click on the arrow tab on the right pops up a menu with all the items.
        Even more room on the task bar!



    HOW TO INSTALL

    The automatic way (just double click, another nano-brainer):
    Taskbar Icons is now part of the NanoSkin distribution.  If you haven't installed NanoSkin yet and
    you want both, download and install NanoSkin then go to Next.  If you just want Taskbar Icons or
    you have an older version of NanoSkin then download the registry files, TaskbarIcons, and unzip
    to "C:\Progam Files\NanoSkin".
    Next, using Windows Explorer, enter the NanoSkin folder.  Double click on 'Taskbar Icons ON.reg'.
    A "Registry Editor" dialog will appear tellin' you how successful it was. Click 'OK".  You must
    'Restart' the computer to see the change take effect.

    If you need (or just want) to get things back to "normal":
    Double click on 'Taskbar Icons OFF.reg'.  A "Registry Editor" dialog will appear tellin' you how
    successful it was. Click 'OK".  You must 'Restart' the computer to see the change take effect.

    Configuring Taskbar Icons (you're not getting off that easy, eh?):
        Some configuration may be necessary because of different screen resolutions and
    icon sizes.  This is how:
    Open 'Taskbar Icons ON.reg' with NotePad (any NotePad will do).  Here's what you'll see:

REGEDIT4

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\desktop\WindowMetrics]
"MinWidth"="-300"

        The value ^^^ in the last line is the width in pixels X 15.  Raise or lower this number accordingly
    if your Taskbar Icons are too wide or too skinny.  Save the file and run it again.  The width is related
    to the 'Title Bar' setting in the 'Control Panel/Display/Appearance' property sheet.
        Values noted to work:
            Title Bar Size=18  "MinWidth"="-285"
            Title Bar Size=19  "MinWidth"="-300" (Taskbar Icons Default)
            Title Bar Size=20  "MinWidth"="-315"
        Also, Richard points out that he had to set the value to "-335" to get his tool tips to work.
    I've  noticed that Windowblinds (see below) sometimes disables tool tips whether Taskbar Icons is
    installed or not. 

    The manual way (you're gonna love this one!):
    Guess what!  No download!  Taskbar Icons is already on your machine.  Sneeky, eh?  I'll Prove it!
    Open NotePad.  Copy the text in 'green' above and paste it in NotePad, click 'Save as...'.  Name it
    anything you like.  Now, change the value to "-2310" (which is the Windows default). 'Save as...' this
    new file to another name and double click away.  Talk about lean!
   
    OTHER STUFF 

        Oh, by the by, the caption buttons are made possible with EppieDesk. Here's my GoldED buttons.
    The tool bar buttons are by WindowBlinds (an older version) with window border skinning turned
    off.  Here's the GoldWB skin.  I also use Windows Make-Up for the dialog boxes and the rest of the
    buttons.  Run Windows Make-Up early in the StartUp.  I use the registry key 'HKCU/Run' and
    Startup Control Panel to put it there.  Here's my matching GoldWMU buttons, use them on all six
    types (OK, Cancel, etc.).
        If you want the whole "package" then download NanoKit, a complete copy of all the stuff on
    these pages (105k) including the NanoSkin files, Taskbar Icons files, GoldSkin theme files and the
    web site, minus the counters and anything below them (room to expand).  Just unzip, point your
    browser to the NanoKit folder and click on the file links to 'Save' them where you need them.
    Efficient.

Click here for a more detailed look at NanoSkin and the tools I use for my GoldSkin theme.

Any Comments?   tinker

If you install NanoSkin, come back and click here to nudge my 'NanoSkinners:' counter (just curious).


Visitors:       NanoSkinners: 

    Skin(s)


    Our first skin is a lite version of MarNew, called MarLite, contributed by Lado.  The menu arrow has
    been reduced in size by 70% and the 'Minimize' caption button put back to the original (Lado said it
    reminded him too much of Windows 3.1).
    Download MarLite.  It will self-extract to the NanoSkin folder.  Just double click to install.
    Lado Brisar is the author of Hook99, a Start Button and Task Bar altering tool.  Go to his site to find
    Hook99 and other useful tools.


    Tool(s)


Download a local copy of Windows Make-Up (v2.0 beta 4).  Hosted with permission from the author.


        


This page is in memory of Ursulus, the wonder cat.