ViStart

8.1 Build 5208

Software information

License:

Freeware (Free)


Updated:

23 Mar 2016


Publisher:

Lee-Soft

Website:

http://lee-soft.com

Software Screenshots

Size: 1.2 GB


Downloads: 11237


Platform: Windows (All Versions)

Review by Frederick Barton (Cybersecurity Editor)

on 05 Mar 2012

The customization options provided by Windows are not enough for some users. Vista and 7 may be more flexible in this regard, but not everyone has the system resources necessary to run them. If you are tired of Windows XP's look, you can download ViStart and change it. You can use it to give your Start menu and taskbar that sleek look which you will find in later versions of Windows. The application is not designed only to give Windows XP a better look. You can also use it, in Vista and 7, to change the skins of the Start menu, Start button and taskbar.

The application is only 588 Kb large and it can be installed swiftly. There are only two stages to go through when launching the setup wizard. The operating systems it is compatible with include Windows 2000, XP, Vista and 7.

When the installation is complete, ViStart will automatically change the Start menu's aspect and it will stay changed as long as the application is running as a system tray icon. The Start menu can be brought back to normal by simply closing the application. The setup file works as an .exe as well, which will launch the application if it is already installed. General settings can be accessed from a pop-up menu, after right clicking the system tray icon. Here you will find basic options like setting the application to launch automatically at system startup, choosing a default web browser and others.

If you are a Windows Vista/7 user, the initial changes to the Start menu will not be significant, but this is where the fun part starts. A rich collection of skins, created by independent users, can be found on the application's web site and you can download them for free. They come as setup files which will install and apply the skins automatically, but the main application must be closed before anything else. Besides Start menu skins, you can also download different Start buttons. This way you can replace that tiresome Start button with sleeker looking logos or other buttons depicting (for example) the eye of Sauron from The Lord of the Rings movie.

A lot of people avoid customization applications because they slow down the system. However, ViStart will not milk your computer for resources. The performance reduction will not be noticeable, so there will be no lag of any kind while running the application.

Pros:
ViStart lets you apply a wide range of interesting skins to your Start menu, Start button or taskbar. They can be downloaded for free and installing them will only take a few seconds.

Cons:
When installing Start menu skins, you will have to run them in compatibility mode, otherwise you will have some issues.

If you are tired of the same, dull look of your Start menu and taskbar, ViStart will make them look better by applying free, high quality skins.

ViStart
8.1 Build 5208

Download

ViStart Awards


ViStart Editor’s Review Rating

ViStart has been reviewed by Frederick Barton on 05 Mar 2012. Based on the user interface, features and complexity, Findmysoft has rated ViStart 4 out of 5 stars, naming it Excellent

4

out of 5