Crystal XP
Crystal XP lets you adjust the transparency of open windows, but don't expect anything awe-inspiring. Crystal XP's comprehensive interface is reminiscent of Windows and offers its configurations in English and Dutch.
Cost / License
- Free
- Proprietary
EUPlatforms
- Windows
Features
- CPU Monitoring
- Make Taskbar Transparent
- Transparency
- Make window transparent
Tags
- system-tray
- transparent
- windows-key
- hide-taskbar
Crystal XP News & Activities
Recent activities
- lucaspestana reviewed Crystal XP
Crystal XP is a free utility that enables users to adjust the transparency of windows and the Taskbar in Windows XP (and Vista, and higher, with caveats). Unlike the standard Aero interface, which only makes window borders translucent, it allows full-window transparency rather than just window borders and enables control of transparency levels for active and inactive windows, or individual applications; the Taskbar can also be made transparent. Transparency can be set globally or on a...
- lucaspestana added Crystal XP
- POX updated Crystal XP
lucaspestana added Crystal XP as alternative to SmartSystemMenu, 4t Tray Minimizer, MenuTools and Ghoster
Crystal XP information
Developed by
Sven Nobis Licensing
Proprietary and Free product.Alternatives
7 alternatives listedSupported Languages
- English
- German
AlternativeTo Category
System & Hardware
What is Crystal XP?
Crystal XP lets you adjust the transparency of open windows, but don't expect anything awe-inspiring. Crystal XP's comprehensive interface is reminiscent of Windows and offers its configurations in English and Dutch. The program lets you set the transparency of active and inactive windows along with that of your taskbar. Hot keys can be assigned to adjust window transparencies without opening the program's interface. It sits in your system tray at start-up, and you can determine whether it will show your machine's CPU usage or the Crystal XP logo, or if it will be hidden. It displays all open applications and you can add, import, or export programs this utility's settings shouldn't be applied to. Though it could use some additional features or enhancements, this free application does perform its minimal functions properly.
Comments and Reviews
Crystal XP is a free utility that enables users to adjust the transparency of windows and the Taskbar in Windows XP (and Vista, and higher, with caveats). Unlike the standard Aero interface, which only makes window borders translucent, it allows full-window transparency rather than just window borders and enables control of transparency levels for active and inactive windows, or individual applications; the Taskbar can also be made transparent. Transparency can be set globally or on a per-application basis, and exceptions can be added, imported, or exported.
The program offers keyboard shortcuts (either Ctrl+1…9 or Win+1…9) for adjusting transparency without opening the interface, and can display CPU usage in the system tray. It provides a list of running applications showing process details, with options to restore, minimize, maximize, close, or add them to the exception list. Additional options include language selection (English or German/Deutsch), adjusting the tray icon, startup settings, CPU usage update range, and control over whether the program stays on top.
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Compatibility notes: Windows 7 revamped the Taskbar, allowing individual apps to be pinned – a feature that effectively replaced the Quick Launch bar from Vista and earlier; this improvement is still present in 8/8.1, 10 and 11. Apps pinned to this so-called "Superbar" Taskbar will launch by pressing Win+1…9 – and this conflicts and overrides CrystalXP's keyboard shortcut, effectively making Ctrl+1…9 the ONLY usable key combos (which is also problematic, because programs that natively rely on these won't be able to use them anymore).
Other issues include: several glitches on Vista (and possibly 7 too, and higher), messing up the transparency of the Windows Sidebar (sidebar.exe, a.k.a. Desktop Gadgets); on XP (and probably earlier), the program will treat windows' menus as inactive windows and apply transparency effects; as a minor aesthetic detail, icons of running programs in the "Applications" tab (a mini "Task Manager" of sorts) render poorly under modern versions of Windows.
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Crystal XP, version 0.21 PreBuild, was released in 2008 by Sven Nobis (Svensoftw@re.de). The developer's website has been down, and thus, for obvious reasons, the program can't be updated or receive bug reports. By the way, this utility should not be confused with one (or more?) Linux-like free theme(s) and transformation pack(s) for Windows XP also called "Crystal XP".
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Homepage (archived):
https://web.archive.org/web/20060714065433/www.crystalxp.de/page.php?language=en https://web.archive.org/web/20071101110550/www.crystalxp.de/page.php?language=de
Reviews & Download:
https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Crystal-XP--78113.shtml https://download.cnet.com/crystal-xp/3000-2072_4-10461475.html https://www.softpedia.com/get/Desktop-Enhancements/Other-Desktop-Enhancements/Crystal-XP.shtml https://web.archive.org/web/20080208111040/www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,69481-order,1-page,1/description.html