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Glass2k
Foreword >>
  • All the programs freely available on this site are made in Visual Basic 6 and require VB6 Runtime Dll & Ocx files. If you get a 'Runtime DLL/OCX File error', download VB6 Runtimes.

  • Some of the files here may be zipped and you may need to download and install WinZip to extract them.
Overview >>
  • Glass2k is a small little program that allows Windows 2000/XP users to make any window transparent. Right-click on any window or press the keyboard shortcuts (Control + Shift + [0-9]) to make any window transparent. It's that simple.

  • The new stable beta version remembers each window's transparency settings, allows you to keep any window on top, loads on Windows startup etc.

  • And with this latest version, you can easily make the windows taskbar transparent.
Requirements >>
  • In order to run Glass2k you would need the following:

    • Windows 2000/XP with 64+ MB RAM & 400+ Mhz CPU
    • Visual Basic 6 runtime dlls
    • A fast graphic card with 8 MB or more onboard RAM will help
Download >>
Screenshot >>
F A Q >>
    Q) How to use Glass2k ?
    A) Once the program is running and the icon is shown in the system-tray (near the clock), you can press the following key comibations:

    • Control + Shift + 9 : Least transparency
    • Control + Shift + 8 : A little more transparency
    • Control + Shift + . : ...
    • Control + Shift + . : ...
    • Control + Shift + 2 : Very high transparency
    • Control + Shift + 1 : Maximum transparency
    • Control + Shift + 0 : No transparency / Solid

    You can also right-click on any window and select the transparency values from the Glass2k Transparency-popup menu.

    Q) How do I configure Glass2k ?
    A) Click on the Glass2k icon in the system tray and select 'Settings'.

    Q) What do the options in the 'Settings' window mean ?
    A) The following options let you configure Glass2k to suit your specific needs:

    • Auto-Load Glass2k every time Winodws starts : If you want, Glass2k can start automatically every time you reboot your computer. Select this option to enable this feature.

    • Auto-Remember every window's Transparency Settings : If this option is selected, then Glass2k will remember every window's transparency settings. Thus if you set 'Notepad' to 50% transparency, then every time you start Notepad, Glass2k will automatically make it 50% transparent. If this option is not selected, then Glass2k will not auto-set any window's transparency (unless you specifically save a window's settings - read next question/answer).

    • 'Beep' on Glassification : Select this option to make a short 'Beep' sound every time Glass2k makes a window transparent.

    • Transparency Popup : Right Click : If you want to set a window's transparency using the mouse, enable this option. Whenever you right-click on any window, a new popup will appear (in addition to the default right-click popup menu) that will let you set the transparency value for the particular window. You can also configure the popup to appear in combination with Right-click and Alt, Ctrl, and Shift keys. Selecting the 'Disable' option will prevent the Transparency popup from every appearing.

    • Keyboard Shortcuts : [ 0 - 9 ] : Pressing any number from 0 to 9, while the appropriate keyboard shortcuts (Alt, Ctrl, Shift) are pressed, will instantly make the current window transparent. Select the appropriate combinations here, or disable keyboard altogether.

    • Taskbar Transparency : Changes the transparency of the taskbar. For best effects, use 80-90% taskbar transparency in conjunction with taskbar auto-hide feature enabled.

    Q) What is the Transparency popup ?
    A) The Transparency popup appears when you right-click on any window. It allows you to:

    • 10% - 90% : Click on the appropriate values to make the window transparent. The lower the value, the more transparent it will be (10% - most transparent, 90% - least transparent).

    • No Glass-Effect : Remove transparency from the selected window, that is make the window 100% opaque.

    • On-Top : If you have a small window that you always want to keep on top of other windows, select this option. However, do not 'On-Top' maximized windows like Internet Explorer etc., or else you will not be able to see what is happening behind them. On-top settings for windows are not saved.

    • Save : If you want Glass2k to remember a particular window's transparency settings, click on 'Save'. If the 'Settings' option: 'Auto-Remember every window's Transparency Settings' is selected then every window's settings are stored by default. If it is not selected then you can 'Save' particular windows using this option.

    Q) Can't you make this for Windows 95/98/ME/NT ?
    A) No. It would take us months to do that and it would degrade the GUI performance considerably. Windows 2000 and Windows XP have native support for transparency (alpha) settings which makes it easier to make transparent windows.

    Q) How do I uninstall Glass2k ?
    A) Close Glass2k and then simply delete the Glass2k.exe file.

    Q) When will the final version be ready ?
    A) We are doing our best to release it by the end of December 2001.

    If you have more questions, send them to Glass2k Help.
Reviews >>
Disclaimer >>
  • All the files have been scanned with anti-virus software. However you should make it a habit to always scan files downloaded from the Internet, before you run/execute them.

  • Since all the programs provided here are Freeware, we cannot be held responsible for any damage, misuse, or losses caused directly or indirectly by them.

  • However, all of our products have gone through considerable amount of end-user alpha and beta testing and have proved stable under almost all configurations.


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