Looking for a better Microsoft Windows Manager

I've gone off on a tangent which happens a lot to me. I'm still running AmiWM as my main WM on Linux but as I am still also a Microsoft Windows user I've looked at replacing explorer.exe as my windows manager on Windows 7.

Why? because I'm tired of seeing the desktop come up but then have to wait for 2 to 5 minutes watching the spinning circle before I get control and can start using the computer. I've looked into this a number of times, trying to speed up the boot process with no luck. Probably my virus checker or anti malware software which seems necessary on a Microsoft set up.

As an experiment, I tried a couple of third party Desktop replacements to see if they were faster. Most I tried were buggy and abandoned but I found one glimmer of hope, BBLean a fork of BlackBox which I installed with no dramas (easy to put in and easy to roll back to explorer.exe). My testing found that even though there was still programs trying to load in the background, once the GUI came up, it was usable. Very impressed. It takes a bit of getting used to as everything is menu driven and you don't have desktop icons so it will encourage good computer management practices. BBLean is very customizable with many different themes to choose from. My favorite features are the multiple virtual desktop support built in and the ability to keep windows on top of others. Handy when watching movies while browsing the net

Compatibility was a concern since it does play with the window borders and does not have the explorer.exe layer but other than a couple of things, it works very well. Chrome and Firefox use custom borders which don't play well with BBlean. I had to put the basic non Aero theme on Windows before BBLean would work properly. My G15 keyboard volume and mute controls did not work (although probably because I run two sound cards) which I've temporarily fixed with a hack for now. Global Agenda did not like starting in a window for some reason but other than that it has been a pleasure to use. Even alt-tabbing from 3d games back to desktop was quick and stable for me.

Very impressed with BBLean as an alternative to what Microsoft gave me to use. Anyone who is used to Linux Window Managers who use Microsoft Windows out of need should give this a try as it gives the look and feel of linux on your MS Windows OS.

http://bb4win.sourceforge.net/bblean/