Installing NextSTART 3.0 Beta:
NextSTART 3 Beta MUST be installed over an existing NextSTART 2.x installation, so go download and install NextSTART 2.81 or Winstep Full Pak if you haven't already.
Do NOT uninstall any previous NextSTART or Winstep Full Pak installation to install the new NextSTART 3 Beta.
Make sure NextSTART 3 and the previous version share the same installation folder.
Important note for registered NextSTART 2.x users:
NextSTART 3.0 final will cost $24.95, but version 2.x users may, for the limited period of the beta preview, purchase NextSTART 3 for ONLY $19.95 - a full $5.00 discount over the final price!
NextSTART 3 Beta will not interfere with current NextSTART 2.x installations. To go back to NextSTART 2.x simply run nextstart2.exe instead of nextstart3.exe.
Important note for non-registered users:
Until the release of NextSTART 3.0 final, users registering NextSTART 2.x or Winstep Full Pak get a FREE NextSTART 3 key worth $24.95! This key will be valid for all 3.x versions up to, but not including, 4.0.
New features in NextSTART 3 BETA include:
* Startbar
An optional floating ‘Startbar’ that can contain the Start button, Quicklaunch Hotspots, Tasklist, the System Tray and even Workshelf desktop modules. You can choose which of these 'sections' appear on the startbar and by which order. The startbar is dockable to any screen edge, either at full width or any size to suit the user. It is also collapsible a la KDE/Gnome bar, or just like the normal Windows taskbar. Note that, if you are trying to get rid of the Windows look, using a startbar is completely optional - themes automatically adjust to your preference.
* Improved Task Management Handling:
Multi-row, re-sizable tasklist - now with optional text labelling. Tasks can be grouped in Windows XP-style, sorted by application or filtered off the tasklist. The new task manager offers keyboard shortcuts to quickly minimize, close and restore similar tasks and all mouse-click actions are fully customisable. The system tray button, used to toggle the system tray between collapsed and un-collapsed states, now features an optional clock. Semi-transparency is also supported in Windows 2000/XP systems.
* Redesigned NextSTART Preferences Panel.
The NextSTART Preferences panel has been completely redesigned, conveniently separating per user settings from skinning settings and making configuration far more intuitive. Also new to NextSTART 3 is an enhanced theme manager which includes a handy preview function.
* Full multiple monitor support.
Users are now able to position their menus, hotspots and startbar on specific monitors.
* WinAmp control
New internal commands have been added to control Winamp directly from NextSTART menus and hotspots.
* New skinning features
Maximum menu titlebar text width, more text justification and offset options, any-size hotspot buttons with text labels and mouseover/pressed settings, independent icon size for Quick Launch buttons,
and much, much, more!
* Many more improvements and fixes, ensuring that NextSTART continues to be the most versatile, functional and easy-to-use GUI enhancement product ever conceived.
For a complete list of changes and additions, please read:
http://www.winstep.net/history-ns3.txt
System Requirements:
NextSTART will run under Win95/98/WinME and NT4/2000/XP.
