DesktopX, WinBlinds, WinStyles

all three programs do different things.

WindowBlinds skins the desktop, replacing your standard windows elements (titlebars, scrollbars, buttons) with the ones contained in a windowblind skin.

DesktopX allow you do all sorts of things to your desktop (from adding a simple animated object, to completely altering the appearance with custom taskbars, wharfs, activex controls and so on).

Winstyles is sort of a master control program. It doens't skin anything directly. Instead, it allows you to specify the all the skins for different applications as a single theme (say a windowblinds, skin, a wallpaper, an iconset). This allows winstyles to tell the other applications to apply the skins in this theme. So instead of you having to manually change the windowblinds skin, then use iconpackager to change the icons) you press a single button and winstyles tells windowblinds and iconpackager (and whatever other app) to change the skins for you.

What do you recomend I use? And how do you get the Start Menu to look like its suppose to?

The start menu is drawn by windowblinds, but...the windowblinds skin you use has to be WindowBlind v4 compatible and have all the included graphics. Basically, any of the newer skins will do this.

I assume you're running WindowsXP.

In which case, I suggest you start off slowly. Try just using WindowBlinds first. It'll skin all your windws as well as your start mentu and taskbar.(At least the relatively newer WindowBlinds skins will). Try this for awhile, with different skins until you feel comfortable with it.

Then maybe try using IconPackager to change your icons and do the same

At this point, you still have a standard Windows desktop, just that its skinned differently.

Next, if you're feeling adventurous, try something a bit more different like DesktopX.

but, purchasing all the apps at once with an ODNT subscription would be cheaper than purchasing all these things one at a time.

Just something to consider