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Simple Tips to Give Your Laptop a Retro Look

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If you are a fan of all things vintage and like the retro atmosphere, why not give your laptop a retro look? If you think that this process can only be completed by professionals, then you are wrong. There are some easy ways to give your laptop “new old look”. Here are some easy tips on how to make your laptop look like something that came out of Bioshock.

Retro Theme

A theme is the a good way to start your customization process. Apart from the external aspect of the laptop, the theme is the biggest modification you can make. Modifying a theme implies changing the color scheme and wallpaper. There are lots of utilities that let you change specific aspects of your theme, such as boot screen, logon screen, icons and wallpapers.


The resources for doing this are available on the web and can be found pretty easy (I’d recommend searching on DeviantArt, a website full of such resources). All of these, if put together properly can give your laptop a great retro look and make it stand out in a crowd.

Retro Sounds

Sounds can add a plus of authenticity to your retro design, making everything bind and have a nicer feel. As you know, there are sounds integrated in the OS for startup, error messages and so on. Those sounds can be replaced with any other sound file you have. So, if you have a collection of retro sounds, you can add these as the default sounds.
To do this, right click on your Desktop, click “Personalize” and then “Sounds”. This will open the sounds window, where you can modify the sounds that Windows uses automatically.
A great example of such a cool customization is the retro typewriter sounds, a utility that you can install and it will give a typewriter sound to every keystroke you make. This tool is available for Mac OS X users only, but in the future, we might see a Windows version also.

External Aspect

The best possible modification you can make to a laptop is to modify its outside appearance. The effect is much better and to be honest, if you get all the sounds and themes that look retro and the outside has a glossy finish, it looks wrong. But giving it “a coat of paint” can make all the difference. You do not even have to invest much money in it, look for a retro style picture on the web,

give your laptop a retro look
something like a wood pattern or a steampunk design or create your own design if you like and print it on adhesive paper (contact paper) that you can stick on your laptop to give it some extra character.
Also, in this manner you can customize all the plain plastic parts of your laptop. But keep in mind to remove any other stickers and to clean your laptop with alcohol before you apply the sticker. Also, do not cover the screen, keyboard or the digital pad with the sticker. Another solution for giving your laptop an awesome external look is to create your own custom mod. Although this solution is not for everyone, there are companies and shops that make custom computer mods, where you can get the ultimate retro look.
The final touch in making your laptop look retro is to find retro accessories, like bags or peripherals that have a retro look. These are widely available on the web, from vintage handbags to vintage mice and keyboards. Also, the companies that offer modding solution can also give your peripherals a wicked vintage look.

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