Most older programs work as well in Windows XP as in the operating system for which they were first created. Unfortunately, they do usually look dated compared to their designed-for-XP rivals.
Happily, XPME can give these programs a minor facelift that lets them use XP-style buttons and other controls. It does this by grafting on a special resource (the common controls manifest). The beauty of this procedure is that it is entirely reversible, and a "doctored" application will still run fine on older operating systems with its original appearance.
