yes yes, heres another newbie...

WindowBlinds...deffinately! I would say if you could choose only one application from that list, your best bet would be windowblinds.

NextStart compliments WB very well. it's a little odd to get used to at first, but that phase doesn't last long, and soon you'll feel odd without it..*s*

As for the rest of the apps, I don't use them myself, but I have heard rave reviews for all of them.

WindowBlinds and NextStart are great for quickly getting out of the "Windows Rut"... I like variety so I use everything you mentioned except for Litestep.

Ive ran all of these programs at one time or another, but with the exception of nextstart, the versions I used were VERY early versions, so I was just wondering what people find to work well now. I had to remove litestep today since I was having some problems with it, I loved it when it worked, but Im afraid I just dont know enough about tweaking this type of stuff to be able to use litestep to its full potential-I kept getting wharf errors and I dont even know what a wharf is
Thanks for your help guys!
-proxyoh, one last question-does Desktop X integrate well w/ other programs like NS and WS?

I actually got tired of Nextstart, so I never installed it on my new computer. Windowblinds is a must-have.

If you're willing to spend some time with it there's nothing like Litestep... at least in my own humble opinion. You can run WB and DX on top of it too

I don't know about the others.

WindowBlinds is a must have, but i would try
out HoverDesk if i were you. HoverDesk is the best Desktop replacement around the world (ok, my opinion. The next best in my opinion is NextStart. ObjectBar i ok too, but i don´t like DesktopX and Litestep.

Windowblinds in my opinion is a must.
Then to customize the actual desktop it all depends what you want to do:
- have animations and really cool icons, shortcuts, and other nice objects on your desktop, the Desktop X is the way to go.
- To have right-click on desktop customizable start menu, NextStart is the way to go.
- To have a customizable Start/Task bar, Objectbar is the best
- To have a really flexible program launcher/starbar replacement then go for Hoverdesk
- If you want to have all of the above (or almost - it can't really replace DesktopX, but it can do everything the other 3 can), but are willing to spend a lot of time learning, then go for Litestep. Also, Litestep is the only one of the above that is free.

Of course, the description of what the programs above do is simplified, pretty much can do more than that but these are what they are strong at. For example, Desktop X can also be use to create launch bars and retractable menus/submenus, but it's then slow and bulky, for that purpose I suggest more Hoverdesk.
Anyway, I recommend you decide what it is you want, then read up a bit on the applications, and even download an evaluation copy and try for yourself.

Hope this helps.

Well....for my two cents, I'll try not to mention LiteSTEP.......[oops].

Realistically, all the others, other than the one I wasn't going to mention, are some-what more user-friendly.
That 'other' one is aimed at geeks who rarely see daylight, requiring a bit of a learning curve to be able to configure things just right....

Best single stand-alone proggy would be WindowBlinds....it's pain-free, will change your appearance [or rather your computer's], and has some nifty and useful practical additional functions over and above the normal Windows window...

Get windowblinds, it is the best. And a fancy wallpaper and some fancy skins. Or even better, create the fancy skins and wallpaper yourself.

Damn, these newbies are pouring in by the dozens these days... anyway, to expand on what the rest said, a categorisation:

windowskinners (skins the windows and controls of just about every program):
. WindowBlinds

Shell replacements (changes the way you start and manage apps):
. LiteStep

Shell enhancements (enhances the possibilites of a shell (Explorer or other))
. NextStart
. WorkShelf
. Object Bar
. DesktopX