After months of hearing about how nice the OS X is I decided to try to do a “full” conversion to my desktop and see how I’d enjoy it.
The first step was obvious, to change the GUI. There are hundreds of GUIs for Windows, whether they are Visual Styles or WindowsBlinds skins.
I chose the Visual Style because the program Style XP uses almost no memory at all to run, it just seems to unblock a feature that Microsoft locked and let’s you change the GUI freely.
I found one which seems to be very good for Windows Blinds, it can be found here.
The one I chose to use is also very nice, it has a small issue with the scroll bars, but it’s not big enough to bother me, it’s 99% perfect. You can preview and download it here.
My system was already looking a lot like OSX at this point, but I decided to do three more little steps before stopping, changing the wallpapers, the cursors and finally the icons (with Icon Packager).
Of course I could have gone much further and install one of those nice docked bars and make my icons bigger and yadda yadda, but that would be just a waste of computer resources and I would only be trying to fool myself, no matter what makeup you put over Windows, you can’t change the fact that it is in fact Windows. For anyone slightly interested, here’s my desktop now: View image
Theres a really good package for XP called FlyaKiteOSX which is the whole package (boot screen, icons, cursors, wallpapers and VS) which installs all in one go, all you need to do then is add a dock. The app is very good (I used it before getting ‘the real thing’ (no, not coca cola) and it has a site:
http://osx.portraitofakite.com/
Thanks for the cockroach image. I was just heading out the door for dinner.
I’m really tempted to do this myself. I think the Mac OS X GUI looks really sweet. This will do ’till I get that mac mini….
Until you can imitate Expose in the windows GUI, you are missing the full OS X experience.
I’ve made such a thing about two years ago (it was on the last week I was using windows ever, I switched to linux in a few days after remodelling my winbox) and here’s what I get:
WinXP Vs MacOSX
I have a long and detailed article describing the process and containin’ all the links to the needed files and themes. It is in Russian though but I think I will translate it today to english and publish.
Ooops. sorry Scrivs…
Next time I’ll choose one with a sunset ;)
And this is OS 9 ;)
http://people.freenet.de/schafekicken/desktop20050322.png
If you want to try somthing like Expose, take a look at this: http://www.oxygen-inc.com/premium/InsaniSoft/iEx.htm
Not as fast as the real one, but it works fine.
If you want your Firefox to match properly, try the Winstripe Modern theme repackaged by Pikachuu9000 for Windows (and Linux). This theme is pretty much a exact copy of the standard Firefox Mac OSX theme (as far as I know).
I can recommend it, even if the rest of your system looks different.
Kind of like putting a $2 whore in a designer gown. She make look a little better but the ride isn’t going improve.
I believe that the mac os is alot better then windows, but it wasnt really designed for gaming. Thats why I own both, the new iMac, and also a WinPC for gaming.
My win pc is EXACTLY alike in respect to shell appearence. Before I recently bought the iMac, I never really cared for os emulation.
-Seif
I hate people who already has a mac and just comes in here and goes,”oh I have a mac and lemmeh tell you err you should just get one and blah blah blah”. Just shut the hell up. Maybe they just like the look of a mac you idiots. Go be an annoying troll somewhere else.
this is excellent
macs do kind of suk!
If you hate Mac’s so much why are you trying to make your clunky box look like one? Get over yourself.
cause they cant afford one :)
I have 5 macs at home and like 5 more at work. They are a ripoff and you arean’t getting what you pay for, the only reason we have so many macs is because people who like macs are obsessed with them and need to support Apple, a company that cares so much about expanding their market that they don’t outsource their operating system to other companies. I would much rather build my own computer for less money then buy an apple. I will thank apple for inspiring Bill Gates to make windows.
DOOOD!! you play L2!! What server? What toon?
#17 | Ben Gay – What a moron! Well we would all love to thank Microsoft for being consistant at least! Microsoft has consistantly programmed and released poor quality products that are infested with security issues. While you are at it, make sure you give Bill a big hug for inspiring hackers to create virus programs. These programs have one purpose. TO EXPLOIT THE GARBAGE PRODUCED BY MICROSOFT! I have never had a virus problem on my Mac. I wonder why? Stick to the PC Gay Ben!
pretty cool theme package…
the one you used…
no software additional necessary… :D…
cool!… :tu:…
and thanks for the icons’ link too…
This is one of the worst attempts I’ve ever seen! The link below is a much better one. The biggest complaint I have (I’m picky) is that the Close, Maximize, and Minimize buttons are on the LEFT!!!! On a real Mac, they are on the RIGHT!
http://www.engadget.com/2004/06/09/turn-your-pc-into-a-mac/
“If you hate Mac’s so much why are you trying to make your clunky box look like one?”
I guess this way you can install third party programs and actually be able to use them.
Zach:
Stop living in the 80′s man.
Macs can run:
OS X
Linux
All flavors of windows….Natively.
http://www.apple.com/bootcamp
Did you also know that Macs can use multi-button mouse? Just asking in case you come up with other PC myths that are having been true since the 80′s.
i need
Hey REVV they are characters NOT toons. Seems all the noobs in online gaming are calling them toons.
Does Installing Mac Os X on a laptop Delete all Installed Software? Or is it still possible to access Xp when this is installed?
Is there any way to add Icons without 3rd party programs? Or at least with them, but i need to uninstall the app, and expect the icons to stay.
yeah, I want to play windows only games like Guild Wars but I have a iMac and I can’t get a Windows, is bootcamp for Mac OS X 10.4.8 or lower?