Make Your XP Computer Look Like OS X
For whatever reason, many Windows XP users are obsessed with making their desktop look like a Mac. It’s not a new phenomenon, but the enterprising people over at FlyakiteOSX created a really easy way to transform your desktop into an OS X look & feel without a lot of trouble.
Note: This installation will change a lot of files and install a whole bunch of utilities, so proceed with caution if you aren’t prepared to deal with any problems that might happen.
When you launch the setup you’ll eventually get to this screen, where you should check the box for “Create System Restore Point”, along with whichever options you want.
After installation and rebooting your computer, you’ll be presented with a desktop that looks very much like OS X.
It even updates your shutdown screen…
And the login screen…
There’s an included “System Preferences” application that looks just like the one in OS X, but works differently… when you click on the icons it will launch the relevant Windows settings panel.
If you have problems trying to remove this, remember that you setup a Restore point during setup. You can always return everything back to normal by using System Restore if you need to.
Update
Note: Some antivirus software seems to detect a trojan in this software. I think it’s a false positive, but I can’t vouch for the software maker, so be warned either way.
You can visit the author’s site for a list of mirrors, or Download FlyaKiteOSX 3.5 from osx-e.com.
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Um, ewwwww. Why would anyone want to do that? My custom XP GUI blows away any MAC OS interfaace. Apple sucks and will always be only less than 5% of the computer world market.
The reality is a tiny fraction of XP users want to make their PC look like a Mac.
The only ones who are obsessed with the Mac look worship at the alter of Steve Jobs.
Truth be told, the OS X theme is painfully dated now and strictly for the Mac kool-aid drinkers.
Painfully dated? I used both and have no preference for either unless it comes to my actual work, which is graphic design. There of course I do prefer the Mac because I don’t as frequently see the crashes… note I didn’t say “never” because no computer is perfect and yes Macs do crash but not nearly as often.
OSX’s interface is not nearly as dated as Windows. Vista, Microsoft’s most expensive failure to date, has a sleek new design but overall it is the same functionality that Windows has seen since the introduction of Windows 95 and the infamous “Start” button. Apple lagged for years in developing a new GUI and the reason they did so was because what they had worked pretty darn well… it was simple yet did everything a normal computer user, not a hacker or a gamer, would want. Check out the latest OSX… visually yes it is somewhat the same but there over 300 new features with OSX.5 and that blows any “Service Pack” away that Microsoft could conceive. I’d be afraid in a world where Microsoft tried to introduce 300 changes at once to its OS… I think rather see the second coming of Windows Me! Good God Almighty.
Is there a way to set this up so each user could choose either XP themes or OSX theme? I could set this up so my girlfriend could logon to my computer and have the OSX style interface (she has a powerbook).
Thanks!
well thats a nice thing to check out i m always a great fan of Apple products..from design to everything they rocks..in all…i hve mac at office and a pc at home..i guess now i can hve fun with it all the time…
I used Flyakite OSX on my PC a month or so back. It works extremely well except I did notice an increase on the usage of my system resources. If you have a dual-core processor it may not be noticeable, but I’m using an AMD Athlon 3700+ and it definitely affected my games. Graphics became choppy and nearly unplayable. Once I removed Flyakite, everything went back to normal.
How do we uninstall the OSX look alike when we want/need to???
system restoring and then by unsintalling all the stuff that added to make it look like MAC OSX
Why would you make XP computer look like Mac OS X? It is almost compared to Mac OS X on XP, but on Vista it is compared to Mac OS X. So, I wouldn’t try that if I were you!
but how to change again, to be default
I installed this and threatfire stopped it, saying there was a trojan in it. I dont know if it is a false positive, but be warned.
@Lee
A number of people have complained about a possible trojan in this software… I think one of the pieces does some low-level stuff that is detected as a false positive, but I can’t be sure either. I’m going to add a warning to the article.
This software make to my explorer open a windows saying thath i’m infected with some kind of virus, but is not true, the link is to one program. I pass a Trojan remove and its gone, and all of this is after I install this thing.
i wood love to try this can be set to the os ….Can you make it back to XP ???
Yeah, sure! It has its own uninstaller and you can even use system restore if anything goes wrong..
Do they have something similar for Windows Vista?
@Cade_One: Yes there is a Vista transformation tool out there as well. I have tried it before. It worked fairly well back when I did (which was over a year or so ago), and I’m sure they have made updates to it since then. Pretty soon though, you’ll be wanting a Windows 7 transformation tool though….lol!
i installed this program yesterday and it worked well but when i shutted down the computer and then when i turned on the computer, the start button and the taskbar had gone…I’m opening programs through the Windows Task Manager but I want the Start button and the taskbar again…HOW DO I RETURN IT???
PD. I removed and erased this program and after restarting it, the Start Button and the taskbar weren’t there……PLEASE I NEED HELP…THIS IS MY MOTHER’S LAPTOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey Marcos just uninstall it and then restart your computer…if you still have problems after that…go to system restore and do that…it should come up with everything that you had before you did the transformation!…good luck
It’s amusing to see how people rush to defend their favourite op sys, but as someone who uses both OSX and Windows at work, there is no contest. I groan when I have to turn from OSX to the achingly frustrating Windows environment.
Why would I want to make my Windows machine look like a Mac? It’s still the same old cumbersome op sys clunking away in the background. The fact that you have this website is testimony to people need ing to tweak Windows to make it more useable.
i’ve read many forums and comments and i am truly lost. what is wrong with windows? yes, i have had problems with my computer, but i also install and do all sorts of things on it. the real question is, why would anyone want a mac interface? they are so NOT user friendly. i’m baffled! every time i’ve used one (a mac) i have to go around my elbow to get to my mouth. they are fast. i’ll give you that. they boot up in no time and shut down just as quick. other than that, i still cant find a reason to ever want a mac. or OS X.
@ LoSt
i agree with you man, but :”i still cant find a reason to ever want a mac. or OS X.” DUDE ! i would love to have a mac and install windows on it. but i mean, the OS of apple sucks azz.
Marcos
i installed this program yesterday and it worked well but when i shutted down the computer and then when i turned on the computer, the start button and the taskbar had gone…I’m opening programs through the Windows Task Manager but I want the Start button and the taskbar again…HOW DO I RETURN IT???
PD. I removed and erased this program and after restarting it, the Start Button and the taskbar weren’t there……PLEASE I NEED HELP…THIS IS MY MOTHER’S LAPTOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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It is a long process getting back to normal. I had the same problems. Take your laptop to a professional. It is too hard to explain.
Why buy a PC when you can spend more $ and be assured that your Mac will never have hardware issues, crashes, virus infections, hacked, and the resale value keeps just like a fancy car. Sure waste money on a PC with an OS that constantly needs to be updated, attacked and most of all crashes constantly. PC = Piece ‘o’ C**p and Windows, why bother?
I think the trojan warning is because the settings aren’t normal, thus, it thinks its a trojan… im a fan of the dock, but i just use rocket dock…
ps. is there a way to make osx look like xp?
i like how people keep bagging out and complaining about why you would want the PC to look like a Mac but fail to realize that everyone else is different.. I have both a Mac and a few PC’s and i like both, pc for games and internet, mac for my art and movies.. But like alot of people, i dont like Vegemite, i like peanut butter and jam sandwiches, i absolutely HATE seafood, i like the color blue and i like the look and feel of the mac interface.. anyone going to complain about my opinion of food? color? what i like my pc/mac to look like? i like it because i like it.. but i dont tell people who love seafood ‘ew why do u eat that’ because thats them, not me.. i like this app for making my pc look like a mac, if i see anyone running windows on their mac, then congratulations, i dont care, it doesn’t affect my life at all.. but please please puh-lease people, quit saying that you would hate having a mac GUI on the PC and cant understand why anyone else would want to.. the answer -> because we are not you, and we dont care what you think, we just want to know if there are any software problems or anything with this app..