Hack 20 Windows XP to Windows 2000: Retro is Cool
 
Don't like those cute XP
graphics? Here's how to make Windows XP look more
like Windows 2000.
Sometimes, no matter how
much you tweak, you still don't like what you see.
After sampling the hacks in this chapter, I decided that I
didn't care for the cartoon-like graphical look of
Windows XP (see Figure 2-25).
Since XP is so customizable, it only took a few seconds to make my
start menu and desktop look like the old standby Windows 2000.
First, let's change that cluttered XP start menu
(see Figure 2-26) to a classic
Start menu.
Right click anywhere on the taskbar at the bottom of the screen and
select Properties from the popup menu. Go to the top of the window
and select the Start Menu tab. Click the button for Classic Start
menu. While you're in this tab you also have the
option of customizing the Classic Start menu. Choose Customize to add
or remove programs from your start menu, enable options such as drag
and drop, or display Favorites. Hit OK and your start menu will now
look like the one shown in Figure 2-27, just like
Windows 2000.
Now that you've cleaned up the Start menu,
it's time to change the look of your desktop. Though
it's not a necessary step to making your desktop
look like Windows 2000, your notification area (the lower right-hand
corner near the clock) will be a lot neater if you go back to the
Taskbar tab, and uncheck Hide inactive icons. Windows 2000
doesn't have the graphical features of XP, so hiding
the icons before switching over is a good idea.
Right click anywhere on the desktop and choose Properties from the
popup menu. Select the Themes tab and under Themes, scroll down to
Windows Classic. Hit OK and your desktop will now look like the one
shown in Figure 2-28.
Your desktop now has the icons, the window setup, the Start menu, and
the general look and feel of Windows 2000.
—Lorrie LeJeune
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