By default Windows XP places some icons on your desktop you can't simply delete. These are icons for My Computer, My Network Places, etc. Microsoft offers a free downloadable tool to get rid of those icons. Download and install Tweak UI from the Microsoft PowerToys. After installation start the tool and expand 'desktop'. You can now check and uncheck any default desktop icons. Uncheck all icons and press OK to get a clean desktop.

This step is actually optional. Installing the Vista Theme changes the way your windows and start menu looks. If you would like to keep this unchanged you can just skip this step.

Otherwise download and install the Vista Inspirat Bricopack from CrystalXP. Choose the personalized installation so you can choose which elements of the theme you would like to install. For this desktop tutorial you will only have to apply the system files and the visual style. You can uncheck any additional tools because we will install those manually later on.

Download and install the free version of Startdock ObjectDock. In 'My Documents' there now is a folder called 'ObjectDock library'. Download and unzip objectdock.zip from the download button below and move the 'Windows Vista background' folder to '/ObjectDock http://www.allcoolandnew.com/library/backgrounds/' and the 'icons' folder to '/ObjectDock http://www.allcoolandnew.com/library/images/'.

After installation you can change some settings for the dock by right clicking in the dock and choosing 'Dock settings...'. Position the dock at top center and choose the 'always on top' layering. In Appearance change the icon size to 27 pixels and check the checkbox 'Magnified size' and set it to 56 pixels. Also in Appearance change the background to Windows Vista.

You can now place shortcuts to files, folders and programs you often use and group them with separators. To add a new shortcut simply drag an existing shortcut from your start menu into the dock. If you want to add a separator, right click on the place where you want the separator to be and choose 'add > new separator'. To change the icon of a shortcut, right click on the shortcut and choose 'Dock entry properties'. Then click 'change image' to open an icon browser. If you expand the folder 'object dock library' and then the folder 'images' you can find the folder 'icons' with some standard Vista / Mac style icons you can use to make the objectdock look like the example below.

Both Mac OS X and Windows Vista use desktop widgets (they both just give it a different name). But desktop widgets are also available for Windows XP by using the Yahoo! Widgets engine.

Download and install the Yahoo! Widget engine. Yahoo! places some widgets on your desktop by default but you can change these widgets pretty easily. To remove a widget you don't want on your desktop, right click on it and choose 'close widget'. To add a widget, go to your 'My Documents/My Widgets' folder and just double click the widget you want to open. You can change the position of widgets by dragging them. The Widgets used in the example bellow are 'Day Planner', 'Calendar', 'Yahoo Weather', 'Battery' and one you only see when you change the volume: 'Tiger like volume control'. This last widget shows volume changes in the same way Mac OS X does and can be downloaded (among many others) from the Yahoo! Widget Gallery.

To complete the Vista / Mac OS X look you can download and unzip the wallpapers from the download button bellow. To use one of the images (like the one in the example above) right click on it and choose 'use as wallpaper'.

Also, the cursors in Windows XP are pretty boring. To install the Mac OS X cursors on you Windows computer, unzip the cursors zip from the download button below in your windows/cursors/ folder. If you go to the control panel and double click on 'mouse' you can change the cursor for every status (wait, resize, etc), then browse to the appropriate cursor file you just unzipped.

The famous Flurry screensaver from Mac OS X has a Windows equivalent which can be downloaded and installed with the instructions on Maddog Software.

For more ways to tweak Windows XP and make it perform faster and better you can get the Windows XP Hacks & Mods for dummies 2nd edition for $14,-.