XpGnome - Make Linux Look like Windows XP
Make Gnome look like XP by running this simple script:
WARNING: Run at your own risk! I take no responsibility for anything that happens to your computer!
Before / After
(click on screenshots for a bigger picture)
Video of Installation/Restore on Ubuntu 9.04
Just download the tar.gz file, Right-click it and select "Extract Here", then run the "InstallXpGnome.sh" by double-clicking it and choosing "Run"!
Changes: Icons, GTK, Metacity, Splash, GDM Theme, Mouse Cursor, Panel Background, Desktop Background, Visible Desktop Icons, Nautilus Tree View, Toolbar to Icons only. Deletes all GNOME Panels and adds a new one at bottom with Start Menu, Show Desktop, Window Switcher, Notification Area, Volume Control and Clock.
Settings are saved and can be reverted by running the Restore_Settings.sh script in the restore folder
FAQ
Why? - Why not? I don't use this. I don't recommend it, either! I actually made the script as a programming exercise. And people want to use it...
How'd you make this? None of the theme items are mine - I got everything off of gnome-look.org. I just wrote a script to simplify the install process.
OpenOffice Menus are White! - I've changed the theme to Luna, so the regular XP theme will work.
Will you make an uninstaller? Yeah - I did - Merry Christmas!
What about theming XP to look like Ubuntu? See http://pc-hacks.blogspot.com/2007/10/make-up-over-your-windows-look-like...
I don't see the START button! This happens. I don't know why. Run the script again, it should appear.
Linking: Please link to this page, instead of direct download, as the script may update - http://ubuntu.online02.com/xpgnome
GNOME Login Theme: The GDM in Ubuntu 9.10 is not themable, so you won't be able to theme the login screen as of now
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| XpGnome.tar.gz | 2.49 MB |
Comments
great script the only issue i
great script the only issue i see is that it will allow linux to be accepted faster. ie people will start writing spyware or viruses for linux sooner
how can I remove "My
how can I remove "My computer", "Recycle bin" and other icons from the desktop?
Lol! Thanks a bunch, this
Lol! Thanks a bunch, this will help me migrate some teachers finally to Ubuntu.
great script works perfect on
great script works perfect on my 9.10 except one thing(bit important thought).Opened windows arent on panel and I can only access them with ctl+tab!!!
Any solutions?
The window list may have slid
The window list may have slid too far to the left or right - You can add a new one to the panel - Right-Click -> Add to Panel -> Window List and then you can right-click the separator line to move it wherever you want
Dude great job! , it's good
Dude great job! , it's good to have people like you in the community who actually do things! Maybe i can trick an unsuspecting user into using Ubuntu now! I like how you said "Will you make an uninstaller? Yeah - I did - Merry Christmas!" Nice! lol
Works Great Thanks, Just
Works Great Thanks, Just wondering if there is an easy way to remove the network plces and my documents folder as i have never liked these on my desktop .
Thanks Again
Yes - If you open a run
Yes - If you open a run window (alt+F2) and type "gconf-editor" it will bring up a window where you can change all these settings.
If you browse to Apps->Nautilus->Desktop you can check which icons you want to show
Cool!! it works well on my
Cool!! it works well on my ubuntu 9.10 except for the GDM theme, any idea for the macOsx version? (especially on the nautilus tree view)
Thank a lot!
Thank a lot!
Please update your install
Please update your install script to correctly work on Ubuntu 9.10!! in other case you broke the system.
After installing this theme on Xubuntu910 with Gnome sessison - it prevent me from login after restart. It was extremely frustrating!
Here is a small script to skip change login theme for 9.10 at all, for one before last block in InstallXpGnome.sh.
#!/bin/bash
UBUNTU_VERSION=`lsb_release --short --release`
UBUNTU_904="9.04"
if [ "$UBUNTU_VERSION" == "$UBUNTU_904" ]; then
echo "# Setting up GDM theme..."
# GDM Theme
cp files/XP_Ubuntu.tar.gz /tmp
gksudo -m "Enter your (sudo/root) password to change the Login screen to a XP Style - Or click cancel if you do not wish to change it" files/GDMTheme.sh
rm /tmp/XP_Ubuntu.tar.gz
else
echo "Skipping setting up GDM theme, this operation is supported only for Ubuntu 9.04"
fi
I fail to see how this would
I fail to see how this would prevent you from logging in - You cannot select the theme in 9.10 anyway - Does creating a new folder in /usr/share/gdm/themes mess it up?
While I do agree this is a good idea, my script is used in other distributions, so I would steer away from Ubuntu-specific code. It should detect if your running GNOME 2.26 or less
Thanks, works great with
Thanks, works great with ubuntu 9.04
I think Linux's interface is
I think Linux's interface is already better than Xp.
That was really a very nice
That was really a very nice script. But I am not going for it. I don't want to get confused with my Gnome. Anyway, best of luck for your future scripts.
Regards,
MP3 Converter
Thanks! works great on my
Thanks! works great on my Fedora 12 box (exact version:2.6.31.9-174.fc12.i686). Uninstalls without a problem also.
I installed but when I tried
I installed but when I tried to revert the process the Ubuntu bars don't get like before. When I installed the file Panel_settings.xml was not created.
That's odd - check /tmp for
That's odd - check /tmp for the file. Also, make sure you've downloaded the latest release from this site.
Its ... a wonderful script
Its ... a wonderful script .... But just changing to XP reminds me how horrible it is .... I immediately switched to my lovely gnome ... Anyways u have made a wonderful script ....
I can confirm that it works
I can confirm that it works just fine in Ubuntu 9.10 except that the login window is not themed as it seems this is no longer supported in Ubuntu.
This doesn't prevent everything else from working just fine.
Good work, and thank you.
great work! I installed this
great work! I installed this on an old pc and it works great. It could have fooled my parents :-)
I am planning on installing it on their pc as well, saves me a lot of cleaning and repairing every few months.
I only wish that it could be made to look more like the old win98 or win2K, I liked they grey rectangular theme of win98 more than XP with all the bells and whistles.
YABADABADOOOOO!!!! it works!
YABADABADOOOOO!!!! it works!
Please check progressbars
Please check progressbars style. On my computer there look empty with thin line on the bottom.
P.S. Nice work, but i made rollback to ubuntu styles.
Yeah, I don't edit the theme
Yeah, I don't edit the theme files - I just got them off of gnome-look.org - you could check there to see if the author has updated them...
Installed Karmic Koala on my
Installed Karmic Koala on my brothers old PC, but he hated it (didn't want to learn new tricks). I searched for just this very thing & now he thinks it is fine. The only thing that gives it away was Firefox, so I themed it with the IE 8 look. He is completely happy now.
may i translate your web
may i translate your web page to chinese in my blog http://kadok0520.pixnet.net/blog ?
go for it!
go for it!
Hello I use your script on
Hello
I use your script on Ubuntu 9.10
but now each time I open gvim in terminal
like this: $ gvim
it would appear
/home/mitnick/.themes/XPLuna/gtk-2.0/panel.rc:13: Unable to locate image file in pixmap_path: "shadows/window-bg.png"
/home/mitnick/.themes/XPLuna/gtk-2.0/panel.rc:112: Unable to locate image file in pixmap_path: "menubar/menubar-item.png"
/home/mitnick/.themes/XPLuna/gtk-2.0/panel.rc:115: Background image options specified without filename
how can I avoid this error message
thanks
That's a problem with the
That's a problem with the XPLuna theme - I do not make the themes, only the script to install them - Search for it on gnome-look.org to find the original author.
Really great. My mom uses
Really great. My mom uses ubuntu now thanks to your great work
i love you, works cool on
i love you, works cool on linuxmint
I love you, its
I love you, its coooooooooooooooooooooool
Hello PhrankDaChicken: your
Hello PhrankDaChicken:
your article is very internesting to me.
may i translate your article in my blog?
my blog is http://kadok0520.pixnet.net/blog
Initially I thought its kind
Initially I thought its kind of lame to make Linux look and feel like Windows, but as I think of it- this can be really helpful in making Linux popular among masses.
Good job !!
Superb job - we have a
Superb job - we have a client who will only migrate to Linux thin client desktops if we make them "look exactly the same as Win XP". We can do that with this script. Well done.
I am very new to Linux
I am very new to Linux Ubuntu. I am migrating from Windows XP Home. I would like to have the "XP feel" on Ubuntu. Now, I have downloaded to files.
They are "lxp_0.2-1d_i386.deb" and "XP_Gnome.tar.gz". Are these the same thing or two different "monsters"? Is there any extra, or special notes that I need to be aware of before I attempt this transition to XP? Thanks.
You'll only need one or the
You'll only need one or the other. My XP_Gnome script is for GNOME desktop enviroments, while the lxp is for icewm+idesk+xfe window managers. If you're running Ubuntu, use mine, if you're running Xubuntu, use the deb file.
Dude, can you post the
Dude, can you post the "restore_settings.sh" script content? The install script has created me the "panel_settings.xml", but not the script, and I dont know hoy to go back to my former configuration :(
No, because the script is
No, because the script is generated by your settings. This was a problem with the script when using spaces in the file name, but I've updated it so it should work now.
To regain your settings, check your /tmp folder for the Restore_Settings.sh script and copy it into the same folder as the Panel_Settings.xml and run it.
Works in vbox with karmic.
Works in vbox with karmic. I figured I'd try it in a vm first. You never know :D. Works beautifully running on a 32-bit virtual karmic. That is one of a surreal effect. I have to admit, it kind of makes me itchy.
But I'm setting up a computer for a relative who's never used anything but windows, has kids who plant viruses, and who I want to switch to ubuntu on a new computer I got him. And I'd like to do it with minimum aggro for all. This WinXP skin is going to make all the difference for him. Thanks a million!
Just playing with ubuntu
Just playing with ubuntu using VMware, Ubuntu 9.04 was updated to 9.10 and in this case this theme doesn't work.
I'm WIN guy so no idea how to fix it :) ...whem i'm playing wiht themes it say XPluna error etc. ..."conversion" started but didn't finish successfully.
It looks the restore file is supposed to be created at the end but if the proccess failed (due to XPluna) there is no restore sh file. ...just xml confing. ...i suspect this issue is happenig due to XPluna....or maybe issue is causing localized version of ubuntu? ..anyway, i'll keep in touch to see whats the progress. ...its great for people who are just starting with linux...its more friendly for them:)
ok, I managed to fix
ok, I managed to fix it.
Scan through the InstallXpGnome.sh and found that the Restore_Settings.sh file is generated at /tmp. Sure enough, I found the original file still at /tmp. For some reason, it was not moved/copied to the restore directory. :|
In all ... one of the best theming script I've tried! :D Thanks!
Ok, a few errors encountered
Ok, a few errors encountered for Jaunty. Some themes were missing or not installed by default. Restore script is also missing! *yikes*
Now I have to manually restore my Jaunty theme! :(
Will you tell me how to
Will you tell me how to restore it? It messed my computer up! :(
There was a problem handling
There was a problem handling spaces in directory names, and that is why it messed up.
Check your /tmp folder for the restore script - it should still be there if you haven't rebooted - Copy it to the same folder as the Panel_Settings.xml file and run it
I have to say, this is the
I have to say, this is the best XP face lift I've seen to date. Kudo's... Now I can switch a few friends over to linux and not hear them complain that it doesn't look like Windows.
Very well done.
great script the only issue
great script the only issue i see is that it will allow linux to be accepted faster. ie people will start writing spyware or viruses for linux sooner
That's because you don't
That's because you don't understand how security works under linux :S
It's not only that Linux has the 1% of desktop pc's. It's because how linux really works, that there is no viruses.
May I modify the script to
May I modify the script to install other themes?
Is GPL licenced?
Thanks
Yup, yup yup! Please do -
Yup, yup yup! Please do - It's GPL v2
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