Do you ever yearn for the days of blocky gray operating systems? Well, Reddit user u/ExoGeniVI found a way to transform Windows 11 into Windows 2000, complete with old games, applications, and Clippy. And with a bit of work, you can do something similar to your desktop.
This isn’t a hack or a virtual machine—u/ExoGeniVI is using StarDock WindowBlinds to customize the theming in Windows 11. The basic Windows operating system isn’t very customization-friendly, so a third-party tool like StarDock is required for this kind of project.
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The Windows 2000 skin utilized in this project was originally posted on the WinClassic forums by prozad94. That said, u/ExoGeniVI didn’t just install the skin and call it a day. Many of the things you see in these images, including the File Explorer, app icons, and software were manually put together by u/ExoGeniVI.
Of course, one of the most interesting parts of this project is the old software. Apps like Internet Explorer v5.5 still work in Windows 11 thanks to Microsoft’s obsession with backward compatibility. Microsoft Word 2000 also works, complete with Clippy (albeit with a broken transparency effect).
You can achieve a simplified version of u/ExoGeniVI’s retro desktop using StarDock WindowsBlinds and prozad94’s Windows 2000 skin. That said, a more authentic Windows 2000 experience requires a lot of work—you’ll need to play with some elements in StarDock and Windows (I don’t suggest doing this on your primary desktop, as you might break something). Oh, I should also note that StarDock WindowBlinds has a Windows XP theme built into its editor.
Source: u/ExoGeniVI via Windows Central