Windows Tools, Help & Guides

If you’d like to convert your Windows Vista or 7 to make it look like OS X Snow Leopard, you can learn how in this guide. Here’s what we’ll cover in this guide:

1. Create a system restore point.
2. Patch your system files with UXTheme Multi-patcher.
3. Download Snow Leopard for Windows 7.
4. Take Ownership of Your Files.
5. Install Snow Leopard for Windows 7 theme.

Please note: this guide involves modifying system files and you should proceed with caution.

Create a System Restore Point

You should first create a system restore point so you can roll back any unintended changes. If you are unsure of how to do this, follow this guide: Create a system restore point.

Patch your System Files with UXTheme Multi-patcher

To install third-party themes, you will need to patch your system files. The easiest way to do this is with UXTheme Multi-patcher:

1. Download UXTheme Multi-patcher.
2. Extract the download, right click UXTheme Multipatcher.exe, click Run as Administrator.
3. When UXTheme Multi-patcher loads, click Patch.
4. Wait while the program patches your files and makes a backup of your originals.

At any time, you can open the program again and restore your files to their original state by clicking Restore.

Download Snow Leopard for Windows 7

Download the  Snow Leopard for Windows Theme. To extract the theme, you have two options:

1. Click an ad to get to the files (not a fan of this.)
2. Extract the files manually.

It’s up to you to decide what you’d like to do to extract the file:

Click an Ad to Get to the Files

If you double click on the downloaded executable, you’ll be asked to watch an ad. The download will then extract to your desktop and you’re ready to install the theme.

Extract the Files Manually

If you disagree with the practice above, you can extract the files manually (this method works at the time of writing this guide.)

1. Download a program like 7-zip.
2. Right click the downloaded executable and click 7-Zip > Open archive.
3. Extract snd.wmv.
4. Rename snd.wmv to snd.zip.
5. Open the zip file and extract the contents to your desktop.

Take Ownership of Your Files

To learn more about taking ownership of a file, go here.

The next step is to take ownership (Take Ownership registry hack) of two system files that you’ll be replacing (the Welcome Center file is optional and should also be owned if you use Welcome Center):

• C:\Windows\system32\shell32.dll
• C:\Windows\system32\ExplorerFrame.dll

Install Snow Leopard for Windows 7 Theme

To install the theme:

1. Go to C:\Windows and locate explorer.exe
2. Rename explorer.exe to explorer.exe.backup.
3. Copy the explorer.exe file from the theme folders to C:\Windows.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 for shell32.dll and ExplorerFrame.dll (Welcome center file is optional.)
5. Double check you have replaced all system files as noted above.
6. Copy the theme files in the Themes folder to C:\Windows\Resources\Themes:
7. Important: reboot your computer.
8. Right click the desktop and click Personalize.
9. Click the Snow Leopard theme to apply the style.

Your desktop should look something like this:

If you want to add a dock to make it look even more like OS X or add even more customization, you can follow the instructions on the theme’s download page.

About Rich

Rich is the owner and creator of Windows Guides; he spends his time breaking things on his PC so he can write how-to guides to fix the problems he creates.

• Web
|
• Twitter
|
• Facebook
|
• LinkedIn
|
• Google+
|
• More Posts (1014)

Free PC tips by email