Transform your Windows Vista into a Mac OS X Leopard – Part 1

Many people are fascinated with Apple and their MAC OS X operating system. If you browse through the Internet you will find a lot of people stating that MAC OS X Leopard looks better than Windows Vista. Even though we do not subscribe to this opinion, we did manage to find a way to completely transform Windows Vista’s looks and make it as similar as possible to MAC OS X Leopard. This is the first article of a series in which we will show you how to do this without compromising the stability of your Windows Vista PC.

In our first article you will learn how to: install a Mac OS X Leopard theme, install MAC OS X Mouse Pointers, add MAC OS X wallpapers, add the MAC OS X Back and Forward buttons and how to customize the Welcome Center to be as MAC like as possible.

IMPORTANT: Before starting this procedure you should log on as an administrator. If your user is not administrator, the procedure will fail.

If User Account Control (UAC) is enabled, you will be asked for permission each time you copy files to important Windows folders such as the ones mentioned below. Each time it shows up, click on Continue and the files will be copied over.

Before starting this procedure, it is recommended to create a System Restore snapshot. In case of failure, it will be very easy for you to revert back to the initial state.

Also, keep in mind that this tutorial is published with no warranties. We are not responsible for any problems you might have with your system. We tested everything multiple times on two separate computers and we did not encounter any problems. However, this is not a warranty that the procedure will work the same on all computers & configurations.

How to install a Mac OS X Leopard theme

First, we will show you where to find and how to install the Mac OS X Leopard theme in Windows Vista:
Go to deviantART and download the ‘ZEUS OS X : SPIRIT OF LEOPARD’ theme.

When the download of the file has been completed, extract the archive file. Inside you will find other archives with different styles, wallpapers, buttons and cursors.

Windows Vista to MAC OS X Leopard

Before you move on, it is best to read our guide called Pimp My Windows Vista: How to install new themes. Read carefully and follow all the instructions mentioned there, including the installation of the VistaDeskHack tool.
After you have followed all the steps detailed in the above mentioned article, you will have to copy the theme style files found in the archive you just downloaded to the Themes folder of Windows Vista.

In the ZEUS_OS_X archive you will find two other archives with theme styles: AGE OF TECHNOLOGY LEOPARD STYLE VISTA VISUAL STYLES.zip and SPIRIT OF LEOPARD VISTA VISUAL STYLES.zip. Extract the contents of these archives and copy it to ‘C:\Windows\Resources\Themes’. Be careful not to copy the main folder from each archive. You need to copy all the subfolders with themes such as ‘ZEUS os X gray leopard’ from the first archive or ‘ZEUS os X Uranos’ from the second archive.

Windows Vista to MAC OS X Leopard

Both archives have a folder named ‘Dionisos riding leopard X’. You will be asked if you want to merge the folders. Click No.

Windows Vista to MAC OS X Leopard

The final step is to apply the themes you have installed. To do this, right click anywhere on your desktop, click on Personalize and then on Windows Color and Appearance. Next, click on ‘Open classic appearance properties for more colors options’.

Windows Vista to MAC OS X Leopard

POSSIBLE PROBLEM: When clicking on Windows Color and Appearance, if you don’t see the the window shown above, please read the end part of this article and learn how to fix this.

If everything is ok with the Windows Color and Appearance window, browse through the themes you have just installed, select the one you want to use and click on Apply.

Windows Vista to MAC OS X Leopard

Feel free to browse through all the themes until you find the one you like most.

How to install MAC OS X Mouse Pointers

In the ZEUS_OS_X archive you downloaded earlier you will find a file called ‘OS X Cursors.zip’. Unpack it and remember the location where you extracted all the files contained in it.

Next, right click on your Desktop, select Personalize and then ‘Mouse Pointers’.

Windows Vista to MAC OS X Leopard

In the Mouse Properties window, go to the Pointers tab. Select ‘None’ in the Scheme section and click on Apply.

Windows Vista to MAC OS X Leopard

Now, go to the Customize section, select the first pointer (Normal Select), click on Browse, navigate to the folder where you extracted the MAC OS X cursors, select the first one (1. Normal Select.cur) and click on Open.

Windows Vista to MAC OS X Leopard

The Normal Select cursor will now be replaced with its MAC OS X version. To change all cursors repeat this procedure for each of them.

The MAC OS X mouse pointers are numbered from 1 to 15, in the exact order you will see them in the Customize section. Below is a list with the text of the pointers and their Mac OS X image correspondent.

Windows Vista to MAC OS X Leopard

When you have finished with all of them, click on ‘Save as’, type a name for this scheme, for example ‘Mac OS X’, and then click OK.

Windows Vista to MAC OS X Leopard

How to add MAC OS X wallpapers

In the ZEUS_OS_X archive you will find another archive called WALLPAPER.zip. Extract its contents, then right click anywhere on your Desktop, click on Personalize and then on ‘Desktop Background’.

Windows Vista to MAC OS X Leopard

In the Desktop Background window, click on Browse, go to the location where you extracted the WALLPAPER.zip file and select the wallpaper you like most.

Windows Vista to MAC OS X Leopard

Then, choose how the wallpaper will be positioned and click on OK.

How to add the MAC OS X Back and Forward buttons

If you want to further customize your theme, you can also install some MAC OS X specific Back and Forward buttons. You can find them in the BUTTONS STYLES.zip file from the ZEUS_OS_X archive. Once you extract them, you will find three folders. The buttons look as shown in the screenshot below:

Windows Vista to MAC OS X Leopard

Each folder has a picture with how the buttons look like and a file called browseui.dll.
In order to change the Windows Vista default Back and Forward buttons you will need to overwrite the file browseui.dll with one from the above mentioned folders. The file can be found in ‘C:\Windows\System32’.

Open Windows Explorer and navigate to this folder. Here search for the file browseui.dll and take ownership of this file. If you don’t know how to do this, read our guide called Change the permissions and take ownership of your files and folders.

Once you’ve done this, rename the default browseui.dll to browseui.dll.old and copy the browseui.dll file that your prefer from the three versions mentioned above. In order for the new buttons to be applied, restart your Windows Vista.

NOTE: If you did not take permissions of the file before copying it, the procedure will fail.

How to add the MAC OS X Welcome Center

Another thing you can change using the content from the ZEUS_OS_X archive is the look of the Windows Vista Welcome Center. To do this, first extract the ‘WELCOME CENTER.zip’ file. Inside you will find a file called oobefldr.dll.

Now go to ‘C:\Windows\System32’ and take ownership of the oobefldr.dll file found there. If you don’t know how to do this, read our guide called Change the permissions and take ownership of your files and folders.

Once you’ve done this, rename the default oobefldr.dll to oobefldr.dll.old and copy the oobefldr.dll you just extracted to ‘C:\Windows\System32’.

Now, restart your Windows Vista and enjoy the new Welcome Center.

Windows Vista to MAC OS X Leopard

NOTE: If you did not take permissions of the file before copying it, the procedure will fail.

We will stop here with our first article from this series. In the next few days we will continue publishing other tutorials in which you will learn how to: add a MAC OS X boot & logon screen, install MAC OS X icons, install a MAC OS X dock, move the titlebar icons from right to left as in MAC OS X and how to simulate the ALT-TAB behavior from MAC OS X. Stay tuned!

Related articles:
Transform your Windows Vista into a Mac OS X Leopard – Part 2
Pimp My Windows Vista: How to install new themes
Pimp My Windows Vista: How to change your sound scheme
Use System File Checker To Repair Windows Vista System Files
System Restore

31 thoughts on “Transform your Windows Vista into a Mac OS X Leopard – Part 1”

  1. This is the most bogus
    This is the most bogus article ever written. If I wanted a Mac OS, I woulda bought one. Vista Ultimate kicks major ass. If ya already got Jessica Alba why do you need a Lindsay Lohan lookalike?

  2. Tru, yet…
    It’s not “entirely” bogus. Personally i wanna purchase a macbook bcuz:
    1. Apple has won me over [psychologically] by how well they’ve marketed their product (both the macbook itself and the software on it are esthetically pleasant and have nice features)
    2. Leopard OS X seems to run much smoother than Vista (with all the errors and this stopped working and that stopped working, songs getting chopped up when the system chokes and shit like that… besides, all u mac owners need 2 take advantage of ur systems before everybody starts switching to mac and before the viruses start comin out :P)

    To calm the ‘esthetic’ side i’ve done this lil ‘makeover’ to my vista. Besides… i’m pretty sure there’s nuff ppl out here who got bored of their theme and just wanted a change 🙂 nothin wrong wit dat!

    Thanks for tha tutorial, still!

  3. A very good tutorial
    This tutorial is excelent, but I realised that it is much more easier to buy a mac. I think I’ll make an AutoIt script to do all those steps automatically. PS: Sorry for the bad English

  4. Bogus?
    I believe the term bogus is commonly used to refer to something that is false. I found nothing false in this article; if you follow the article step-by-step you’ll end up with a Vista machine that looks as close to a Mac as anything I’ve seen. Whether a person wants to do this or not is simply a matter of choice. I greatly appreciate the article, being one of those Mac people stuck in a Windows world (at least for now). I actually run Ubuntu on my dual-boot machine and use windows only for gaming, ubuntu for everything else. Someday, when I grow up, I’ll own a Mac, but for now this article’s guidance has made life a little more pleasant.

    Thank you!

  5. switcher does not work without aero
    heys do u have another alternative for the switcher as the theme provided is fo vista basic which will not have aero functions therfore the switcher does not work.

    • did u rename the old 1
      did u rename the old 1 browseui.dll.old? if so, just delete the new browseui.dll and rename the browseui.dll.old to browseui.dll

      hope it helped

  6. Appearance Settings
    Hi,

    My list within Appearance Settings is showing WIndows AERO / Windows Vista BASIC over 12 times.

    Could you help please?

    Thank you ever so much.

    Steve

  7. On Ubuntu
    This would be great on Ubuntu. There are a few “make Ubuntu look like a Mac” processes out there, but nothing this though out and detailed. Has anyone tried it? I’m too much of a novice with linux and pc to attempt it from scratch.

  8. Hey its unbelievable hard to
    Hey its unbelievable hard to actually find a download out there for a mac theme for vista. i mean i have downloaded so much Junk software trying to download a decent theme and pointer etc. and this right here is brilliant THANKS ALOT! 🙂

  9. solutions
    The original browseui.dll can be ‘found’ simply by renaming the browseui.dll.old to browseui.dll which should be the original dll if you followed the tutorial. If you didn’t follow the tutorial and you don’t have the default dll anymore read this tutorial on how to verify the integrity of vista system files. It should work.

    @Stevey G, install VistaDeskHack. It will solve the problem with the same names for all Vista themes. On the “How to install new themes” article you can find instructions on how to install (and download) VistaDeskHack.

  10. Windows visual style file & Windows theme file
    So i can’t open the Files iv’e downloaded in the apperance settings
    (where it says Color Scheme) the aero file that is alrdy there is Windos theme file and the ones inside the folders are windows visual style file .
    Could use some help! thx!

  11. Not working, or I’m not doing it correctly?
    Somehow, It’s not working for me. I think I did every step. Can you help me?

    Also, wp.com isn’t my homepage 😛

  12. can anybody help me?
    When I

    can anybody help me?

    When I extract this folders:

    AGE OF TECHNOLOGY LEOPARD STYLE VISTA VISUAL STYLES.zip
    SPIRIT OF LEOPARD VISTA VISUAL STYLES.zip

    I can’t see new options in the personalize window, why does it happen and how can I fix it?

    thank you

  13. interesting article..
    most people dont buy a mac because it looks better… its mainly because it works better… and over all its EASIER to use. not just easier to find things with a different display. once you go mac you never go back. i suffered for years under the torture of windows and its problems… i’m finally free and its the greatest thing in the world. i have never once become frustrated or aggravated at my mac. i havent yelled either. having a mac is just plain less stressful than having a pc. my risks of getting heart attacks and cancer due to stress have greatly decreased

  14. DO NOT DO THIS
    when i renamed browseui.dll into browseui.dll.old it TOTALLY messed up my laptop. now even though i saved a restore point it wont let me use it the screens all black when i log in with only an error message saying “this application has failed to run because browseui.dll is missing” but it would let me run ANYTHING from the task manager.its HORRIBLE. my laptops basically crashed cuz of this, if anyone can help in anyway email me.

    • OMG the same thing happened im absolutley bricking it
      Hey there im having sam probs have you found anything out if so could you reply any help will be appreciated thanks sooooo much .

  15. Hey I’ve installed everything
    Hey I’ve installed everything and it works like a dream……………… The only thing I have issues with are the mouse pointers. I chose the mac ones and saved it as a theme and then clicked apply but everytime I start Vista the pointers go back to the default setting :(. I’ve tried several things but none of them has worked…Can anyone help me????

  16. Man you have made the best theme ever
    It runs faster than windows as well. I ain’t kiddin man..You have done a great thing…Who would have thought, MAC is the best, I have a Apple Mac book pr and I’ve made my brothers vista a mac and its cool…really cool bro…

  17. Problem with the minimize, maximize and close button
    Hey can someone please explain this to me, I got a problem here, I’ve done everything well, and get stuck when I was trying to choose the theme. The problem is that the minimize, maximize and close button on the top right of every window, just don’t change to the green yellow and red. It applies for all the themes. I’ll really appreciate the answers. Thanks in advance =]

  18. HELP PLEASE…. when i was
    HELP PLEASE…. when i was changing the arrows… i don’t know, i reboot the pc, and now is black, it says that the archive “browseui.dll” is not found… i don’t know what to do, because nothings open T_T
    sorry for my bad english… i know this is old, but i hope someone could help me T_T

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