Recipe 5.3. Showing Your XP Version on Your Desktop

Problem

You want to be able to instantly know the exact XP version, including SP number and build number, directly on your desktop, or on the desktops of computers that you support.

Solution

Using the Registry

1. Open the Registry Editor and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop.

2. Find the DWORD value PaintDesktopVersion.

3. Change the value to 1.

4. Exit the Registry and reboot. You should see a box similar to that shown in Figure 5-7. To remove the version and build number from your desktop, change the value back to 0.

Figure 5-7. Use the Registry to show the precise XP build number and SP number on your desktop

Using downloadable software

TweakUI, one of a suite of free, unsupported utilities from Microsoft called PowerToys, can also be used to display the XP version on your desktop. After you install it and run it, go to the General section and check Show windows version on desktop and click OK. After you reboot, the XP version will be displayed.

Discussion

If you don't put the precise XP build number and SP number on the desktop, you can still easily find that information for any computer. Right-click on My Computer and choose Properties General.