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Luna desktopReact · CSS Luna chrome

Windows XP Simulator

A working Luna desktop in the browser. Double-click icons, drag windows, play Minesweeper, type in Notepad, and open the Start menu.

Starting the Windows XP desktop.

One more perspective

Keep exploring the scale

Every toy changes one assumption. Try another and see what moves.

Fig. 01

Material physics

Pottery Wheel Simulator

Shape wet clay with wheel inertia, surface friction, volume conservation, and wall buckling.

Fig. 02

Interactive astronomy

Planetary Motion Lab

Trace Mars across Earth's sky, then compare heliocentric and geocentric explanations.

Windows XP simulator

A Luna desktop you can actually click

This page is a window manager in the browser. Icons select, windows stack, the taskbar tracks what is open, and the Start menu launches programs. The look is the 2001 Luna theme rebuilt in CSS, not a screenshot and not an emulator.

How to use the simulator

  1. Double-click My Computer, Minesweeper, Notepad, or Paint.
  2. Drag a title bar to move a window. Drag a corner to resize it.
  3. Use the green Start button for programs that are not on the desktop.
  4. Log Off or Turn Off Computer from the Start menu footer.

What is running in the page

Each program is a React view registered by id. The desktop reducer stores position, size, z-order, and focus. Minesweeper is a pure board engine with tests for the first-click guarantee, flooding, flags, and chords.

Programs on this desktop

GameMinesweeper

9×9, 16×16, and 30×16 boards with a timer and mine counter.

EditorsNotepad and Paint

Type, wrap, and save a text file, or draw with pencil, fill, line, and rectangle tools.

ShellExplorer and IE

Browse a fake C: drive, then open the start page or a missing-page screen.

Windows XP simulator FAQ

What is a Windows XP simulator?

A Windows XP simulator is a web page that recreates the Luna desktop in a browser: icons, overlapping windows, a taskbar, a Start menu, and a few built-in programs. It is not a copy of Microsoft Windows and it does not boot a real operating system.

How do I open programs in this Windows XP simulator?

Double-click a desktop icon, or click start and pick a program. On a phone, tap an icon once. Open windows also appear on the taskbar.

Does Minesweeper work like the Windows XP game?

Yes for the rules that matter. The first click is never a mine, right-click cycles flag and question mark, and a double-click on a numbered square chords its neighbors. Beginner, Intermediate, and Expert boards match the classic sizes.

Why do some Start menu items show an error?

Items that this page does not implement open a missing-program dialog, the way an incomplete XP install used to. Minesweeper, Notepad, Paint, Internet Explorer, Media Player, My Computer, and Recycle Bin are wired up.

Can I use the Windows XP simulator on a phone?

Yes. Resizable windows open maximized on a narrow screen, and a tap launches an icon. The desktop is still easier on a pointer, because XP itself was built for a mouse.

Is this a real Windows XP license or install?

No. This is a browser recreation, not Microsoft Windows. Icons, minesweeper sprites, the Start button, and the Bliss wallpaper come from a public web recreation. There is no Windows kernel and nothing is copied from an XP install disc.

Fan recreation of Windows XP desktop chrome, not affiliated with Microsoft. Icons, minesweeper sprites, the Start button, and the Bliss wallpaper come from a public web recreation, not from an XP install disc.