Early versions of Windows showed the version number on the desktop, this feature was removed in the released version. This tweak can be used to enable the feature and allow you to quickly locate which version of Windows is running.

Open your registry and find the key below.

Create a new DWORD (or String on Windows 98 and Me) value, or modify the existing value called 'PaintDesktopVersion' set the value to equal '1' to display the version.

Exit the registry, you may need to restart for the change to take effect.

Note: The Windows version may be hidden behind the taskbar when you have Active Desktop enabled. If this is the case disable Active Desktop to view the label.

Settings:
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
Name: PaintDesktopVersion
Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Value: (0 = disable, 1 = enable)