In order to make the $399 high-end edition of Windows Vista stand out of the Vista "crowd", Microsoft is delivering content which is exclusive to that version. And the DreamScene technology is just such an example. Users of Vista Ultimate will be able to set animated wallpapers and video fragments as the background of their operating system.

Microsoft is hard at work finishing DreamScene for a final release but as of now, the Ultimate Extras team only managed to make available a Technical Preview build. Typically, DreamScene is available exclusively through the Windows Update mechanism in 32-bit and 64-bit Ultimate copies of Windows Vista. The additional users of Microsoft latest platform are not permitted access to the technology.

However, DreamScene has already been stripped from the Vista Ultimate edition and made available for download over peer-to-peer networks. Moreover, hackers have also implemented a crack that will allow DreamScene to be integrated in all editions of the Vista operating system.

In this regard, a NonUltimate DreamScene package is available for download in the wild that not only opens the Ultimate Extras technology to all users of Vista, but also sets up Vista Home Basic, Home Premium and Business so that the users can scrape static backgrounds altogether for a much more interesting alternative.

The NonUltimate DreamScene package comes with automated deployment, but alternatively, the manual installing process is also available. It's a 20 steps long intricate guide that involves registry hacking, being only meant for advanced users.

My personal advice is that there are other ways to enjoy animated backgrounds on your Windows Vista, and that you should consider alternatives such as VideoLAN's VLC Player instead of downloading and installing the cracked version of DreamScene. Just to be on the safe side.