It is possible to display the version of Windows in the lower right corner of your desktop.  This requires a modification in the Windows Registry.

Note:
You cannot decide what text you want to appear; it's predefined, based on the version of Windows you are running.  For example, the text for Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2 will be along the lines of:

Windows XP Professional
Build 2600.xpsp_sp2_rtm.040803-2158 (Service Pack 2)


Procedure:

1) Click the Start button, click Run, type regedit and click OK

2) On the left-hand side, navigate to (and highlight)
     HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop

3) On the right-hand side, locate PaintDesktopVersion and double-click it

4) In the pop-up window, change the data to 1 and click OK

Note:
  0 = Hide Windows version from desktop
  1 = Show Windows version on desktop

5) Close the Windows Registry Editor as well as your other programs and reboot (or log off and log back in).


Originally submitted by Sean.