Using KDE but want something different

[mz]

I'm looking for a replacement desktop. Currently I'm using KDE v4.4.4. It has 
way too many bells and whistles for my needs, and there doesn't seem to be a 
way to turn them off.

I keep an extremely clean desktop with almost nothing on it. There are a few 
links to frequently accessed files or directories, but that's about it. At 
times I will temporarily store files on the desktop before deciding whether or 
where to store them. I do almost everything through the application launcher 
menu and the file manager.

My perfect desktop would be similar to the old Windows XP with a simple task 
bar and system tray. There would be simple icons, no widgets and no plasma 
workspaces. The file manager would be similar to the old Program Manager in 
Windows 3.1 with only a tree directory and files always displayed with a 
detailed view and absolutely no folder views.

Is there such a thing any more? If not, what's the closest to it?

TIA,
Mark Z.