Is there a way to Make Win10 look more like WinXP?

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Can I make Win10 look more like WinXP?

I know Win10 is [cough} perfect, and new. While WinXP is old.

But from what I've seen of Win10 so far I'm not impressed.
How do I customize the look of Windows 10? I would like a similar layout to Windows XP.
Start / Most used Programs / All Programs, etc....

All those APPs like settings are annoying. I'm using a desktop not a tablet.
How do I remove or turnoff Cortana?

After 13+ yrs with XP, I kinda like it. I know where everything is, if not I can find it fast. When I was installing programs onto Win10 using a USB flash drive. I closed the window to take a break.
Ten minutes later I came back to continue, and forgot where to open up the USB flash drive. I did find it a few minutes later. But there is a better way to have this setup. IMHO XP was perfect for this.


Please help get this Win10 to be more useful.
 
I don't know about that. But it can be made to look exactly like 7.
 
Classic Shell has a 'Classic' mode which makes the Start menu behave more closely to XP's.
Classic Explorer (which can be installed from Classic Shell's installer) makes Explorer behave more like old school Explorer, and that may be more to your liking as well.

Cortana can only be turned off using gpedit (which is not in 10 Home, so if you don't have Pro or above, you're SOL). Issue there is even if you turn her off, several services related to her still run & take up resources.
 
Can I make Win10 look more like WinXP?

I know Win10 is [cough} perfect, and new. While WinXP is old.

But from what I've seen of Win10 so far I'm not impressed.
How do I customize the look of Windows 10? I would like a similar layout to Windows XP.
Start / Most used Programs / All Programs, etc....

All those APPs like settings are annoying. I'm using a desktop not a tablet.
How do I remove or turnoff Cortana?

After 13+ yrs with XP, I kinda like it. I know where everything is, if not I can find it fast. When I was installing programs onto Win10 using a USB flash drive. I closed the window to take a break.
Ten minutes later I came back to continue, and forgot where to open up the USB flash drive. I did find it a few minutes later. But there is a better way to have this setup. IMHO XP was perfect for this.


Please help get this Win10 to be more useful.
http://winaero.com/blog/get-windows-xp-look-in-windows-10-without-themes-or-patches/
 
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Classic Shell has a 'Classic' mode which makes the Start menu behave more closely to XP's.
Classic Explorer (which can be installed from Classic Shell's installer) makes Explorer behave more like old school Explorer, and that may be more to your liking as well.

Cortana can only be turned off using gpedit (which is not in 10 Home, so if you don't have Pro or above, you're SOL). Issue there is even if you turn her off, several services related to her still run & take up resources.


Is the Classic Shell download safe now? Wasn't it hacked recently? It looks very promising.

Are these viable options to add gpedit?
https://www.tenforums.com/general-support/12684-policy-editor-not-available-win-10-home-edition.html

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...e/9f2ab0da-3821-48e6-9205-fd7755b904f4?auth=1




Will this allow the Win10 Taskbar & Start Menu act more like WinXP? Or just look like it?


Is there anyway to make the changes with in the Win10 settings?


FYI: I only have installed Win10 a couple days ago, with just a couple other programs: AVG, SeaMonkey, FireFox. So if I muck it up, a reinstall is tolerable.
 
Please help get this Win10 to be more useful.

Windows 10 is a disaster, but if you must use it Classic Shell will do exactly what you want for the start menu. I've actually been using it since Vista just because it offers a huge amount of customization options. Here's my minimalist start menu on my 7 box:

Start.jpg



If you have a 7 or 8 license handy I'd highly recommend using that over 10 (classic shell eliminates the need for the start screen on 8). 7 is the best OS Microsoft has ever made and it still has a few more years of support.

You also might want to give Linux Mint a try. It's an actual desktop OS and the UI is a lot more like XP/7. I've been moving all of my machines over to it since I discovered that all of my favorite games (and ~1/3 of my entire Steam Library) are Linux native now. No point in trying to fix all of Microsoft's BS when there are superior free alternatives out there.
 
Does anyone still use Start8 under Windows 8/8.1 to get the Windows 7 Start Menu back?

I used to use it in the day and it was spot on.
 
I suggest running windows XP in a virtual box inside of 10 . That way when you need your fix it's there. Before you know it you should prefer 10 once you get used to it.
 
Does anyone still use Start8 under Windows 8/8.1 to get the Windows 7 Start Menu back?

I used to use it in the day and it was spot on.

Yep. But I use StartIsBack on 8.1

Gives me the post 7 kernel improvements of 10 minus all the telemetry, uninstallable crapware, forced updates and overall straightjacket of 10. Best of both worlds.
 
I suggest running windows XP in a virtual box inside of 10 . That way when you need your fix it's there. Before you know it you should prefer 10 once you get used to it.
Or even just keep running XP on XP-era hardware. I mean if someone is used to a 13+ year old OS, why wouldn't they be comfortable with 13+ year old hardware?

Last I checked, XP hasn't stopped functioning.
 
Or even just keep running XP on XP-era hardware. I mean if someone is used to a 13+ year old OS, why wouldn't they be comfortable with 13+ year old hardware?

Last I checked, XP hasn't stopped functioning.


Well I plan to hold onto the XP system until I have my Win10 running the way I want. I want to play newer games that XP can't play. I'll have to give Win10 a chance, to see if I can adjust. I tried a few Linux distros a few months back.
But I couldn't decide on one that a really liked. So I need to take another look.
 
Or even just keep running XP on XP-era hardware. I mean if someone is used to a 13+ year old OS, why wouldn't they be comfortable with 13+ year old hardware?

Last I checked, XP hasn't stopped functioning.

XP-era hardware is best run with linux. XP has many unpatched security issues so it shouldn't be used online at all.
 
Can I make Win10 look more like WinXP?

I know Win10 is [cough} perfect, and new. While WinXP is old.

But from what I've seen of Win10 so far I'm not impressed.
How do I customize the look of Windows 10? I would like a similar layout to Windows XP.
Start / Most used Programs / All Programs, etc....

All those APPs like settings are annoying. I'm using a desktop not a tablet.
How do I remove or turnoff Cortana?

After 13+ yrs with XP, I kinda like it. I know where everything is, if not I can find it fast. When I was installing programs onto Win10 using a USB flash drive. I closed the window to take a break.
Ten minutes later I came back to continue, and forgot where to open up the USB flash drive. I did find it a few minutes later. But there is a better way to have this setup. IMHO XP was perfect for this.


Please help get this Win10 to be more useful.

You can disable all of the tiles in the start menu. File Explorer is still... file explorer... in the task bar. No smoke and mirrors there. You literally just open file Explorer and find the drive you want.

The start menu can easily be setup to accommodate most used programs. Or you can use something like rocket dock.

The security advancements alone make Windows 10 leaps and bounds better than xp. As much as people complain about privacy with w10, you are actually more at risk for exposing personal information on xp.
 
But StartIsBack costs money and classicshell does the same thing for free.
Also, Windows Updates had broken Explorer.exe and black screened w/cursor twice with StartIsBack for me, never has happened with CS (in my use). Admittedly, I have not tried SIB since Windows 8.1 so I don't know what it's been like since v1.6.1...
 
Well I plan to hold onto the XP system until I have my Win10 running the way I want. I want to play newer games that XP can't play. I'll have to give Win10 a chance, to see if I can adjust. I tried a few Linux distros a few months back.
But I couldn't decide on one that a really liked. So I need to take another look.
What "adjust" do you need?

In Windows XP, you could put an icon on the desktop, in the quick launch, or under Start.

In Windows 10, you can put an icon on the desktop, in the quick launch, or under Start.

I had an interesting discussion with someone the other day. They were saying they couldn't figure out Win10, because the desktop only has one icon on it, the Recycle Bin. It wasn't like XP, which had other stuff. They couldn't even tell me the name or function of ANY of the other icons they remembered seeing. But they insisted other stuff was there, and for some reason that made it more usable. I looked at them funny, then pulled out my phone. I then showed them an image of the default XP desktop, from 2001, which had.. just the Recycle Bin.
 
But StartIsBack costs money and classicshell does the same thing for free.

OK. Viva la options.

SIB $1.99 lifetime license when I bought it didn't really break the bank, and it auto-updates itself to adapt to whatever crap MS throws down the windows update pipe. ClassicShell works, but SIB gave me more of the true blue Win7 start menu feeling when I compared them initially.
 
OK. Viva la options.

SIB $1.99 lifetime license when I bought it didn't really break the bank, and it auto-updates itself to adapt to whatever crap MS throws down the windows update pipe. ClassicShell works, but SIB gave me more of the true blue Win7 start menu feeling when I compared them initially.
Between sib and classicshell start, I preferred sib premium. Worth the $2.

But then I moved to W10 and removed tiles. I don't mine the menu structure after the tiles are gone.
 
What "adjust" do you need?

In Windows XP, you could put an icon on the desktop, in the quick launch, or under Start.

In Windows 10, you can put an icon on the desktop, in the quick launch, or under Start.

I had an interesting discussion with someone the other day. They were saying they couldn't figure out Win10, because the desktop only has one icon on it, the Recycle Bin. It wasn't like XP, which had other stuff. They couldn't even tell me the name or function of ANY of the other icons they remembered seeing. But they insisted other stuff was there, and for some reason that made it more usable. I looked at them funny, then pulled out my phone. I then showed them an image of the default XP desktop, from 2001, which had.. just the Recycle Bin.



I'm so used to the Start / All Programs or clicking on the desktop icons way of doing things. I don't get all the APPs features. Although I do have a tablet. I only use it for a couple things: calculator, browser, internet radio. That's only when I don't feel like starting up my PC or Laptop.
Before you say it, no I don't have a cell phone. Hopefully I can adjust or adjust to Win10.
 
I'm so used to the Start / All Programs or clicking on the desktop icons way of doing things. I don't get all the APPs features. Although I do have a tablet. I only use it for a couple things: calculator, browser, internet radio. That's only when I don't feel like starting up my PC or Laptop.
Before you say it, no I don't have a cell phone. Hopefully I can adjust or adjust to Win10.
You missed Start > All Programs. Win10 used to have it. Due to feedback, they changed it. They removed the "All Programs" part. Clicking Start still shows ... all programs.You can STILL put icons on the desktop if you want. Windows 10 hasn't stopped that. Did someone tell you that you couldn't put icons on the desktop? That would have been an outright lie.

You're not obligated to use apps in Windows 10 that you don't want to use. You don't need to set up Mail, or Edge, or News, or Money. You can just "not open" them and they fall out of your periphery. Use the apps you still like. If you're into Chrome, do that. Firefox, same. If you like Thunderbird for mail, go for it. You never have to open the Store.

It's too bad you don't have a cell phone. They are pretty cool.
 
So is it possible to change this:

http://gunnarpeipman.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/windows-10-start-menu-sq_thumb.png

to look more like this:

http://theeldergeek.com/images/User Interface/UI-64.gif

without installing something like Classic Shell?


When I hear APPs, all I can think about are stupid cell phone features. Stuff I will not be using, anytime soon if I can help it. I'm not a phone person, never was.

Having cell phone features on my PC, just ticks me off. ATM, I'm still using my WinXP system until I get my head around what I need to change in Win10.
 
^ Is that the new Nightmare™ theme?

Seriously, though, you gotta take a step back and ask yourself what the F happened to Windows...
 
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^ LOL, is that the new Nightmare™ theme?

Seriously, though, you gotta take a step back and ask yourself what the F happened to Windows...

It got modern.

I love the theme now. On my large display the darker colors are easier to look at. I quickly whipped up the right side icons to have the stuff he appears to want, for whatever reason. Most of it is under the right-click menu anyway so it's just clutter here.

It's not like it's precedent. Macs have had a dark theme for a while, and the default theme on many Linux distros is dark. Ubuntu STILL uses brown and purple for their primary theme. Brown, and purple.
 
Dear god that's ugly.

It got modern.

I love the theme now. On my large display the darker colors are easier to look at. I quickly whipped up the right side icons to have the stuff he appears to want, for whatever reason. Most of it is under the right-click menu anyway so it's just clutter here.

It's not like it's precedent. Macs have had a dark theme for a while, and the default theme on many Linux distros is dark. Ubuntu STILL uses brown and purple for their primary theme. Brown, and purple.

You could make Aero Glass as light or dark as you want... plus it didn't look like shit: it was designed for an actual desktop instead of a phablet.

Compare that 10 monstrosity to my super-minimal ClassicShell start menu I posted earlier.
 
Dear god that's ugly.



You could make Aero Glass as light or dark as you want... plus it didn't look like shit: it was designed for an actual desktop instead of a phablet.

Compare that 10 monstrosity to my super-minimal ClassicShell start menu I posted earlier.
See, that's where opinions come in. Like your hyper-minimal thing would be useless to me. I can't make any use of it. Everything is under Programs, which means clicking some amount of times in a tree. I don't want to do that. Tiles allow for an ordered, directional flow of common tasks. My personal Win10 machine's tiles read like my day; the first tile is the first thing I do. The second tile is after that. My tile layout is fairly sparse. The sample I made was specifically to show that what he wanted, can be roughly approximated with tiles.

The Win10 Start panel can get all the tiles removed, and shrunk down to almost only the Most Used apps. It's still scrollable, and has no flyouts. Unlike yours, which will splatter flyouts all over the screen, impeding visibility, Win10's Start doesn't change from the size it's set to.
 
See, that's where opinions come in. Like your hyper-minimal thing would be useless to me. I can't make any use of it. Everything is under Programs, which means clicking some amount of times in a tree. I don't want to do that. Tiles allow for an ordered, directional flow of common tasks. My personal Win10 machine's tiles read like my day; the first tile is the first thing I do. The second tile is after that. My tile layout is fairly sparse.

Then just add your handful of frequently used apps to the top of the menu. It's not rocket science. It would still look better and use less space than that Metro disaster.

Even my phone has folders for convenience and organization. Why are you trying so hard to pretend that's not what people want?

The sample I made was specifically to show that what he wanted, can be roughly approximated with tiles.

The sample you gave looks like complete shit. What happens if I have more than a few apps? How is scrolling though a huge alphabetical list easier than having things sorted into a couple of folders? It seems like they're trying to make the menu as useless and barebones as possible to push people into using search. This kind of behavior is why Microsoft is gradually losing the desktop.

I'm so tired of the bullshit marketing excuses for Metro and all the other fails in Windows 8 and 10. Stop trying to polish this turd.
 
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The quest for minimalism or the next new UI innovation has led to designs that actually take longer to navigate around. Take many browser UIs now. Firefox might take 3-4 clicks now to get to your web history or restore previous session button instead of the two it takes me if I setup the UI to put up the old File, Edit,Tools, Help menu bar at the top of the screen.

But you know, the UI's look cleaner or something.
 
You can very easily 'strip down' the Win10 Start menu, like so:
LxZVZ5e.png

Unpin everything and drag in the handles from the right. Voila.
Classic Shell is definitely a requirement of 8/8.1....but I'm fine with 10's Start menu for the most part. My only gripe is that MS keeps dumping apps and games in it that they think I'll use, and removing them only makes them come back...so, whatever.
Not like we're talking hundreds of MB here...I just leave the shit and ignore it. Candy Crush? Sure, why not. :rolleyes:
 
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Keep using XP. I know for a fact many many ATM machines still run XP. Granted they are in the process of upgrading but its not like they get hacked all day everyday.
 
Then just add your handful of frequently used apps to the top of the menu. It's not rocket science. It would still look better and use less space than that Metro disaster.
It's not always about using less space. Unless it's a $200 junker laptop, it likely has a decent resolution screen. The amount of space should ideally be -constant-. A bunch of flyout menus isn't constant.

Even my phone has folders for convenience and organization. Why are you trying so hard to pretend that's not what people want?
Yeah, folders that take the entire screen. On a small device this may make sense, but people just spend the last four years complaining that Win8/8.1 had a big full screen Start that got in the way apparently. So now it doesn't.

The sample you gave looks like complete shit. What happens if I have more than a few apps?
Thank you senator, your comment has been duly noted.

I like this one better:

https://image.************/bX0riv/Untitled.png

It's still weird cuz again, a lot of this stuff doesn't NEED to be here. I explicitly went for his XP screenshot and reproducing as many of the things on it as possible. I couldn't find a Win10 version of MSN Explorer tho. I also show that yes, the All Apps can do folders.

If you have a lot of apps, which is arbitrary since I don't know what "a lot" is (10, 500?), it can lean toward the user optimizing workflow. At some point we really shouldn't be splattering icons and flyouts all over the place.
 
Well I downloaded Classic shell, and made a few changes. So far it looks good. My new Start Menu looks similar to this one below. While my task bar is a brick red. I think it came out nice.

swckgh.png


It'll take a while to get used to the way the tasks work in the task bar. But so far, it isn't too bad.

For now Win10 will live on this computer. lol

Thx, for the help guys. :)
 
I had an interesting discussion with someone the other day. They were saying they couldn't figure out Win10, because the desktop only has one icon on it, the Recycle Bin. It wasn't like XP, which had other stuff. They couldn't even tell me the name or function of ANY of the other icons they remembered seeing. But they insisted other stuff was there, and for some reason that made it more usable. I looked at them funny, then pulled out my phone. I then showed them an image of the default XP desktop, from 2001, which had.. just the Recycle Bin.
And I very much understand them. First thing I do on windows reinstalls is enabling default desktop icons (not necessary all of them). It's like having a phone with empty homescreen, no calls, messaging or camera apps. Empty. Because they couldn't name/remember, doesn't mean they actually didn't use them. For example, on every day bases I use My Documents to open Documents, Downloads, Pictures etc. (no, I don't want to add seperate shortcuts on desktop), I use My Computer to access hard drives, mounted usb devices or virtual images, etc., I use properties for device manager etc. I put frequently used application shortcuts to desktop, some of the documents I currently work with etc. everything just like you would do on physical desktop and keep it organized. It would be weird for me to leave the desktop or taskbar empty.
 
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And I very much understand them. First thing I do on windows reinstalls is enabling default desktop icons (not necessary all of them). It's like having a phone with empty homescreen, no calls, messaging or camera apps. Empty. Because they couldn't name/remember, doesn't mean they actually didn't use them. For example, on every day bases I use My Documents to open Documents, Downloads, Pictures etc. (no, I don't want to add seperate shortcuts on desktop), I use My Computer to access hard drives, mounted usb devices or virtual images, etc., I use properties for device manager etc. I put frequently used application shortcuts to desktop, some of the documents I currently work with etc. everything just like you would do on physical desktop and keep it organized. It would be weird for me to leave the desktop or taskbar empty.
Except Windows 10 can be set up that way too. So the complaint is that Win10 doesn't have the icons XP has, despite in XP a conscious effort had to be made to make it that way, and in Windows 10, the same effort could be made.. For some reason there's a difference.

http://www.isunshare.com/windows-10/add-desktop-icons-on-windows-10.html
 
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