[Leaning Right]

It’s a bit off-topic, but since you brought Windows up…

I really like my Windows XP machine (yes, it’s old and I’m old). I use it mainly for word processing.

I recently looked at a few Windows 10 and 11 machines. They all seem to be app-based. And it seems like you can only download new stuff from the Microsoft App Store. Oh, and you can only rent Microsoft Word now.

I don’t like all that. I like the older way better.

My question: Is there an option with the newer machines to make their desktop behave like an older one?
Thanks.

[Spaceman61]

The short answer is....No.

Resistance is Futile.

[cva66snipe]

They made File Explorer as dysfunctional as possible. They eliminated the Copy to and Move To functions in it which was very handy. Now it’s highlight, drag, and pray, as far as moving files around goes. They also made the Start Menu a nightmare right in the middle of the screen and hardly anything in their entire W/11 layout was left alone. They did this stunt with XP, W/10, and 11. Usually by now they would have restored Classic layouts. This time they aren’t listening. I upgraded a laptop from 10 to 11 and was sorry I did it. Very frustrating.

[dayglored]

> My question: Is there an option with the newer machines to make their desktop behave like an older one?

I personally like the Classic Windows 2000 desktop look/feel. I found it quick, intuitive, functional, and visually pleasing. So I decided I'd try to make any later releases look like Win2K.

When XP came out I "brain damaged" the new UI back into Win2K by disabling new features, simplifying the desktop, etc.

I skipped Vista.

When Win7 came out I did the same "brain damage" as on XP. It was a little more complex, disabling the Aero crap and other "features", but still quite possible. Other people would come up behind me and ask me why I was still running Windows 2000 almost 20 years later. I knew then I was succeeding.

Windows 10 was much more of a challenge, but happily, a savior wrote and released "Classic Shell" which allow you to choose a Start Menu that looks like the Classic one. That and the usual brain damage pretty much did the trick -- my Win10 machines look and feel pretty much like Win2K still. Not identical, but close enough that it still fools other people.

So the answer to your question is, "Yes, but it's not an 'option'. You have to add Classic Shell and do some work to remove the stupid crap MS has layered onto the UI over the years."

[smokingfrog]

Not entirely & you have to work at it.
You can buy MS Office Home and Business as a one time purchase.
The newest versions of Word suck big-time, though.

[Rurudyne]

Switch to Linux.

[threefinger]

"I recently looked at a few Windows 10 and 11 machines. They all seem to be app-based. And it seems like you can only download new stuff from the Microsoft App Store. Oh, and you can only rent Microsoft Word now."

I can't understand what you're saying but I've never got ANYTHING from the Microsoft store and my Win10 has everything on it I want or need, and then some.

I don't want or need M$ Word, I use Libre Office instead.

And Microsoft CAN'T force an upgrade on my Win10 because the entire update circuit was removed BEFORE it was installed (absent from the installation media). The only way humanly possible to do updates is with a 3rd-party app called WSUS Offline.

https://download.wsusoffline.net/
https://archive.org/search?query=subject%3A%22windows+10%22+ame

[Mr Rogers]

“They all seem to be app-based. And it seems like you can only download new stuff from the Microsoft App Store. Oh, and you can only rent Microsoft Word now.”

There is a cheap program to make 11 look like 7 or 8. You can download from anyone. And I’ve been on LibreOffice for years. I won’t use Office (or Word) for free any more.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/switching-out-of-s-mode-in-windows-4f56d9be-99ec-6983-119f-031bfb28a307

[Spktyr]

Your impression is incorrect except for some tablets and when Windows is in a special mode (which it often is for locked down public demo machines). 10 and 11 still load any app you want, etc. Office (Word, Excel, etc) is still available for a one time purchase fee, but they *are* trying to make it subscription only - and that goes for all versions of Windows.

[minnesota_bound]

#5 You can buy a one time purchase version of Office now. You can buy it cheap too. I got my Office 2021 Pro for $35 while others here posted they spent around $20. This was around Thanksgiving and or Christmas. You can buy Office 2016 at Ebay and other sites cheap too. Hardly any difference between the versions. You can buy the cd or a separate license then download. Microsoft will have you create an account and when you log in you can see your licensed for Windows 10 or 11 and Office so if you had to reinstall you will automatically be licensed.

Some software is only available in the Windows Store but there still is 99% that you can get elsewhere. I installed the free “Pin Files” app that allows me to pin files from my desktop or folder to the Start Menu in Windows 10. Microsoft had taken away the easy way of just dragging a file to the Start button... Many free apps and also paid for ones.

You can choose the Classic windows theme but in is not XP look. You need to go to the Stardock WindowBlinds site and you can download a 1,000+ themes which can have the XP look or Windows 7 look etc or many different looks. https://www.stardock.com/products/wb6/themes.asp

You do need to upgrade as the web browsers have stopped updating for Windows 7 and earlier this past February. Eventually sites like your bank or credit card site where you pay your bill or sites you want to buy products from will tell you that you need to update.

[daniel1212]

My question: Is there an option with the newer machines to make their desktop behave like an older one?

Yes indeed, as answered here many months ago (look for latest versions of the well-regarded software:

Like the the over 200 tweaks available in Ultimate Windows Tweaker 5 class="icon_svg-stroke" stroke="#666" stroke-width="1.5" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round">(quicker download here from Major Geeks) for Windows 11 from the Windows club (Windows 10 users should use Ultimate Windows Tweaker 4.8).

Add to this Right-Click Extender (add items to many right click menus),

Also, there are the many Winaero features of the Winaero Tweaker (but best to leave those dealing with color alone).

Plus Open Shell (click on Releases>Latest on middle right side) to replace the Windows 11 start menu (though in W/11 22H2 right clicking for properties in the start menu stopped working for me), and Explorer Patcher (look for Releases on the right here) that restores the Windows 11 taskbar to be exactly like Windows 10, and with it I use the Windows 7+ Taskbar Tweaker which provides more customization.

Resulting in these expansive quickly accessible layouts (composite image of desktop view in Windows 11: Start and Right-Click menus, default Device manager; task bar via Explorer Patcher. Thank God for such — to be used for good — and those who provide them):

Versus these examples of more limited, less compact, if scrollable, menus (and the sparsity of the Mint right click is not worth showing - Puppy is better) of Mint (equivalent start “Menu’ and ‘System Settings”)

But which is far better than the Windows 11 default Start menu

Even under “All apps:”

You can also turn off telemetry in Windows 10

Meanwhile T-Clock Redux works in W/10 far better than the default Windows clock, or any I have seen for Windows or Linux, but does not work for me in W/11 as yet.

Then there are free utilities such as AutoHotKey which does involve finding out some basic coding to create scripts which will do such things as remap (due to much typing and operations with stiff arthritic fingers) Caps Lock to ctrl+c, and Esc to ctrl+v ; NumLock to Esc and the middle mouse button to ctrl+x:

CapsLock::^c

(NumLock::Esc

Esc::^v

mbutton::^x

Also, I like more right click options on files, and even menu shortcuts:

And being able to quickly see and actually go the source of program executables in Windows via a right click on the menu icon, hit Properties and Open file location and go there.

Why? For one, because we should be able to. One of the first things I do in Windows is go to folder options and select Show hidden… and deselect Hide extensions… And I also sometimes want to edit something in the folder of programs.

Note that you can also create a Quick launch menu for your taskbar, either for a custom folders or the default Quick launch (buried in %UserProfile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch) . Right click on your taskbar and hit Toolbars and then New Toolbars and navigate you the folder of your choice,

You can also make and send folder or program shortcuts to the Send to folder (%UserProfile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo), whereby you can send files as images or documents (such as web pages) to be opened by these programs, which may be better than the default Open with or navigating dialogs.

To do so, click on the Send to folder in %UserProfile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\ and then place that shortcut in the folder itself. Then you can right click on program shortcuts such as to image viewers, editors, and send them to the Send to folder, and then if you want to open up an image or document in one of a program designed for it other than the default then you can right click on it and point to Send to and one of the programs you placed there for such.

.

I thank God for the tools we have, and those who create and improve and provide them. May they only be used for good, expressing God, the source of all that is Good.

[zeugma]

Open Office is a great replacement for all microsoft ‘office’ apps. Why rent, when you can get it for free?