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We purchased a new laptop for our 73 year old father who was just getting used to Win XP. He has asked if there is any way to make the interface look and work like XP? So my question is: is there any way to make the interface look and work like XP?
Brian
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
If you want that same classic mode (the gray toolbars and such), that does exist in Windows 7. Just right-click your desktop, choose Personalize, then scroll down and click "Windows Classic".
If this solves your issue, click the 'Propose as Answer' link below, and vote as helpful by clicking the green triangle to the lelft. Thanks!
For the most part it already does, because it was built from Windows XP. For example, all windows still have the familiar _ and X buttons to minimize and close them. You can also change the taskbar to show the words rather than just icons, or make other changes as you need. While there's no "XP button", changes like this can get close.
If you are simply wanting the visual style to look like XP without changing any function, you can use a skinning program such as WindowBlinds by StarDock.
If this solves your issue, click the 'Propose as Answer' link below, and vote as helpful by clicking the green triangle to the lelft. Thanks!
Step 1: Download and change the taskbar) First download the 7 to XP pack.zip file,then save it.
Open it with WinRAR and extract it to your desktop.
Click on the folder.
Then,to do the taskbar,click on Start orb changer.
Run the Windows 7 Start Button Changer v2.6 application.
Click Select & Change Start Button.
Click the Windows 7 orb next to it.
Look for Windows XP start.bmp.
Click it.
It will change the taskbar thingy.
If this solves your issue, click the 'Propose as Answer' link below, and vote as helpful by clicking the green triangle to the left. Thanks!
I know I can't help you restore everything, but I'd like to help where I can. For your folder customizing woes, I actually recent wrote a blog post about it. It's frustrating I know, but this will show how to apply a style to all your folders at once.
http://skeene.net/tech/apply-folder-styles-to-all-subfolders/
You can make all folders appear in a tree by right-clicking an empty area in the folder list and choosing 'show all folders'. It will be the same order as before, with the desktop at the top.
Hopefully that helps get at least a few settings back to the way you prefer.
In XP, I used to select windows classic and everything was just like before. Now, it gives the appearance that it is XP (everything looks grey and square, so what?), but it still is not just like before because I don't have the functionality like before. For instance, it always makes me sort the folders by name instead of by date, and XP would let me make all folders the same so I could customize one and never have to bother with it again! So now every folder I go into, I have to click on sort by date, sort by date, sort by date. Another folder, sort by date. Sure, at home I may want to sort by name, but at work, I'm looking for the most recent files, all the time.
Or how about making the folders appear in a tree like before instead of having to look at it all in one line at the top of the page?! I used to could navigate without even having to think. Now, it is a challenge to find what I want.
I know I'm being persnickety, but I don't want to have to spend days wasted trying to learn how to navigate all over again. It's like being an expert for years and having to become a beginner all over again. Why? I just want to slap someone.
And this is exactly why I go kicking and screaming into each new version of whatever that Microsoft puts out. They always make EVERYTHING new instead of just putting in some new cool features and more security, they make it all different so you are lost for a few days until you adapt. Why not just keep things the same? Add some new stuff for the young crowd, or those who get bored with anything old, but leave us old fogeys alone!
