T 'n' T: The Way We Were Enjoy Windows XP's Improvements Without Its Glitzy Interface Gregg Keizer
Mon 2/11/02 -- I'm all for Windows XP, but not for all the reasons Microsoft lays out in its sales spiels.
Fortunately, I can take the good -- like the operating system's super-solid stability -- without taking all the bad -- like Win XP's redesigned interface, flashy Start menu, and we-know-better-than-you-do attitude that hides things I want to see while displaying items I'd prefer to make disappear.
Turning back the Windows clock to regain the interface you knew and loved is possible, thanks to several settings that let you decide how XP looks and acts. Want to keep all your hard-earned Windows expertise? Here are my five favorite ways to return Windows XP to the straightforward style of earlier editions.
Classic Windows works. The first thing to do is get rid of the goofy new "Luna" interface -- the one that includes those big, red, Fisher-Price-sized close buttons at the corner of every window and the cool-because-it's-curved Start button. Frankly, XP looks as businesslike and professional to me as an episode of "Sesame Street."
Return with me to the days of yesteryear by right-clicking anywhere on the desktop, then selecting Properties. Click the Appearance tab, then in the "Windows and buttons" list, choose "Windows Classic style." Click Apply or OK and you're good to go. (You reclaim a tiny bit of screen real estate, too, since Classic title bars are narrower than Luna's.)
False Start. I hate XP's Start menu. Okay, the ability to put your mug shot or another user-logon graphic in the title bar is pretty cool, but I'm used to the old Start menu and the static, unchanging way it does things: I'll put my favorite programs at the top of the Start menu myself, thanks, rather than having Windows guess which ones I like.
Restart the Start menu by right-clicking the Start button and choosing Properties. On the Start Menu tab, check the "Classic Start menu" box. If you prefer, you can click the Customize button and pick and choose what appears where.
Who let the icons out? Say you decide to stick with the new Win XP look, but you're bummed: your familiar iconic friends -- Internet Explorer, My Computer, My Documents, My Network Places -- are nowhere to be seen. Who took 'em? Well, no one did; Microsoft just thinks they're superfluous, what with the similar items in the jumbo Start menu.
I want them back, however, even on PCs where I leave the XP interface intact. If you do too, right-click the desktop, pick Properties, and click the Desktop tab. Click the "Customize Desktop" button; check the boxes beside any of the four items at the top; then click OK in that dialog and the next.
You control the Control Panel. The first time I opened the Control Panel in Win XP, I almost had a fit: Some numbskull at Microsoft decided we were too stupid to select from a list of icons representing items, so he slapped on subgroups or categories -- like "Appearances and Themes" -- to guide us to the right applet. Hey, Mister Rogers of Redmond, I think I can handle this on my own. To put Control Panel back the way it should be, choose Control Panel from the Start menu, then click the link at the upper left that reads "Switch to Classic View."
A more familiar folder. Windows XP's folder style may be a boon to beginners -- the chore list at the left is handy -- but old dogs like me would rather not learn any new tricks. To change the folder style back to the pre-XP (some would say prehistoric) look of Windows 2000, open a folder -- any one will do, even My Documents -- and select Folder Options from the Tools menu. Check "Use Windows classic folders" (it's under the Tasks subheading), and click OK.
