If you've decided to make the jump to Windows 11, chances are you don't like some of the changes that Microsoft has made to the Taskbar, Start Menu, and File Explorer. However, you can fix many of these potential annoyances with a few tweaks and the help of some add-on tools.
Microsoft is rolling out Windows 11 in stages to gauge user experience and fix remaining issues before a widespread rollout, which is planned for early 2022. As is usually the case, many gamers and power users have already upgraded their systems, as shown by the latest Steam survey. However, many still feel like the user interface changes are too dramatic and in some cases a step back in terms of usability.
How to make Windows 10 look and feel like Windows 7
Download: https://urluss.com/2vEBNQ
You can perform a variety of customizations with it, such as making it look close to the Start Menu in Windows 10 or even Windows 7, changing its general behavior, and more. This tool comes from Stanislav Zinukhov, the same developer that was behind StartIsBack, a similar utility that was used to make Windows 10 and Windows 8 look more like Windows 7.
Here's how to make Windows 11 look more like Windows 10, from a few easy adjustments to a bigger modification that requires some technical know-how. For more on Window 11, here's how to change your default search engine in Edge and other browsers. If you're curious, here's what else has changed since Windows 10, what we wished had been included and how you can get the new OS.
It's worth saying, Microsoft right now doesn't offer a way to get the Windows 11 Start menu to look exactly like it did in Windows 10. But you can get close. If, you liked having the Start menu and taskbar on the left-hand side in Windows 10, you can quickly move it over in Windows 11. Here's how:
You can head to Microsoft's repository to find some Windows 10-appropriate wallpaper, or do a quick Google search for "original windows 10 wallpaper" to find a site like Wallpaperaccess that has Windows 10 backgrounds.
Understand what you WANT to do -- make Win10 look and feel like Win7 -- but you have to do that from INSIDE Win10, you can't link to anything in Win7 to do that. Also, if you Upgraded from Win7 to Win10 on the PC, then Win10 REUSED your Win7 license to do that, so NOW, you can't LEGALLY run that Win7 copy any more, on the original PC or on any other PC.
Fortunately, the B00merang Project is one of them; It provides you with Windows XP, 7 and 10 themes that support GTK toolkit and its desktops like Cinnamon, GNOME Shell, Xfce, Unity and other apps (Plank panel theme and Openbox window manager theme). It also provides you with the same Windows icon themes so that you can have the exact same look & feel as Windows.
So, now I fixed the (originally, the only problem I thought I had) first problem; problem is, now though, I have another problem. The picture you included, for how a Windows 7 themed desktop was supposed to look in the end, is not what my desktop looks like, presently.
Making your Windows 11 look like Windows 10 requires a combination of tweaking your registry settings and using a third-party tool. Fortunately, you can choose if you want all or only a few components to look like Windows 10.
Windows offers just one built-in tweak to make the Windows 11 Start Menu look like Windows 10 (though it does offer other Start Menu customization options). So if your primary Windows 11 pain point is the Start Menu, you might want to use a third-party tool.
App windows have new features like rounded corners and a menu with snap layouts that your app will automatically receive in most cases. If you've customized your window or title bar, you might need to do some work to make sure these new features are supported.
We rounded the corners of window borders in Windows 11. Our user research team found that rounded geometry psychologically provides a feeling of safety and makes the app's UI much easier to scan. This makes users feel less intimidated and the app feel more engaging. The amount of rounding was also carefully chosen. We worked across the company and user research to balance between feeling professional and being softer and more inviting.
Snap layouts are a new Windows 11 feature to help introduce users to the power of window snapping. Snap layouts are easily accessible by hovering the mouse over a window's maximize button or pressing Win + Z. After invoking the menu that shows the available layouts, users can click on a zone in a layout to snap a window to that particular zone and then use Snap Assist to finish building an entire layout of windows. Snap layouts are tailored to the current screen size and orientation, including support for three side-by-side windows on large landscape screens and top/bottom stacked windows on portrait screens.
Now return to the Themes manager, click Icons and select Windows-7-Master from the list of icon types. This affects not only fundamentals like the look of a folder, but applications too, with the various components of LibreOffice taking on Microsoft Office-like logos.
By default, Zorin OS is meant to look like Windows 7, but you have other options in the look changer which are the Windows XP style and Gnome 3.
I liked Ubuntu before, but after using it for a year or so, I found I wanted more control over things and I want to try a distro I have never used before as well. I think Linux Mint looks tasty at the moment. Thanks for sharing.
Users who remember and like the appearance of Windows XP might not be very impressed by the default look of Windows 10. The appearance can be changed to some extent using UxStyle and third party themes, but in Windows 10, Microsoft prevents the taskbar from being skinned using visual styles (themes). Today, we will see how to skin Windows 10's taskbar to give it a Windows XP appearance without using patches or themes. All we need is everyone's favorite Start menu replacement and system enhancement tool, Classic Shell. Recently, its developer implemented the ability to skin the taskbar in Windows 10 and earlier versions of Windows too. The user can change the taskbar text color, change the color to make it different from the title bar color, change its transparency or set a background image or texture for the Windows taskbar.
macOS does not have the native capability to preview open apps or windows. To obtain this functionality on your Mac, you can use third-party apps like HyperDock, uBar, and ActiveDock which allow you to preview a file by hovering over it.
But switching is not without its challenges. The operating systems have major differences and are great in their way. But for those who are used to the look and feel of Windows, it may be beneficial to customize your Mac to function more like a familiar Windows system.
Reassigning keys is one way to replicate the Windows 10 environment on your macOS system. You can assign keys however you like on your Mac, for instance using the Control key instead of Command to make it more Windows-like.
For example, you can change the desktop background with a custom image or use a theme from the Microsoft Store. You can enable the dark mode or change the color accent for visual elements. You can tweak and organize the Start menu and taskbar, and you can adjust a variety of settings to change the entire look and feel of Windows 10.
For the most part, it honestly feels like using Windows 10 until you start digging deep into customization menus or the bundled software store (which uses the Windows Store icon because of course it does). Or adding applets, desklets or a huge selection of themes to your installation.
So my initial impressions of LinuxFx are mixed. I encountered several app crashes within just a few hours, and they seem to be tied into the theming. On the other hand, you have to admire the lengths these developers went to in order to recreate that look and behavior of Windows 10 and to make migrating users feel comfortable.
A few years back Glass8+ was the goto solution to get somewhat of a aero effect on windows 10, however support for that stopped once v1909 came out and hasnt been updated since. It was only a few days ago i found out that Windowsblinds 10 from Stardock actually still gives the aero effect providing the right theme is used, despite the website stating it works on 20H2 or below. However im using LTSC 2021 which is based on 21H2, but your mileage may vary depending on which edition you use (not sure if home or pro 21H2 have any under the hood differences that might break compatibility).
Before installing that though id suggest installing Open Shell first and get that all set up, I tried installing windows blinds first and then open shell but it decided to freak out explorer requiring a restart.
I loved the ultimate extras that came with Vista, the games and dreamscene video wallpapers. Also the original windows games and even movie maker to some extent, old but gold i say. Heres both the link to the original microsoft games along with the Vista specific ulitmate games:
The last modification i did to my OS was to disable the lockscreen to give that win7/vista logon feel, however normally this results in a blurred logon background which looks awful but luckily that can be disabled while also keeping transparency enabled within the system itself. Doing this and setting the lockscreen background to a vista wallpaper gives quite a nice result i think, see for yourself:
Update: For those who want a more complete vista look (like myself) heres the Vista theme along with the custom start button needed. Ive also included a link to get the sidebar and to reactivate the quick launch toolbar.
looks great ? as much as i liked startisback, open shell has so much customization to it that i think it was worth the switch. I did love the old Glass8 AeroGlass for 1809 but downside to that one if i remember right was it just changed the existing win10 border so they were still squared off. a theme mod was still required to get that classic 7/vista style. Least with windowsblinds its an all in one solution which cuts down on the running processes 2ff7e9595c
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