How do I make Windows XP work more like Windows Me or Windows 98?
These days, many people have spent several years learning how use Windows Me or Windows 98. Although Windows XP's increased stability is an attraction, many potential upgraders don't want to learn Windows XP's colorful new menu system. Plus, some people simply don't like XP's new "look and feel."But here's a secret: Microsoft added a way to turn off most of Windows XP's newer menu styles, making it look much like the "Classic" Windows of earlier versions. This column shows how to make Windows XP behave more like the operating system you've been using for years. Pick and choose among these suggestions; simply reverse the steps to turn them back off.
(If you're worried you might mess things up, create a restore point in System Restore as described on page 302 of Windows XP for Dummies. Then, if you don't like the new settings, return to that Restore Point to make Windows XP look and behave as it did before.)
Control Panel
Here's my favorite settings change. In its attempt to "simplify" the Control Panel, Windows XP added bunches of menus that hide the familiar icon panel. To bring back the un-obfuscated view, call up the Start menu's Control Panel and click Switch to Classic View from the window's upper, left corner. Windows XP instantly stops hiding the icons you already know how to use.Start Menu
Although Windows XP's Start menu consumes two columns, it still hides most of your programs. To make it look "normal," right-click the Start menu button, choose Properties, and then choose Classic Start Menu. Click OK to switch back to the streamlined Start menu of yesteryear. Plus, your favorite icons reappear on the desktop: My Computer, My Documents, My Network Places, and Internet Explorer. (Feel free to drag them to your favorite spots on the desktop.)Taskbar
Notice how Windows XP hides some of the icons that live next to the clock? To make Windows XP always show those icons, right-click the Taskbar, choose Properties, and clear the X from the Hide Inactive Icons box at the bottom. Click OK to see your icons spring back into view.Desktop
Next stop is the desktop itself. Ditch the XP's "Teletubbies" background with the simpler, Classic desktop. Right-click the desktop, choose Properties, click the Themes tab, and choose Windows Classic from the Theme drop-down menu. Click OK, and your windows lose their rounded edges, and XP's cartoon-like Start button turns gray and square. (Click the Screen Saver tab and change your screen saver to an old favorite, too.)If you've upgraded to Windows XP from Windows 98 or Windows Me, your old wallpaper should still be there, ready for use.
Folders
It's easy to dump XP's folder style. Open any folder, and choose Icons from the View menu. (That gets rid of those big ugly tiles.) Then, choose Folder Options from the Tools menu. Select Use Windows Classic Folders from the Tasks area. Then click the View tab and click the Apply to All Folders button, so all the folders will open to the Icons view. (While you're there, place a checkmark in the box marked Show Control Panel in My Computer.) Clicking OK saves your changes.Shortcut keys
The menus in older versions of Windows had an underline beneath certain letters. Keyboard-savvy users simply pressed Alt and the underlined letter to activate that menu item. No more taking the hands off the keyboard to find the mouse!Windows XP leaves out these underlined "shortcut keys," but here's how to turn them back on: Right-click the Desktop, choose Properties, and click the Appearance tab. Click the Effects button and remove the check mark from the line, Hide Underlined Letters for Keyboard Navigation Until I Press The Alt Key. The underlines all appear, ready for shortcuts.
Logon prompt
Windows XP greets computer users with a page full of jolly pictures when they want to log on. To replace the pictures with the simple log-on prompt of days gone by, log on with an administrator account and open the Control Panel's User Accounts icon. Choose Change the Way Users Log On or Off, and turn off both of these options: Use the Welcome Screen and Fast User Switching.Click Apply Options and Windows XP graciously banishes its gaudy Welcome screen in favor of a much simpler log in prompt. The replacement prompt doesn't look old-school, but it's more familiar than the Welcome screen.
If you've been using an older version of Windows for awhile and don't quite care for Windows XP's new Fischer-Price/Teletubbies styling, don't be afraid to go retro. By picking and choosing your way through the suggestions in this column, Windows XP upgraders can make their computer ditch its pre-schooler themes and become faster and easier to use.