Restore Classic Windows Features
Fed up with certain aspects of Windows 10? Take the Photos app, for instance—if you’re wedded to Windows Photo Viewer, you can restore it as the default viewer for your images. If you’ve just upgraded to Windows 10, head to “Start > Settings > System > Default apps” to select it. Reinstalled from scratch? It’s missing, but you can get it back, and the simplest way is through the portable—and completely free—Ultimate Windows Tweaker tool from http://bit.ly/uwt-win10. Once extracted, launch the tool, and head to the “Additional” section, where clicking “Enable Windows Photo Viewer” brings it back, and enables you to set it as default.
Now go to “Customization > Windows 10.” You’ll find three tweaks that enable you to bring back the old-style battery, date and time, and volume control flyouts in the Taskbar’s Notification area—untick the options, and click “Apply.”
Can’t stand the new Start menu (particularly with its habit of showcasing ads in the form of promoted apps)? You can replace it with a more classically themed menu—either Classic Start ( www.classicshell.net) or Start10 ($5,
www.stardock.com) will give you a more traditional menu to work with. Classic Shell also comes with a Classic Explorer component, for those who prefer Windows Explorer as it once was.
Unhappy with Settings? The Control Panel is still available, but it’s not as easily accessible as it once was. Place it front and center by typing “control panel” into the Search bar, then right-clicking it, and choosing either “Pin to Start” or “Pin to Taskbar.”
And speaking of the Control Panel, if you don’t like the new Settings Personalization dialog, create a shortcut to the classic Control Panel way of doing things: Right-click inside a folder or on the desktop, and choose “New > Shortcut,” then point it to “control.exe desk.cpl,Settings,@Settings.” Job done!