Get the best of XP working in Windows 7

Get the best of Windows XP

Working in Windows 7

Release : 29 July 2010

Field : Organisational Behaviour

Focus : Optimised Business Systems Process

Introduction

Many new improvements in the Windows 7 operating system are a refreshing and welcome improvement over previous incarnations.  However, some of the best features, particularly from Windows XP, are sadly absent.


This article highlights a couple of key features that not only make the transition to Windows 7 as painless as possible but also restore familiar features many users have become accustomed to.

What happened to {Alt}{Enter}?

It seems almost unthinkable that this simple keyboard command would have been crippled in a simple operating system upgrade however that's the fact!

The new Windows Explorer supports {Alt}{Enter} for files.  This is equivalent to right clicking a file and selecting properties from the context menu.  The same shortcut used to also work for folders.  While you can still RightClick a folder and select properties, no longer works!

Many users rely on this keyboard command as a quick way to access file and folder properties.  There are two distinct ways to overcome the limitation imposed by Win7.  The first is a key macro utility that execute a series of commands when a special key combination is pressed and the second is a third party dedicated utility.

Solutions
Key Macro Utility

A popular key macro utility, AutoHotKey, is a popular solution.  However if you are not currently using AutoHotKey then it may be more trouble than it's worth.  AutoHotKey is an OpenSource project and may be found here.

3rd Party Utilities

A simple search for "ALT Enter" will return a list of results consisting of forum questions or a smattering of utilities and methods to 'fix' Windows.

In keeping with the mentality that Windows XP provided an excellent interface Classic Shell may be just the solution you are looking for.  The nice thing about this utility is that virtually every feature it offers can be disabled!

Why would you do that?

Well, Classic Shell allows you to include many features found in XP and Vista that are notably missing from Win 7.  After trying several utilities I found this to be the best and least buggy program with a virtually non-existent footprint.

You can find a link to the program here.

There are two components to this utility: Classic Shell and Classic Explorer.  The Shell affects the way the windows interface behaves and the Explorer specifically affects the way the file manager appears and functions.

Customising both these programs can tailor your windows experience to suit your personal preferences.

Navigate Up?

A feature popular with many users is the "Up" arrow, that simply navigates to one level higher in the folder tree.  The included "Back" button behaves in a similar manner to an internet browser, moving one step 'back' along the breadcrumb trail.  With the changes to the navigation paradigm with Windows 7 perhaps you will appreciate this tweak.

The other major feature of Classic Shell is transforming the Explorer display into the old XP Explorer!  Fantastic.  

In a twist of irony, Windows 7 designers decided a new file manager, replete with less intuitive icons would help users!  In a whitepaper released by Microsoft they expound the virtues of a clear interface.  They have worked hard to remove the so-called 'visual noise' created by underlining keyboard command letters yet mangled the far superior XP manager.

(Digression: Pressing Alt + F activates the file menu; the F letter in File is underlined.  Microsoft claimed this visual noise distracted novice users and so justified removing the default underline convention.  A redacted version of the whitepaper can be found here. )

I personally find the little black arrows next to folders less clear than the old system and I must say I persisted for some time to adapt.  Classic Shell includes the ability to view the file manager in XP Simple Mode, the view most users are used to.  Classic Shell also includes Vista variations.

Whipping the Loose Ends

Windows 7 delivers a better operating environment than XP.  Gone are the days of endless disk thrashing and other  kernel issues associated with XP.  A few readily available tweaks makes this OS the best yet and in terms of significance is at least as important as Win98 and WinXP were.

Get Windows 7, play a little, tweak your legacy functionality back to life and expect it to serve you well for some time to come.

Comments and Questions Welcome.