Applies to all editions of Windows Vista.

Change Windows to Classic view

Classic view gives Windows the look and behavior of earlier versions. You can change just the Start menu or Control Panel to Classic view, or use the Windows Classic theme for a broader change. You can also change your folders to Classic view, which turns off the Navigation pane, Preview pane, and toolbar in all folders. This setting gives you more room to display files because it hides panes you might not need.

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To change the Start menu to Classic view

The classic view of Start menu is based on previous version of Windows.

Open Taskbar and Start Menu Properties by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking Appearance and Personalization, and then clicking Taskbar and Start Menu.
Click the Start Menu tab, click Classic Start menu, and then click OK.

To change the Control Panel to Classic view

Open Control Panel by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Control Panel.
Click Classic View.

Note

To switch back to category view, click Control Panel Home.

To change the theme to Windows Classic

Open Theme Settings by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking Appearance and Personalization, clicking Personalization, and then clicking Theme.
Under Theme, select the Windows Classic theme in the drop-down list, and then click OK.

To change folders to Classic view

Open Folder Options by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking Appearance and Personalization, and then clicking Folder Options.
Click the General tab, and then, under Tasks, click Use Windows classic folders, and then click OK.

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