Microsoft is beginning to replace Control Panel with Windows 10's Settings app

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What just happened? Microsoft is on a crusade to kill off any and all traces of "old Windows" in its latest Windows 10 operating system, and though the progress has been slow, the company took another major step toward that goal with its latest Windows update. Those with an up-to-date copy of Windows can reportedly no longer access Control Panel's System menu.

Instead, TechRadar reports, users who attempt to navigate to the System page of the Control Panel will be automatically redirected to Windows 10's equivalent Settings interface.

Functionally speaking, there isn't a whole lot of differences between the two UIs for ordinary users: you can accomplish many of the same basic tasks across both of them.

However, for users like myself who have always preferred the more basic, down-to-earth UI of Windows 7 (and even Vista), it's sad to see the Control Panel's demise creep closer. I've staved off the inevitable temporarily thanks to Windows 10's update deferment feature, but it will come for me eventually.

Unfortunately, as TechRadar points out, even third-party apps that might ordinarily give a user direct access to the System page in Control Panel will no longer work for that purpose: Microsoft is "blocking" such workarounds where it can.

That doesn't mean other methods won't pop up, but for the time being, the situation is looking bleak. Over time, Microsoft will likely continue to make additional portions of Control Panel inaccessible to average users.

Indeed, that's precisely what the company is doing for the "Programs and Features" sub-menu in Windows 10 preview builds. In said builds, the menu reportedly redirects to the Settings app's "Apps & Features" interface instead.

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Can anyone confirm, creating a new shortcut, with this as the contents,
will still bring up the old control panel?

C:\Windows\explorer.exe shell:::{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}
 
Apple pretty much popularized the "gear" as the settings shortcut icon and pretty much everyone rolls right along with it.

I kinda prefferred Control Panel's legacy icon, but the gear works too.
 
I'd just love it if Microsoft, Apple and all the other tech giants would stop trying to force me into doing things the way they want me too. It all just seems like an effort to slim down options in their products so they can simplify them and then layoff workers no longer needed for development and support. These companies don't give a crap about anything but money.
 
I'd just love it if Microsoft, Apple and all the other tech giants would stop trying to force me into doing things the way they want me too. It all just seems like an effort to slim down options in their products so they can simplify them and then layoff workers no longer needed for development and support. These companies don't give a crap about anything but money.

Exactly. This is all about having single experience across all platforms. It doesn't matter than personal computers are far more capable than anything mobile - its all about being able to hire a single art school dropout to produce interfaces. Fortunately there is still no reason to migrate from Windows 7 and won't be any time soon.
 
Another popular move from MS.

Instead of actions like this and forcing down new "features" on the user's throat, how about trimming down W10? Just imagine: remove all the bloatware and unwanted "apps", simplify things, so updates could be more about security and stability (instead of the obligatory curse-exercise), and as a result, W10 can, I don't know, function better as an OS perhaps? Would that be too much?
 
Can anyone confirm, creating a new shortcut, with this as the contents,
will still bring up the old control panel?

C:\Windows\explorer.exe shell:::{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}
I created a shortcut to the control panel ages ago, and it still works in 20H2 Build 19042.630.

God Mode still works, too.
Create a new folder and change the folder name to GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}
 
How about the fact the entire Settings app can irrevocably break and the only advice provided by MS support essentially boils down to "idk reinstall I guess"?
If your settings app breaks id say thats a user/you problem. Ive used win10 for 6 yrs. No such issue for me.

While issues can n do happen, ive seen nor had any feature or option "break" on me. Didnt even see any issues with the 3 or 4 major/big updates claiming data being earsed or audio issues. I just havent had or seen any of that. While some do get those not everyone does so you could say it comes down to how one uses the computer.
 
Personally I don't care what it is called, I just want one central place where I can do all of what I need to do to maintain my PC. Jumping around and trying to find the right place to manage drives, for instance, when my PC is having an issue with a boot drive, ... I think you see where I am going with this.

I can probably 'create' my own control panel, simply by making a folder full of shortcuts to the carious underlying .msc files that underlie the basics of the existing control panel. But why? Re-creating the wheel is not very productive....

 
If your settings app breaks id say thats a user/you problem. Ive used win10 for 6 yrs. No such issue for me.

While issues can n do happen, ive seen nor had any feature or option "break" on me. Didnt even see any issues with the 3 or 4 major/big updates claiming data being earsed or audio issues. I just havent had or seen any of that. While some do get those not everyone does so you could say it comes down to how one uses the computer.
I just love the inevitable comments like this "It hasn't happened to me, so maybe problems do not exist and maybe it is the way that user XXX is using the PC." It is a logical fallacy to assume that because you have not experienced it, it does not exist. I have had multiple different problems with multiple different updates and colleagues of mine have also had similar problems.

On one of my PCs I have made some modifications to the registry to get caller ID working with the modem I have because I have a use for the caller ID info. Virtually every update, I have to reinstall those modifications because M$ has decided that they need to reinstall the modem driver for this modem which always overwrites the modifications that I made. M$ has no legitimate reason to do that, IMO. To me, it seems like M$ just likes making things difficult for people who use Windows 10. And this particular problem is among the least annoying of problems I have experienced. Perhaps the most annoying one was when I updated, and my PC rebooted to a black screen with only the mouse cursor showing. No desktop, nothing else. In other words, a completely useless PC. It was not in screensaver mode either, nothing brought the screen back except my restoring the PC to the previous version of the OS using an image backup.

Next time you do an update, instead of ragging on people who complain about legitimate problems, consider yourself lucky you have not experienced any.
 
Win10, Open the @#$% Control Panel doors!!
Sorry, I can't do that Dave.

In the past there has been many settings to control or fix problems that could only be done with the old Control Panel items (the dialogs/utils). Why does MS have to remove the old before properly fixing the new method/feature? They break before they fix.
 
Fortunately there is still no reason to migrate from Windows 7 and won't be any time soon.
Huh? If your computer is connected to the Internet, you need to go to Windows 10 immediately, as Windows 7 is no longer receiving security updates from Microsoft - and, indeed, has not been doing so for some time.
 
Honestly im glad, its a support nightmare having both settings and control panel, I'll be happy when we are fully transitioned onto the settings menu
 
Well, this might be true for SOME systems, but clearly not all. Difference? Probably Classic shell.

yWKwNl5.png
 
The Settings UI is inferior to Control Panel in every way. But who cares about what's good for the user, let's remove all the features they need and add crap nobody asked for!

I am disgusted Microsoft's attitude with regard to Windows 10. I'll be sticking with my 8.1 as long as I can, and when I finally need a new OS, I'll be looking at Linux (once I figure out how to run all my games on it). M$ can shove Windows 10 up their bumhole.
 
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