[Tutorial] How to turn Windows 10 into Windows XP

[Skipper ✪]

Windows XP was released 17 years ago and is still considered by many PC users to be the best operating system. That's why you might want to turn Windows 10 into Windows XP.

On August 24, 2001, the final RTM version of Windows XP came to system creators. Ordinary users would get their hands on Microsoft's newest operating system after two months on October 25th.

After a decade in which I have only experienced inexperienced upgrades to the interface I've learned from Windows 95 and Windows 98, XP has been revolutionizing many aspects.

Besides being surprisingly stable for a Microsoft system, Windows XP has a colorful interface and much more intuitive than in the past. The themes included in Windows or downloadable from the Internet radically changed the way the Start bar, Taskbar and desktop appeared. For the first time, the SO did a great job of installing the drivers you needed, and if you had a stable connection to the internet, regular updates had a real benefit.

Windows XP is still likely to have an idealized image in the mind of users and because it was followed by the disastrous Windows Vista. That operating system was a black hole for your RAM, and no matter how efficient your system was, you had a significant chance of cluttering randomly or being surprisingly slow.

Most PC owners still classify Windows 7 as the best OS, but there are many reasons why you might want to know how to turn Windows 10 into Windows XP.

How to turn Windows 10 into Windows XP: what are the tools

Before you get started with this project, it is worthwhile to keep in mind that the rich set of aesthetic benefits involves a fairly large number of operations and a bit of patience. From a point of view, it is not for everyone.

But if you've developed a fascination for Windows XP and you genuinely want to recreate that interface on the latest operating system coming out of Redmond, that means you have the reasons you want to start with.

Before you get started, you need a few things. The memorable wallpaper image from Windows XP in 4K resolution can be downloaded above or from this page by Reddit. Quality is the same.

Windows XP had default multiple Start Buttons, although the blue one remained in collective memory. All the textures for the start button are on this site. If you do not want to choose and love the idea of having all variants at hand, use this link.

The texture for the classic XP Taskbar is available at this Dropbox address. You do not need an account to download it, nor do you need to install your client application. Just click on the three top right points and choose Direct Download.

It will be a surprisingly small PNG file.

Last but not least, you need to download and install a program titled NeoClassic-UI. The latter is an upgraded version of the ClassicShell Start Menu, an open source software that can be downloaded from GitHub and was originally created in Windows Vista.

Important is that it works just as well now, and if you want to use anything other than Windows 10, it's good to know that it works just as well on Windows 7, Windows 8, and 8.1.

How to turn Windows 10 into Windows XP after installing NeoClassic-UI

Once you've downloaded the above files and installed the necessary program in the customization process, you can get started. Start NeoClassic UI and check Show all setting at the top center of the interface. First, click Start Menu Style and choose Classic with Two Columns.

At the bottom of the window, highlight Replace Start Button and choose Custom to the right. Click on Pick Image and choose one of the textures for the Start button that pleases you and you downloaded it in the previous step.

In my case, after I turned on this option, the Start button changed according to my settings, but it was very small. As a result, I went to Advanced Button Options, unchecked "Align to corner of the screen", and, on the size button, I opted for 175. Depending on the resolution you have on the monitor or its size, look better with 200 or 150.

The biggest change you can apply using this program is available in the Skin section. Here, it's important to tick Windows XP Moon to Skin, choose Blue and eventually check Small Icons or Large Font, depending on how good your eyes are.

You do not have to press OK after each change you make to the program. It is enough to confirm at the end after you have finished applying all the particularities that you define in the editorial.

The Classic Start Menu Taskbar section involves a set of changes that you should carefully follow. Check Transparent at the top. Click on the Texture Taskbar, click on the three right points, the equivalent of Browse, and choose the previously downloaded texture. This is the xp_bg.png file. Check Tiles under Horizontal Stretching. Click Ok.

Right click in free space on your Taskbar and uncheck Show Taskview button, Show Friends, and right to Cortana opts for Hidden in the same menu.

You are in the last few hundred meters with turning Windows 10 into Windows XP

For things to look "like in the old days", you have only a few steps to go. Click Start and click Settings. Go to Personalization and, on the left, click Background, opt for browsers, and choose the background image from Windows XP at high resolution that you downloaded at first.

In the Colors section on the left, you are interested in Windows Colors on the right. Click on the first blue shade on the third row, and the color change will be visible in real time. A little below, in the same window, check Show color on the Accent bar, Start menu, and Action Center. Check Transparency.

Finally, you should get an interface identical to the one in the intro photo. It's important to keep in mind that this tutorial works on the latest version of Windows 10 and is likely to work on future releases as well. Eventually, if you start experiencing problems after an update, download an updated version of NeoClassic UI from Github.

If you've changed your mind and want to go back to the standard Start Menu menu, right-click on the Start button and choose Exit to leave the program that changed your interface. Predictably, the wallpaper and color theme changes from Settings to Windows 10.