I can't believe Windows 11 still hasn't gotten rid of these old-ass menus

Microsoft Home windows boss Panos Panay sounded virtually overwhelmed with emotion when he unveiled the brand new look of Windows 11 a couple of months in the past, calling it “the Home windows that brings you nearer to the stuff you love.” The issues he was referring to are particularly stuff like rounded edges, glassy overlays, and snazzy darkish and light-weight mode themes.

“Trendy. Recent. Stunning,” Panay cooed.

And yeah, Home windows 11 is these issues—till you go digging beneath the floor and discover menus so lined in cobwebs the Crypt Keeper would really feel proper at dwelling.

I like a few of the new design selections in Home windows 11. I do truly assume it's fairly, and a few menus have been improved to be clearer and extra helpful. However I needed to chortle when, inside 5 minutes of booting Home windows 11 for the primary time, I got here face-to-face with a menu that's barely modified since 2007. Home windows 11 could look good, nevertheless it nonetheless has the identical maddening downside as Home windows 10, which is that the brand new menus are competing with historic ones for primary performance.

Once you uninstall most applications in Home windows 11, it'll direct you to the Apps & Options menu, which is a slight redesign of a menu from Home windows 10. It's one in all many tabs within the trendy Settings menu. However after I tried to uninstall OneDrive, Home windows 11 didn't open Apps & Options—it took me to the basic Applications & Options menu as a substitute, the one constructed into the basic Management Panel that appears precisely the identical because it did in Home windows 10. And in Home windows 8. And in Home windows 7. And in Home windows Vista and XP (effectively, apart from the colour scheme).

It's ludicrous that the Management Panel nonetheless exists. Shouldn't all of its performance be contained throughout the Settings menu? Microsoft had six years with Home windows 10 to take care of this inconsistency and it didn't. And now, with its huge relaunch, and the supposed huge emphasis on Home windows 11's daring new look, the identical outdated shit is hiding one layer deep. There's nonetheless a Management Panel entry known as Backup and Restore (Home windows 7), for god's sake.

I can't consider excuse for it to nonetheless be there. If Microsoft hasn't utterly made the Management Panel redundant and rebuilt all of its performance within the newer Settings menu, that's embarrassing—it's been years! And if Microsoft has made it solely redundant, then why is it nonetheless there? As a deep minimize of nostalgia for the Home windows OGs?

I suppose it's good to have the ability to use an outdated and acquainted interface that I do know my means round, nevertheless it's additionally jarring when virtually all the things else within the OS directs me to the brand new Settings menu. I'm getting a headache simply fascinated about attempting to elucidate to members of the family why it’s important to use a special, a lot older menu to uninstall sure applications—or what the distinction is between the brand new Settings Energy menu and the outdated Energy Choices pop-up and its bajillion particular person tweaks, for instance.

The Management Panel just isn’t the one holdover from outdated ye outdated Home windows present in 11. Disk Administration appears to be like and capabilities virtually identically to the one Microsoft shipped in Home windows 2000, and man, Home windows may actually do with some higher built-in partitioning instruments. Updating that will've been a terrific present to energy customers, however I suppose we nonetheless should shell out cash for EaseUS to maneuver partitions round with a pleasant UI.

You will discover every kind of crusty outdated menus for those who dig deeply sufficient, often hiding behind an “further settings” click on someplace. And bizarrely, as this Redditor pointed out, the outdated File Explorer with its ribbon navigation remains to be accessible for those who press the “Up” nav button from the Management Panel a pair occasions, which means there are two variations of the File Explorer kicking round too. Another redditor highlighted how the shortcut menus accessible from the lock display screen symbolize the Home windows 8 UI, Home windows 10 UI, and Home windows 11 UI. Three generations of design in a single handy place!

There will likely be loads of Home windows customers who don't discover these inconsistencies, and extra who do however aren't bothered by them. They received't sink Home windows 11, similar to the very same points didn't sink Home windows 10. However for a significant launch that’s notably mild on new options besides its visible overhaul, it's disappointing to see Home windows 11 nonetheless carrying a lot of its outdated bloat. And all these competing menus do make it tougher to assist much less computer-savvy family and friends troubleshoot issues. I suppose if nothing else, Home windows 11 has managed to remain according to Home windows 10's largest annoyances.