.. and don’t look back because it is not allowed. You will move forward. You will adopt new ways to work even though the new ways do not make it easier for you. They are trying to make it easier for you, and you must see and agree to that.

The alternative? In time, there will not be an alternative because the manufacturers of hardware/drivers will eventually write off support for XP totally.

They told you that they would listen to you, didn’t they, told you that everything would be alright. Well, it is if you like big change, new ways. The trouble is that there is no recourse for you. If you, like me, are the type of user who likes to organize your desktop for ease of use.

Windows 7 no longer has the option of the nice neat ‘classic menu’ listing. They say that is is ‘old hat’, a worn out concept. Is there a work-around? Much depends on how loose your concept of a work-around is.

For instance, it is possible to ‘pin’ items to the start menu. By items, I really mean program shortcuts, but not all program shortcuts. Windows games icons will only pin to the taskbar presently.

If you have the start menu set for LARGE icons, there is a very definite limit to what you can pin up to the start menu. The ensuing popup leaves you in absolutely no doubt that not all ‘pinned’ icons will display. Setting for small icons enables more items to be pinned, BUT don’t do it if your eyesight is not 20/20 because you will not be able to see them well at all. Despite the fact that ‘ALL PROGRAMS’ can be scrolled, the default view of the start menu after clicking on the orb will not scroll.

To make it all the more difficult to work around the lack of a classic menu option, they have ensured that you can’t pin folders to the start menu, thereby  putting the brakes on being able to create your own classic view. How mean is that?

Windows 7 has some interesting features, and it boots like a good’un. Compared to Vista, it feels very sprightly, but there are trade-offs. You will have to decide for yourself when the time comes. For me, the jury is still out, not a good scenario for somebody who has always installed the latest operating system at the earliest available opportunity..