Updated: July 15, 2020 (September 2, 2016)

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Windows 10 User Interface Targets Windows 7 Users

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Michael Cherry by
Michael Cherry

Michael analyzed and wrote about Microsoft's operating systems, including the Windows client OS, as well as compliance and governance. Michael... more

Windows 10 continues to offer a user interface designed for touch-based devices, but it also includes a desktop-friendly user interface with a Start menu, full desktop, and resizable applications. This could allow organizations to deploy Windows 10 without the friction felt by Windows 8 users with nontouch devices. While the user enhancements are not limited to any specific edition of Windows, full customization of the Start menu remains a feature limited to Enterprise edition, and Enterprise edition is required to disable some of the advertising and telemetry features built into other editions of the OS.

Desktop Functionality Mimics Windows 7

Windows 10 includes two distinct user experiences to optimize the behavior of the OS for the device where it is running. Tablet mode, discussed below, is optimized for touch-based devices. When tablet mode is not enabled, the OS delivers a desktop mode of sorts, similar to that available in Windows 7.

When deferring to the desktop, Windows 10 offers a modified Start menu that should be familiar to Windows 7 users. The left side of this menu offers similar functionality to the Windows 7 Start menu, while the right side offers a configurable area to pin applications and view information from Live Tiles for applications that support such tiles. (See the illustration “Return of the Start Menu“.)

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