Is it possible to use Windows XP's explorer.exe in Windows 7?


Recommended Posts

I'm not a big fan of the new Windows Explorer. I'm one of those people trying to migrate from XP to 7, having never gone through Vista and there are a couple of things about 7's explorer that bother me.

So I was wondering, would it be possible to just use Windows XP's explorer.exe in Windows 7? I already used that "method" to deal with a few other problems, for instance the new Calculator looks pretty horrible in Classic theme and after I changed the fonts in the registry to get rid of Segoe UI it became basically unusable so I've just been using calc.exe from Windows XP which works fine.

Now, I have Windows 7 x64, so I tried doing the same thing with explorer.exe - copied it from XP and tried it in 7, but it doesn't work. I get this message: "The application was unable to start correctly (0xc0000142)". My question is - is this because my XP is 32-bit and explorer.exe as a 32-bit application cannot run in windows 7, being much more "complicated" than the calc, or is it because it's simply incompatible. If it's the former, then if I found a copy of Windows XP 64-bit Edition's explorer.exe would that run on 7 or should I not bother at all...

Alternatively, the main things that bother me in the new Windows Explorer are:

1) Status bar does not show available free space or anything else besides number of items selected

2) The + signs on the navigation side disappear if the cursor is not in that section, which is mighty annoying.

3) The bar that starts with "Organize" looks dreadful in classic mode and is really useless when you have the standard menu and I would give anything to get rid of it.

If anyone knows a way to fix anyone of those things I would be eternally grateful!

Edited by WinClassicFan

You will mostly like not be able to carry that over, specially since you are trying to bring your 32bit XP explorer.exe over to a 64bit Windows 7.

You can customize the taskbar you know, perhaps it won't look like Windows XP, but it will look like Windows Vista.

http://sourceforge.net/projects/classicshell/ <= This will fix the arrows disappearing problem and give you back toolbar buttons. Future versions of the project may fix more annoyances like status bar or auto sort.

A proper registry hacks would do you justice. But that's just my hindsight. But I would not know where to start. I myself just screw up "Manage" context menu on "My Computer" so don't take my suggestion too lightly. Just good precaution on that and I have to learn the hard way. Now I will be off to hunt down for solution to fix my problem.

Colin-uk will like this. A reason he hasn't upgraded from XP, and the fact he loves Internet Explorer 6 :laugh:

That Classicshell is pretty neat, i'll try to keep that in mind if someone doesn't like their new Windows 7 start menu

^^^

I have actually, I love Win 7 except for the Windows Explorer and a few other things and visual bugs which I'm hoping they'll fix in the first service pack, but the Windows Explorer is driving me a little crazy.

@tuxplorer

I just installed classic shell, it's not bad but it didn't disable the disappearing arrows, which is by far my biggest annoyance.

Second to that is the ridiculously huge, ridiculously ugly and ridiculously useless command bar. If anyone has any idea how to get rid of that I will worship you for all eternity!

There's a button on the toolbar added by Classic Shell called "Classic Explorer settings". It has an option: "Don't fade buttons". Too bad there's no way to turn off the ugly command bar, MS locked down the UI too much, can't even change its color.

Edited by tuxplorer

^^^

I see. Thanks! You're absolutely right about them locking the UI. It has to do with them trying to cater more to people who are new users / don't know anything... :( this is the trend with everything now and hardcore users are gonna be more and more screwed until we die off... Idiocracy will happen.

Anyways, I think I finally found a solution to my problem. It's called Directory Opus. :D

Anyways, I think I finally found a solution to my problem. It's called Directory Opus. :D

I was just about to suggest this. There are plenty of alternative file managers out there, DO being one of the best imo. But seriously, trying to force XP's Explorer into 7.... why did you even think this might work? :D

Now, I have Windows 7 x64, so I tried doing the same thing with explorer.exe - copied it from XP and tried it in 7, but it doesn't work. I get this message: "The application was unable to start correctly (0xc0000142)". My question is - is this because my XP is 32-bit and explorer.exe as a 32-bit application cannot run in windows 7, being much more "complicated" than the calc, or is it because it's simply incompatible. If it's the former, then if I found a copy of Windows XP 64-bit Edition's explorer.exe would that run on 7 or should I not bother at all...

Alternatively, the main things that bother me in the new Windows Explorer are:

1) Status bar does not show available free space or anything else besides number of items selected

a: No, but if you right-click on a folder and select Properties, you can see that. Plus if you click My Computer in the left hand navigation pane, you can see how much free space for every drive in the right hand pane.

2) The + signs on the navigation side disappear if the cursor is not in that section, which is mighty annoying.

a: Yeah, I agree, I would like those to always be visible. It would be nice if that could be restored somehow.

3) The bar that starts with "Organize" looks dreadful in classic mode and is really useless when you have the standard menu and I would give anything to get rid of it.

a: Again, what are you doing running in 'classic mode'? Do you mean you're running the old classic UI, and not Aero?

If anyone knows a way to fix anyone of those things I would be eternally grateful!

I just have a couple questions: Why are you running the Classic Theme? If you have a halfway decent video card, you're better off running Aero, and letting your GPU handle all the graphics rendering of the UI and leave your CPU for just everything else.

Secondly, the Calculator with Windows 7 is so infinitely better than the one in Windows XP, and you're using the old one? Why not just run XP for crying out loud? For your three numbered points, see above.

Finally, Explorer.exe is the shell! Not just a file browser.

Why do people upgrade if all they are going to do is want to revert to the older versions of parts of the OS?

My theory is this: if they didn't upgrade, they wouldn't have anything to rant about on forums. I mean really, how many responses would you get if you created a new topic with the theme: Well, I'm stilling running XP. Probably not many.

So many Windows 7 fanboys. Honestly if you prefer Windows XP, stick with Windows XP. Personally I loved Windows XP, I hated Windows Vista, and so far I really like Windows 7. Of course if you're keen on keeping certain features and interfaces from XP while using Windows 7, sure it's possible, but you're going to be jumping through hoops - just stick with Windows XP (my opinion).

There are a lot of minor improvements in Windows 7, but nothing so drastic that you really need to upgrade if you still prefer XP.

if you want something that an earlier windows has that the new one changed then you will either need to stay on the older one or try hacking the new os to accept your changes but it may not work but it will require alot of work depending on what you want to be hacked in.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • The biggest issue in this version of Win 11 context menu, from usability standpoint, is the movable row with basic commands. Think of a car analogy...if You turn the week left the infotainment screen will move right and vice versa. With how it works now Microsoft made something forbidden in designing in any UI, software or hardware. I can't grasp who were the morons within Microsoft suggesting it was a good idea and gave it a green light.
    • LibreOffice 26.2.4 by Razvan Serea LibreOffice is the free power-packed Open Source personal productivity suite for Windows, Macintosh and Linux, that gives you six feature-rich applications for all your document production and data processing needs: Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Math and Base. Support and documentation is free from our large, dedicated community of users, contributors and developers. You, too, can also get involved! Choosing Between LibreOffice Still and LibreOffice Fresh: LibreOffice Still is a good choice if you value stability, a longer support cycle, and a more conservative approach to software updates. It's suitable for businesses and organizations where reliability and compatibility are crucial. LibreOffice Fresh is ideal if you're an enthusiast or an early adopter who wants to stay on the cutting edge of LibreOffice development and is willing to accept more frequent updates and occasional minor issues. Features: Writer is the word processor inside LibreOffice. Use it for everything, from dashing off a quick letter to producing an entire book with tables of contents, embedded illustrations, bibliographies and diagrams. The while-you-type auto-completion, auto-formatting and automatic spelling checking make difficult tasks easy (but are easy to disable if you prefer). Writer is powerful enough to tackle desktop publishing tasks such as creating multi-column newsletters and brochures. The only limit is your imagination. Calc tames your numbers and helps with difficult decisions when you're weighing the alternatives. Analyze your data with Calc and then use it to present your final output. Charts and analysis tools help bring transparency to your conclusions. A fully-integrated help system makes easier work of entering complex formulas. Add data from external databases such as SQL or Oracle, then sort and filter them to produce statistical analyses. Use the graphing functions to display large number of 2D and 3D graphics from 13 categories, including line, area, bar, pie, X-Y, and net - with the dozens of variations available, you're sure to find one that suits your project. Impress is the fastest and easiest way to create effective multimedia presentations. Stunning animation and sensational special effects help you convince your audience. Create presentations that look even more professional than the standard presentations you commonly see at work. Get your collegues' and bosses' attention by creating something a little bit different. Draw lets you build diagrams and sketches from scratch. A picture is worth a thousand words, so why not try something simple with box and line diagrams? Or else go further and easily build dynamic 3D illustrations and special effects. It's as simple or as powerful as you want it to be. Base is the database front-end of the LibreOffice suite. With Base, you can seamlessly integrate into your existing database structures. Based on imported and linked tables and queries from MySQL, PostgreSQL or Microsoft Access and many other data sources, you can build powerful databases containing forms, reports, views and queries. Full integration is possible with the in-built HSQL database. Math is a simple equation editor that lets you lay-out and display your mathematical, chemical, electrical or scientific equations quickly in standard written notation. Even the most-complex calculations can be understandable when displayed correctly. E=mc2. LibreOffice also comes configured with a PDF file creator, meaning you can distribute documents that you're sure can be opened and read by users of almost any computing device or operating system. LibreOffice also comes configured with a PDF file creator, meaning you can distribute documents that you're sure can be opened and read by users of almost any computing device or operating system. Download: LibreOffice 64-bit | LibreOffice 32-bit ~300.0 MB (Open Source) View: LibreOffice Website | Screenshot | Release Notes Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • Amazon eero Pro 6E mesh Wi-Fi system 2-pack is 27% off by Ivan Jenic The Amazon eero Pro 6E mesh Wi-Fi system is currently $239.99 on Amazon for the 2-pack, down from $329.99. That's 27% off and $90 saved for a solid Wi-Fi solution that covers your entire home (purchase link down below). The 2-pack covers up to 4,000 square feet (372 square meters) and supports 100+ connected devices, which handles the vast majority of home setups without breaking a sweat. Wi-Fi 6E brings access to the 6 GHz band for lower latency across the network, and the 2.5 Gb Ethernet port supports gigabit+ internet plans if your ISP offers them. eero's TrueMesh technology handles traffic routing automatically, so you're not manually managing which devices connect to which node. You set up the entire thing through the eero app, and the entire process takes a few minutes. The system also receives automatic security updates in the background, so once you set it up, you don't have to worry about compatibility issues. If you're covering a larger home or want more nodes, the 3-pack is $329.99 and the 4-pack is $479.98, both at similar discount levels. It's worth mentioning that a newer model exists, which is likely the reason for the discount, but the Pro 6E is still perfectly capable hardware for most homes. Amazon eero Pro 6E mesh Wi-Fi system 2-pack - $239.99 | 27% off on Amazon This Amazon deal is US-specific and not available in other regions unless specified. This is a first-party seller link (at the time of article publishing); ensure that you also purchase from a first-party seller link only. If you don't like it or want to look at more options, check out the previous deals that we have covered, OR you can also visit Amazon US deals page. Get Prime (SNAP), Prime Video, Audible Plus or Kindle / Music Unlimited. Free for 30 days. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
    • On Tuesday, Microsoft drilled another hole in the duo's sinking relationship with the debut of its MAI-Thinking-1 AI model, a midsize model that the company said is intended for high-efficiency, low-token-cost situations...... https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/article/microsoft-and-openais-relationship-continues-to-crumble-183330195.html  
    • Ladybird Browser is no longer accepting outside contributions thanks to AI by David Uzondu The Ladybird Browser Project has announced it will no longer accept public pull requests and will limit changes to those made by its maintainers as it works towards its first alpha release. According to Ladybird's creator Andreas Kling, this is "not a change we make lightly," but the rapid shift in AI capabilities forced their hand. Previously, a massive PR implied that the person behind it put a lot of care into the code and is ready to "answer for the consequences." Now with AI, anyone can generate a PR without even understanding the bug fix or feature they want merged. The blog post goes on to say that the team is closing all open public pull requests immediately, and that maintainers will not treat external forks as a review queue for upstream Ladybird. Instead, the team wants outside contributors to focus on reporting bugs and running tests. Kling started Ladybird back in 2019 as LibHTML, a simple HTML viewer for his hobby operating system, SerenityOS, but by September 2022, it had turned into a full-fledged browser project. What sets Ladybird apart from the likes of Google Chrome, Apple Safari, or Mozilla Firefox is its totally independent engine, which does not rely on pre-existing codebases. The project maintains a strict policy against default search engine deals or user data monetization, keeping development funded entirely by donations and sponsorships. Generative AI is forcing open source project maintainers to rethink how they handle public code contributions (and the whole open-source thing in general). One month ago, a leak about the National Health Service (NHS) suggested the organization was planning to take all of its public repositories private ahead of a May 11 deadline, thanks to Mythos (an AI model that Anthropic believes is too dangerous to be released to the public) and its ability to find and write exploits for zero-day vulnerabilities. Thankfully, the Government Digital Service (GDS) issued a counter-report titled "AI, open code and vulnerability risk in the public sector" that stopped the shutdown by pointing out that hiding code does not improve security.
  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      I2D earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Week One Done
      Dr Jared Dental Studio earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Week One Done
      RG INVESTMENT GROUP earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Very Popular
      The Norwegian Drone Pilot earned a badge
      Very Popular
    • Very Popular
      s0nic69 earned a badge
      Very Popular
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      484
    2. 2
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      258
    3. 3
      Skyfrog
      84
    4. 4
      FloatingFatMan
      64
    5. 5
      Michael Scrip
      63
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!