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Like Windows XP, Windows Vista includes a user experience called Windows Classic that

resembles the user interfaces that Microsoft shipped with Windows 95, 98, Me, and 2000

(it most closely resembles Windows 2000). This interface is available on all Windows Vista

product editions, including Starter edition. Classic is included in Windows Vista almost

solely for businesses that don’t want to undergo the expense of retraining their employees

to use the newer user experiences.

Even though Microsoft markets Windows Classic as being identical to the Windows

2000 look and feel, the truth is that there are numerous differences, so users will still

require some training when moving to Windows Vista and Classic mode. For example,

the Start Menu and Explorer windows still retain the layouts that debuted with

Windows Vista, and not the styles you might be used to in Windows 2000. However,

you can fix this somewhat. To use the old Start Menu, right-click the Start button and

choose Properties. Then, select the option titled Classic Start menu and then click OK.

It’s a bit more complicated to use a Windows Explorer look and feel that is closer to

that of Windows 2000. To do so, open Computer from the Start Menu and then press

the Alt key to display the Classic menu (which is disabled by default in Windows

Vista). Select Folder Options from the Tools menu to display the Folder Options dialog.

Then, select the option titled Use Windows classic folders and click OK. Voilà!

Your system should now look a bit more like Windows 2000,

If you work in the IT department of a business that is considering deploying

Windows Vista, you can actually roll out a feature called Classic Mode via Group

Policy (GP) that does, in fact, configure Windows Vista to look almost exactly like

Windows 2000. Classic Mode essentially combines the Classic user experience with

the secrets mentioned previously.