It’s been over a month since Windows 10’s public release, and after seeing all the feature updates and Microsoft’s fraudulent snooping efforts, don’t worry if you’re still unsure about upgrading your existing Windows 7/8 / 8.1 system to the latest offer. Here are some tools and software that will bring some features like Start Menu, Window Snap, Task View and Virtual Desktop to your old Windows operating system without upgrading your OS.

Note: When installing third party tools, make sure that you have selected the custom installation setting and deselected the additional software that tries to hide it.

1. Tiled start menu
The release of Windows 8 has received a lot of criticism from Windows users regarding the introduction of new features. The most notable was the annoying modern UI design and especially the iconic start button closure. Microsoft finally had to release an update (Windows 8.1) to bring back the old start button, with some changes to the interface of modern UI themes.

Windows 10’s Start Menu is more or less the same as Windows 8.1’s. The changes include a list of the most used apps, and below are buttons, more animation on the tiles, and a clearer background. If you are running a Windows 7 or 8.1 system, you may start to hate the design of the new Start menu, which also includes Cortana. A tool called Start Menu Revive 2.0 does a good job of copying the Start Menu from Windows 10 but sadly does not include a Cortana-like assistant. While the design is really close to the layout of Windows 8.1, it’s definitely a complete revamp of the Start menu from Windows 7. You can add apps and arrange the layout of tiles in the same way. It also contains a column of useful shortcuts, such as my computer, control panel, network, etc., which reduces the number of steps required to access them.

Modify your Start menu

2. Window snapping
The Windows Snapping feature has seen a lot of enhancements since it was first introduced in Windows 7. Previous windows were snapped to a predefined shape in the desktop area, and now in Windows 10, it has more freedom to snap with a variable size. windows, a feature called Quadrants. This means that you can have more than two window tiles open and visible on your desktop in Windows 10, unlike previous versions of Windows.

AquaSnap further enhances the snapping feature by giving you the freedom to snap up to a maximum of four windows across the desktop, which is a quarter of the screen. Unlike Windows 10, windows snap to each other and not just the desktop area. Aquamagnet enables you to resize two or more windows side by side. Another helpful feature – AquaGlue lets you group specific windows under one category. Once grouped, you can move snapped windows anywhere on the screen. When working in multiple windows, you can access data in more than two windows. Under AquaGlass you will be able to clear any window, making the content visible even in the window above it. If you want a window to always be on top, you can enable AquaShake and set the transparency meter of other windows.

Now snap up to four windows using AquaSnap!

3. Virtual desktop
A completely new feature for Windows, virtual desktops have been a boon for Linux and Mac users for some time. If you work in multiple windows and run different projects on the same computer or screen at the same time, you can plug another monitor into your workstation. Multiple screens give you more visibility to reduce clutter from your desktop and make it easier for you to work. Virtual desktops mimic the same thing where you can switch between virtual screens and manage files and folders individually.

The Dexpot tool extends the Virtual Desktop feature to your older Windows 7/8 / 8.1 system, allowing you to get a hassle-free desktop. After the children play and install using the desktop, an icon will appear in the taskbar allowing you to switch between four different virtual desktops. Windows Catalog – An advanced feature that displays all windows in a single desktop view so you can move applications across your virtual desktop.

Switch between four virtual machines using the Dexpot tool!

4. Task view
After you open several windows on your desktop, searching for a specific window becomes quite frustrating. Chaos is also visible in the taskbar and the only way to deal with this is to use the task view. Mac OS is already well-managed, Task View has made its way into Windows 10, and now you can switch between applications with a simple shortcut.

Switcher 2.0 displays all windows in a numbered grid, making it easy to switch between applications and windows, so you can select the one you want. The tool lets you select the pattern you want your apps to display under randomly sized tiles and the right grid options. You can assign your own shortcuts to enable Task View unless it conflicts with existing OS shortcuts. You are also given some advanced features to edit the animation delay, grid size and much more. Tweaking them can upset existing values, but if you feel comfortable with the default settings of Switcher 2.0, you don’t have to worry about tweaking them.

Welcome to Task View on Windows now!

5. Command prompt
The command prompt in Windows 10 went through a lot of changes, and it was at this time that some long-awaited changes were updated. You could not resize the window because you are limited to 80’s screen buffer. You can’t even select text with your cursor, leaving no room for copy and paste commands, making it very difficult for you to enter. Complex commands. Microsoft has finally heard from users and Windows 10 now supports all of these features. If you’re still on earlier versions of Windows, you’ll still encounter the problems mentioned above. In that case ConEmu is the answer for you. It looks like a command prompt on steroids with tabbed sessions, multiple consoles and a very high level of customization. In addition to the Windows 10 command prompt features, ConEmu has many additional features that allow you to run many GUI apps on the tab for debugging, code checking and other services. You can even split tabs across different screens and navigate across them just like your browser tabs. If you are a frequent user of Notepad ++, you can launch the software inside a tab and further split the screen if you wish.

Highly Customizable Command Prompt – ConEmu!

6. Storage visualization
A helpful feature we’ve observed in Windows 10 is the ability to visualize the storage taken by the type of content stored on the hard drive. It lists all drives, and if you click more, you’ll be delivered to Drive content under apps and games, documents, photos, music, videos, and more.

Previous versions did not have a default tool for visualizing the content so you now have to rely on third party tools like DiskSavvy. This software analyzes your hard drive and gives you an overview of the contents of the drive. You can create charts to see the percentage distribution of content, filter and categorize files according to your needs, and create disk space usage reports.

View a complete analysis of your storage using DiskSavvy.

7. Windows 10 Transformation Pack
Conversion packs are quite simple and an easy way to change the interface of your OS They completely change the look of your existing operating system by applying a theme that updates icons and images to look like the desired theme. Transformation packs are relatively secure because they do not touch system files to add a new feature and are mostly focused on tweaking the look of the interface.

There are some Transformation Packs that bundle with software to further enhance Transformation and Windows 10 Transformation Pack 5 is one of them. In addition to upgrading the theme to look like Windows 10, it also installs some of the features mentioned above, including virtual desktop, Cortana-based search, and the Start menu. If you do not want to spend time installing individual tools for the features, then this conversion pack should go with you.

Take the easy way and install the conversion pack directly!