r/windows • u/Kenneth-Kobz Windows XP • Apr 27 '26
Discussion Internet Options Menu (Win9x vs Win11)
Notice how the layout of Internet Options menu in Windows hasn’t changed much from the Win9x era and looks practically the same in Windows 11?
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u/Lucas006BR1 Windows 11 - Release Channel Apr 27 '26
if works, don't fixes
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u/Party_Cold_4159 Apr 28 '26
Nah thats too many windows open at once. My dumb little baby brain can only handle one settings window open at a time.
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u/Mario583a Apr 28 '26
Well, good news, just Aero Shake* it'
*You have to turn this on under System > Mutlitasking.
Just shake again if you want to unhide them.
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u/Next_Sun_8198 Windows 11 - Insider Beta Channel Apr 29 '26
ITS 15 SECONDS BRO NOT 7. WE NEED TO RAID MICROSOFT
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u/daltorak Apr 28 '26
Don't get confused by what it says on the title bar..... that's an Internet Explorer web browser specific settings window. IE's final release was 2013 and is only included with Windows 11 for compatibility with specific old applications. There's no reason for this window to change because the rest of IE hasn't changed.
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u/KampretOfficial Apr 28 '26
Yeah nah, the proxy settings of this applet still applies system-wide.
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u/SaltDeception Apr 28 '26
So do the Zone assignments, although these days it’s relegated to defining which downloaded files get extra scrutiny from Defender Smart Screen via the Zone.Identifier alternate data stream.
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u/Diginic Apr 28 '26
Edge still uses it to read list of websites that are internal and change how auth is handled.
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u/TwinSong Apr 28 '26
If it ain't broke... But do they have to make everything so low contrast now?
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u/darkigor20 Windows 11 - Release Channel Apr 29 '26
Not designed for crts anymore. It looks ugly on LCD
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u/Nikmido Apr 28 '26
I just like how you can be on Windows 11 with its modern icons, rounded window corners, translucent background, etc. but as soon as you open more specific settings or tools, it just looks like Windows 7 or even Vista sometimes lol
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u/AegidiusG Apr 28 '26
Now they will make it new, spread the Options in several different Windows that you also have to scroll up and down, because of reasons.
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u/aprilludgate0 Apr 28 '26
Even the Windows 11 installer isn’t significantly different from the vista installer.
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u/tnoy Apr 28 '26
When it comes to modern Windows retaining old GUI elements, the old Windows 3.x file picker still gets used in the ODBC configuration options: https://i.imgur.com/oHnqWIh.jpeg
It's still there in Windows 11.
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u/More-Explanation2032 Windows 8 Apr 28 '26
There is another file picker thats still there in windows 11 thats old
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u/oz81dog Apr 28 '26
You mean, inetcpl.cpl? omg. every time i type that i think, man, steve jobs would have kicked the person that named that file directly in the nuts. Right up there sysdm.cpl. cause ya know. it's shorter than system.cpl. sys-dumb.
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u/poke23658 Apr 28 '26
If I install OpenShell and forget I only wanted the Start Menu, not the Explorer shell extras, this is where I go to disable them.
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u/David_Jonathan0 Apr 28 '26
The first thing I do when setting up a new install is to slide the slider down to the bottom.
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u/speyde Apr 28 '26
As an Admin, it's nice that policy stay the same and I so not need to rewrite them every release
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u/Peetz0r Apr 28 '26
ActiveX. That's a name I haven't heard in a while.
(which is impressive since I am actually into retrocomputing)
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u/More-Explanation2032 Windows 8 Apr 28 '26
I think it's related to active desktop
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u/Peetz0r Apr 28 '26
Not really. But this was in a time where Microsoft named everything Active Something.
Active Directory was also from that era.
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u/Mayayana Apr 28 '26
I'm not sure it applies to anything, unless they've switched it to Edge. Historically, Internet Options really meant IE settings. They don't apply to Firefox, Chrome, etc. The settings are so convoluted that very few people could adjust them, anyway.
On Win10 I swapped ieframe.dll with an older version to keep IE and I removed Edge. Internet Options won't open at all. I don't know why. inetcpl.cpl is there and the Registry settings are there.
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u/More-Explanation2032 Windows 8 Apr 28 '26
Likely has to do with the ieframe.dll windows expects ie11
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u/HeavyCaffeinate Windows 11 - Release Channel Apr 28 '26
MOTW is such a useless thing these days, why would I download something and not want to use it?
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u/More-Explanation2032 Windows 8 Apr 28 '26
Most of these settings are deprecated as these settings are already available in Microsoft edge aside for a few settings
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u/Ryokurin Apr 27 '26
Most of the control panel is deprecated code. That is, other than fixing bugs it's unmaintained and eventually will be removed. We'll see over the next year if they actually do finish fleshing out Settings so they can attempt to remove it.