How can I restore the old Program Manager?

John Savill

March 4, 1999

1 Min Read
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A. NT 4.0 by default uses the "Explorer" shell (explorer.exe), however the old Program Manager (progman.exe) is still delivered with NT 4.0, and be configured to be the default shell using the registry:

  1. Start the registry editor (Start - Run - Regedit.exe)

  2. Goto the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionWinlogon

  3. Double click on the value "Shell"

  4. Change from explorer.exe to progman.exe and click OK

  5. Exit the registry editor

  6. Log off, and then logon

  7. Back to the old! :-)

About the Author

John Savill

John Savill

https://savilltech.net

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