Get The Classic Windows NT 3.51 Control Panel On Windows XP,Vista,7 & 8.

As well as Windows 3x which was a 16 bit operating system, Microsoft also made an NT version which was 32 bit. This was Windows NT3x and the first version was Windows NT 3.1. Then there was Windows NT 3.5, then NT 3.51. All of the Windows NT3's looked exactly like Windows 3.1, except they were 32 bit, did not have DOS. Where as Windows 3x was 16 bit, and was also a DOS operating system that could boot into DOS, and run DOS programs.





Well Windows NT3 had all of the same software that Windows 3.1 16 bit had,so you can run all of the apps on 64 bit Windows, since the software from NT3 is 32 bit. I was digging around in my Windows NT 3.51 CD, and thought I would try out some software on my Windows 7 and 8.

One of these is the Control Panel from Windows NT 3.51, taken from the installation CD which actually works on all later Windows including Windows 8. So here is how you can get the Classic Control Panel on Windows XP,Windows Vista, Windows 7 and 8. And I am not talking about the Classic Start Menu or Control Panel from Windows 95 or 98. I mean the real Classic Control Panel that is in Windows NT 3.51 before Microsoft changed it in Windows NT4, to the one we know now.
So without wasting anymore time here goes.

You need a Windows NT 3.51 installation CD or a PC running Windows NT 3.51, but it's more likely you will just have the install CD. Since it is difficult to install Windows NT 3.51 on a modern laptop.

Extract both the Control.exe and Control.hlp files from the CD, onto Windows 8 or whatever version of Windows you want to run it on. As there is already an exe file named Control in Windows 8,7,Vista and XP in the Windows System32 folder. You need to rename the Control Exe you got from Windows NT 3.51 to something like Control1 so it does not conflict with the one already in System32.

Now place both the renamed exe and hlp files from Windows NT 3.51 in your C\Windows\System32 folder on Windows XP,Vista,7 and 8 or 8.1.

Now run the program and you can create a shortcut to it in your desktop or start menu if you want.

This is the Windows NT 3.51 Control Panel on my Windows 8 and as you can see it works.

I can launch all of my programs from here and it also displays a them in list view.

This is how it looks on Windows 7.

And this is the Control Panel from Windows NT 3.51 on Windows XP.

Sure, some of the programs such as add and remove programs don't show up, but I suspect it's because they don't have that in NT 3.51. But it still works and if you missed the old Control Panel this is an easy way to get it back again. And you can still run the Windows XP, 7 and 8 Control Panel as well as this. So enjoy.