I personally like the Classic Windows 2000 desktop look/feel. I found it quick, intuitive, functional, and visually pleasing. So I decided I'd try to make any later releases look like Win2K.
When XP came out I "brain damaged" the new UI back into Win2K by disabling new features, simplifying the desktop, etc.
I skipped Vista.
When Win7 came out I did the same "brain damage" as on XP. It was a little more complex, disabling the Aero crap and other "features", but still quite possible. Other people would come up behind me and ask me why I was still running Windows 2000 almost 20 years later. I knew then I was succeeding.
Windows 10 was much more of a challenge, but happily, a savior wrote and released "Classic Shell" which allow you to choose a Start Menu that looks like the Classic one. That and the usual brain damage pretty much did the trick -- my Win10 machines look and feel pretty much like Win2K still. Not identical, but close enough that it still fools other people.
So the answer to your question is, "Yes, but it's not an 'option'. You have to add Classic Shell and do some work to remove the stupid crap MS has layered onto the UI over the years."
Yep, Classic Shell (now Open Shell) is absolutely needed for Windows 10. I probably haven’t disabled the UI as much as you have, but I’ve done quite a bit. That plus a lot of Windows disabling (starting with Cortana).
Thank you for the detailed response. I guess my best bet is to look for a good used Windows 7 machine.
Either that or hit the lottery, and buy Bill Gates out. Then I’ll run Microsoft the way it should be run. 👍
In my experience, Classic Shell works well in Win10. I don’t think I’d find 10 usable without it. But.....my sole foray into W11, it does install and run, but a lot of the config seems to get lost every boot. I immediately upgraded that one machine from 11 to 10, which is.....acceptable, so long as you have Classic Shell. Not nearly as good as 7.