Someone asked us how can he get the good ol' Wordpad and Paint back in Windows 7 as he can't get used to the new ribboned interface. So here we'll tell you the way to get the old Wordpad and Paint back in Windows 7.
Actually Windows 7 supports the old Wordpad and Paint.
Following tutorial will show you how to get old Paint working in Windows 7:
How to Get the Good Old MS Paint (without Ribbons) Working in Windows 7
And here is step-by-step tutorial to get old Wordpad working in Windows 7:
Get Old Wordpad working in Windows 7:
If you have Windows Vista installed along with Windows 7, you can directly run the "wordpad.exe" file present in "%Programfiles%\Windows NT\Accessories" folder and it'll run the old Wordpad without any problem.
You can also create a shortcut of this file at Desktop or in Startmenu so that you can easily access it.
But if you want to completely replace the new Wordpad in Windows 7 with the old Wordpad, then you can follow these simple and easy to use steps:
1. Open following folder:
%Programfiles%\Windows NT\Accessories
You can open it by typing the path in RUN dialog box and press Enter.
2. Now take ownership of "wordpad.exe" file. To take ownership, please follow this tutorial:
Add Take Ownership Option in File / Folder Context Menu in Windows Vista and 7
3. Now rename the "wordpad.exe" file to "wordpad_backup.exe".
4. Now go to "en-US" folder and take ownership of "wordpad.exe.mui" file. After taking ownership rename the file to "wordpad_backup.exe.mui".
5. Now copy "wordpad.exe" file from Vista and paste it in "%Programfiles%\Windows NT\Accessories" folder.
Do the same thing for "wordpad.exe.mui" file, copy it from Vista and paste in "%Programfiles%\Windows NT\Accessories\en-US" folder.
That's it. Now Windows 7 will start using the old Wordpad.
If you want to use the new Wordpad later, simply delete the new "wordpad.exe" and "wordpad.exe.mui" files and then rename the backup files to their default names.
NOTE: If you don't have Windows Vista installed, you can download the required "wordpad.exe" and "wordpad.exe.mui" files from following link:
This article was posted by VG in following section: Windows 7.
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MMG
I want to install and use Winows 7 but I saw the
minimum system requirements as
--------------------------------
* 1GHz processor (32- or 64-bit)
* 1GB of main memory
* 16GB of available disk space
* Support for DX9 graphics with 128MB of memory (for the Aero interface)
* A DVD-R/W drive
--------------------------------
is there any way I can make it run on my 512 MB RAM, 64MB Graphics Card ?
if yes, then please write an article on it!
thanks in Advance.
VG
^^ You can install it with lower graphics card as well but it'll not provide Aero interface. Regarding 512 MB RAM, you can do that also but I would not recommend it as it'll run slow on it and you should have at least 1 GB RAM for good performance.
Tangmeister
Hey Vishal,
If you want to take a learning curve and take your time learning the Ribbon without replacing the files (something a typical user might not want to take the time to do, ownership and all), try this:
1. Put the Quick Access Toolbar below the Ribbon.
2. Add everything you need to it. (Rightclicking)
3. Minimize the Ribbon.
You now have a fancier version of the old interface.
VG
^^ This tutorial is for education purpose. If someone wants to get the old things back, he can follow this tutorial. Here on AskVG, we always try to share each and everything which might be useful for people. :)
Kris
As a writer who needs things EXACTLY a certain way to get anything done, the ribbon on Wordpad put me into a panic. My silly OCD and I thank you.
EZ
The new WordPad was so sluggish, taking second to refresh what was just typed. I just followed this instruction and got the good old wordpad. It is much faster and I like it. Great instructions. Thanks.
Joe
AWESOME POST!!!! Thank you so much! I wanted to add if you need to jump from XP to Windows 7 the instructions are just the same except there is no .mui file to move, instead you copy the files mswrd6.wpc and mswrd8.wpc. Works like a charm! Now I can open word 97-2003 docs :)
Charlie Summers
Doesn't work at all for me in Windows7 Home Premium 64x. After providing admin credentials, I keep getting a dialog box telling me I, "require permission from TrustedInstaller to make changes to this file."
Really despise the new WordPad, would love to get the older one running under Windows7. Suggestions?
VG
^^ Make sure you are logged in as Administrator and double check that you are the owner of the file using its Properties.
Charlie Summers
Yeah, you never mentioned the massive hassle of bouncing around to change the owner from TrustedInstaller, hardly as simple as following the tutorial you link to (the "Take Ownership" script clearly fails, although the command window doesn't remain long enough to let the user know that it fails) but instead requiring manual intervention as Admin and the usual jump-through-Microsoft-hoops to get the job done.
I initially worked around the issue by dropping a copy of WordPad from XP into my standard user (non-Admin) "My Applications" folder and changing the defaults (only RTF) to it from the new WordPad. Since I right-click other files (from .txt to .nfo) adding this copy is trivial. After jumping through the required hoops of changing the owner of the file then copying, renaming, et al, both act as the old XP version, which frankly I prefer to even the Vista version anyway.