The Windows Control Panel has been a vital component of the Windows operating system for numerous years. When Windows 10 was launched, Microsoft revealed plans to ultimately substitute the Control Panel with the Settings application.
Almost a decade has elapsed since that declaration, during which various applets from the Control Panel have been transitioned to the Settings application; nevertheless, the Control Panel has not been completely abolished from Windows.
In August, rumors surfaced that Microsoft was set to eradicate the Control Panel once and for all. However, the corporation promptly withdrew the notice of its retirement, suggesting that the Control Panel will remain accessible for the foreseeable future.
Microsoft Delays the Control Panel
Developer Eric Voirin, recognized for his contributions to the Win98 QuickInstall framework—a personal initiative aimed at expediting the installation of the older OS—made a captivating discovery.
Voirin detected inherent delays within a Control Panel applet from Windows 95 and 98 that extended the integration duration for new hardware with the operating system by a total of eight seconds. It remains uncertain if similar delays exist in subsequent versions of Windows.
The overall delay consists of two parts: a three-second interval for presenting the generic default class or device name, followed by a five-second wait after Windows refreshes the logo and name for the particular device.
In his research, Voirin has effectively reduced this entire sequence to just 300 milliseconds.
The reasoning behind the initial design of this delay is still unclear; while it may have been for technical purposes, it remains unknown if similar delays are hardcoded in other areas of the Control Panel.
On a brighter note, this delay does not appear to be an effort to enhance the appeal of the Settings app, as it was absent during the Windows 9x era.
Image Source: Volodymyr Kyrylyuk / Shutterstock
