Microsoft is traveling to the past with a build of Windows 11 Insider that allows testers to rip CDs to Media Player and evokes memories of Windows 10.
As part of build 25158 that arrived last night on the Windows Insider development channel, Microsoft added more dynamic examples of widgets to the taskbars of selected development channel users and launched the usual suite of solutions. .
The changes to search on the taskbar were appealing and some Windows Insiders will see a rather different search experience. In addition to a simple search icon, there may also be a search bar where the user can type (with two sizes potentially available). Everything is very reminiscent of Windows 10.
Windows 11 Button Search Variants
There is no guarantee that the functionality will exceed the Dev channel (and Microsoft has decided to remove the interactive desktop content it released earlier this year), but some might say it shows that the company is paying attention to complaints of users less interested in changes made to the Windows 11 user interface.
Also a bit of a throwback to the past was an update to Microsoft Media Player for Dev Channel Insiders. While Groove Music may have followed Dodo’s path in the eyes of Microsoft, Windows users need their tunes. Therefore, CD playback was included in March and last night … CD ripping was added (with support for formats like AAC, WMA, FLAC and ALAC).
Media Player, which has languished a bit in the latest versions of Windows, is now at the forefront of Microsoft’s multimedia plans. It will now also use the Movie and TV file type associations.
It will be interesting to see if Microsoft’s retro theme continues. After all, it has recently launched a range of clothing designed to recreate the glory days of, among others, Windows XP.
Maybe a future update to Windows 11 could re-include Space Cadet Pinball or maybe, just maybe, the stability of the days when Windows had the NT suffix. ®