What just happened? The Control Panel has been an essential component of Microsoft Windows for decades, and was originally introduced in Windows 1.0 in the mid-80s. However, its days are numbered ...

The Control Panel in Windows has literally been a part of the operating system since Windows 1.0, but Microsoft decided along the way that it should be replaced with something more modern.

Microsoft isn't killing Windows Control Panel after all The 40-year-old tool still seems to have plenty of life left, though certain settings will continue to be deprecated.