The first thing any Windows user will notice is that the Start Button has been removed. The Start Menu too has been removed and replaced with instead the Start Screen, which is the first thing you see when you log in to Windows.
Desktop Gadgets have been removed too. And along with it the Sidebar. While the Sidebar existed in Windows 7, it was not ‘on’ by default.
The Windows Explorer has undergone a sea-change. The command bar is gone and replaced with a cool ribbon UI. It is now referred to as File Explorer.
You wont see the Games Explorer now. Possibly because the focus is now on Games as Apps, and therefore, Microsoft may have decided to do away with it.
The Windows Basic and Windows Classic themes have been removed. The Aero Glass theme with transparent windows borders has been done away with. You now have a Metro UI Style theme with windows borders matching the hue of the wallpaper.
Press WinKey+Tab and see what happens in Windows 8. Flip 3D too is gone. Keeping pace with the times and the Metro UI, you now have a Metro or Modern UI Switcher which gets activated.
The Windows DVD Maker has been removed, possibly because it was not very popular with the users.
DVD playing feature has been removed from Windows Media Player. It will however be possible to play DVDs in Windows Media Center.
Windows Media Center is not present in Windows 8. You have to buy it as an extra. You will have to buy the Windows 8 Media Center Pack or the Windows 8 Pro Pack, which includes Media Center, along with DVD playback in Media Center – but in Media Player, broadcast TV recording feature and playback (DBV-T/S, ISDB-S/T, DMBH, and ATSC), and VOB file playback.
File History has replaced Shadow Copies / Previous Versions. This makes the Windows Backup and Restore feature much more powerful.
Missing Windows CardSpace? Microsoft didn’t think you would. CardSpace was a technology in .NET Framework 3.0 that simplified and improved the safety of accessing resources and sharing personal information on the Internet.
The scary Blue Screen has been dropped to make way for a more friendly-looking Blue Screen, which displays a sad emoticon, minimal information and the Error code.
Parental Controls has been improved upon to take on a much wider role. It now comes in a new avatar called Family Safety.
The Windows Updates are available icon is no longer visible in the taskbar. If you have set Windows to inform you of available downloads, but not download them, in Windows 7 and earlier, you saw an icon whenever updates are available. Now you will see a notification in the bottom right corner of your login screen.
I am sure that there must be many more Windows 7 features, which have been removed in Windows 8. If you know of or think of any, please do add in the comments below.
Also read: List of features removed in Windows 10.
