Chapter 16 · Windows Settings Application

Practical Lab: Settings vs Control Panel

5 min read

Objective

Find out, on your own PC, which program runs when you open Settings and which runs when you open the old Control Panel for the same job. You also practise the ms-settings: links. You only look. Nothing in this lab saves any change. Close each window with the X button, and never press Apply or OK on a page you opened for looking.

Time: 25–30 minutes
You need: A Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC. No extra software.

What to Open

ToolHow to open it
SettingsPress Win + I
Run boxPress Win + R
Task ManagerPress Ctrl + Shift + Esc, then click More details if you see a small window
PowerShellPress Win, type PowerShell, press Enter (normal, not admin)
Registry Editor (view only)Win + R, type regedit, press Enter

Part 1: Which Program Is the Settings App?

  1. Close Settings if it is open. In Task Manager, open the Details tab and look for SystemSettings.exe. It is usually not running (or it may be suspended).
  2. Press Win + I. Settings opens.
  3. Go back to Task Manager (Details tab). Find SystemSettings.exe.

Fill in:

  1. Is SystemSettings.exe now in the list? ________________
  2. Its Status (Running or Suspended): ________________
  3. Its memory use: ________________

Now ask PowerShell the same question:

Get-Process SystemSettings | Select-Object Name, Id, StartTime
  1. Process ID (Id): ________________

If PowerShell says it cannot find the process, Settings is closed. Open it with Win + I and run the command again.

Press Win + R, type each address, press Enter. Look at the page that opens, then close it.

Type thisPage you should seeDid it open? (Y/N)
ms-settings:aboutAbout
ms-settings:displayDisplay
ms-settings:networkNetwork and internet
ms-settings:windowsupdateWindows Update
ms-settings:privacyPrivacy
  1. In the Details tab, did you get one SystemSettings.exe or a new one for every page? ________________ (Normally the same app is reused.)
  2. Try the Command Prompt way too. Open cmd and type start ms-settings:about. Does the same page open? ________________

Part 3: Compare the Same Task in Both Places

Do each task below in both doors. You are only looking at the page. Do not change anything.

Task A: Network adapters

DoorStepsProgram seen in Task Manager (Details tab)
SettingsWin + R → ms-settings:network → open Advanced network settingsSystemSettings.exe
ClassicWin + R → ncpa.cpl________________

What you may see for the classic one: explorer.exe (the shell draws the window), control.exe, or rundll32.exe. This may look different on your version.

Task B: Uninstall a program (look at the list only)

DoorStepsProgram seen
SettingsWin + R → ms-settings:appsfeatures (Windows 10 and 11 both may open the Installed apps list; if it does nothing, use Win + I → Apps)SystemSettings.exe
ClassicWin + R → appwiz.cpl________________

Do not click Uninstall. Close both windows.

Task C: Display scale and layout (look only)

DoorStepsProgram seen
SettingsWin + R → ms-settings:displaySystemSettings.exe
ClassicWin + R → control → Appearance and Personalization → Display (this page may lead back to Settings)________________
  1. Did the classic Display page open the Settings app instead? ________________ (This is the redirect from Section 3.3.)

Task D: Windows Update

DoorStepsWhat happened
SettingsWin + R → ms-settings:windowsupdateThe Windows Update page opens
ClassicWin + R → control → System and SecurityIs there a Windows Update item? If yes, click it. Where does it take you? ________________

Part 4: Look at the Control Panel Program

  1. Press Win + R, type control, press Enter.

  2. In Task Manager (Details tab), look for control.exe and explorer.exe.

  3. Is control.exe still in the list, or did it disappear after the window opened? ________________ (It often starts the window and then hands over to the shell.)

  4. Write what you think happens: ________________

Part 5 (Optional): Peek at the Registry (View Only)

  1. Open regedit.

  2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ms-settings (type it into the address bar at the top).

  3. Open shell → open → command. Read the line, but do not edit it.

  4. Does the line mention an app or a launcher program? ________________

Close regedit.

What Should Happen

  • Part 1: SystemSettings.exe appears when you open Settings.
  • Part 2: All five links open the right pages in the same app window.
  • Part 3: Settings pages show SystemSettings.exe. Classic pages show other programs (often explorer.exe, sometimes rundll32.exe). Some classic items hand you back to Settings.
  • Part 4: The Control Panel window is drawn by the shell and not by SystemSettings.exe.

Interpretation Guide

What you seeWhat it means
SystemSettings.exe while a Settings page is openThe modern app is running (Section 1.1)
Status "Suspended" in Task ManagerWindows paused the app to save power. It wakes when you click
explorer.exe hosts the classic windowThe Control Panel page is a shell item or a .cpl shown by the shell
rundll32.exe appearsA classic item is loaded through a helper that runs a DLL function
A classic page opens Settings insteadThe setting has moved. The old page is just a signpost (Section 3.3)
An ms-settings: link does nothingAddress not valid on your version. Use Win + I instead
Page says "Some settings are managed by your organization"A Group Policy or Intune rule is active (Section 1.3)
Policy key missing in regeditNo company rule set; normal on a home PC

Follow-Up Questions

  1. Which tasks in Part 3 showed SystemSettings.exe and which did not? What does that tell you about the two technologies?
  2. Why can the same setting be reached from two different windows and still be the same setting?
  3. Why would an IT person prefer an ms-settings: link over saying "click System, then Display, then ..."?
  4. Which task in Part 3 had no classic equivalent? What does that tell you about where new features go?
  5. Why does Microsoft keep the classic pages even though Settings exists?