Chapter 16 · Windows Settings Application

Knowledge Check

8 min read

Try to answer before you open the answers. Guessing is fine; checking your guess is how you learn.

QUICK REVIEW (5 minutes)

  1. Which keyboard shortcut opens the Settings app?
  2. What is the name of the program (the .exe file) that runs the Settings app?
  3. What was the Settings app called in Windows 8?
  4. What does ms-settings: mean, and give one example address.
  5. What is a .cpl file?
  6. What does the message "Some settings are managed by your organization" mean?
  7. Which door has Windows Update: Settings or Control Panel?
  8. What does a handler do in the Settings design?
  9. What do CSPs do in Intune (MDM)?
  10. Which program starts the classic Control Panel?

ANSWER KEY — DO NOT READ UNTIL YOU'VE ANSWERED

Click to reveal answers

1. Shortcut

Win + I.

2. The program

SystemSettings.exe, seen in Task Manager's Details tab while Settings is open.

3. Windows 8 name

"PC settings". It was renamed Settings in Windows 10.

4. ms-settings:

A URI scheme (like https:) that opens a Settings page directly. Example: ms-settings:about or ms-settings:windowsupdate.

5. A .cpl file

A Control Panel item. It is really a DLL (code library) that holds one or more Control Panel applets, for example ncpa.cpl (network adapters).

6. Managed message

A Group Policy or MDM/Intune rule is controlling that setting, so the toggle may be locked. It is not a fault.

7. Windows Update

Settings. The Control Panel only keeps a link that sends you there.

8. Handler

A small piece of code that reads and writes one group of settings for a page. It sits between the screen and the real system (registry, service, driver).

9. CSPs

A Configuration Service Provider is a small Windows component that receives one kind of setting from the company and applies it on the PC.

10. Control Panel program

control.exe (for example Win + R, then control).

UNDERSTANDING QUESTIONS

Q1. Why did Microsoft build a new Settings app instead of updating the Control Panel?

Answer The Control Panel is a large pile of classic code written over decades, with small windows that do not work well with touch or high-resolution screens. A new app gives one consistent design, touch support, a search index, and a place where new features can be added and improved through normal Windows updates.

Q2. Why does a Settings page need a "handler" and not just write values itself?

Answer Modern apps run in a restricted container and should not change the whole system freely. A handler is a trusted helper that performs the real change and can check rules (such as company policy) first. It also lets the same logic be reused by search or other tools, and be updated without redesigning the page.

Q3. Why is a setting locked in both Settings and Control Panel when the company sets a policy?

Answer Both doors lead to the same Windows. The policy is stored in its own place, and Windows gives it priority over the user's choice. Whichever page you use, Windows applies the policy, so the setting stays locked.

Q4. Why do some Settings pages still open classic windows?

Answer The Control Panel has hundreds of pages, and Microsoft moves them gradually. Some belong to other companies' drivers, some are used in scripts by IT staff, and some are rarely used. Until each one is rebuilt, the new page links to the classic one.

Q5. Why is ms-settings: better than telling a user to "click System, then Display"?

Answer It opens the exact page in one step, so it works the same on every PC. Menu names and positions may change between Windows versions, but the address usually stays valid. It can be used in shortcuts, scripts and links inside apps.

SCENARIO QUESTIONS (Troubleshooting)

S1. A toggle on the Windows Update page is grey and shows "Some settings are managed by your organization" on your work laptop. What do you do?

Answer This is a policy from your IT team (Group Policy or Intune). Do not try to bypass it. Ask IT if the rule can be changed, or accept that the setting is controlled.

S2. You type ms-settings:something in the Run box and nothing opens. What are the possible causes?

Answer The address may be mistyped, or it may not exist on your Windows version. Try a known one such as `ms-settings:about`. If that works, the Run box is fine and only the first address is wrong. Use `Win + I` and navigate by clicking.

S3. You click "More network adapter options" in Settings and a different, older window opens. Is something broken?

Answer No. That is the classic Network Connections window (`ncpa.cpl`). Settings links to it because the advanced adapter properties have not been moved to the new app. It controls the same adapters.

S4. After you close Settings, Task Manager still shows SystemSettings.exe as "Suspended". Is it a problem?

Answer No. Windows may keep modern apps in a suspended state, using almost no CPU, so they open faster next time. It will be removed if Windows needs the memory.

S5. A user says "I cannot find the Windows Update page in the Control Panel." What do you tell them?

Answer Windows Update lives in Settings, not in the Control Panel. Open it with `Win + I` (Windows Update), or press `Win + R` and type `ms-settings:windowsupdate`.

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

I1. Compare the Settings app and the Control Panel in terms of technology.

Answer The Control Panel is classic Win32: `control.exe` plus `.cpl` DLLs and shell items, with old-style dialogs. Settings is a modern app (UWP/XAML style framework) running as `SystemSettings.exe`, with pages backed by handlers that call system components. Settings is touch friendly, searchable through an index, and receives new features; the Control Panel is slowly being replaced.

I2. How can an organisation control what a user can change in Settings?

Answer Through Group Policy (for domain-joined PCs) or MDM such as Intune, which delivers rules through CSPs. These policies are stored on the PC and take priority over user choices. The affected page shows a message that the setting is managed by the organisation.

I3. What is a URI scheme, and how is ms-settings: used?

Answer A URI scheme is the first part of an address (before the colon) that tells Windows which program should handle it. The `ms-settings:` scheme is registered to the Settings app, so any link such as `ms-settings:display` opens that page. It can be used from the Run box, `start`, PowerShell, shortcuts or other apps.

I4. How would you check whether a given window is Settings or a classic Control Panel item?

Answer Look at the look and feel (one large window with left menu and toggles means Settings; tabs with OK/Cancel/Apply means a classic dialog). To be certain, open Task Manager's Details tab: Settings shows `SystemSettings.exe`, while classic items usually show the shell (`explorer.exe`) or helpers such as `rundll32.exe` or `control.exe`.

I5. Where are Settings values stored?

Answer Not in one single place. Many are in the registry (per-user or per-machine). Others are kept by Windows services or drivers, or in an app's own store, or synced through the Microsoft account. Policy settings from Group Policy or MDM are stored separately and win over user choices.

PRACTICAL TASK

Make a "Settings shortcut sheet". Using the lab, write a one-page list of five ms-settings: addresses that work on your PC, plus the classic command (such as ncpa.cpl or appwiz.cpl) for the same task if one exists. Next to each, write which program you saw in Task Manager.

Why This Matters

IT support staff and power users jump to the right page in seconds. The sheet also trains you to see that every setting has two possible doors, and to know which program is behind each one.

CHAPTER SUMMARY

  • Settings is the modern app (SystemSettings.exe, opened with Win + I), the successor to "PC settings" from Windows 8. It uses a modern app framework with XAML-style pages.
  • Pages (System, Accounts, Network, Privacy, Apps, Windows Update, Personalization, Accessibility, Bluetooth and devices) are screens. Handlers and trusted helpers do the real work.
  • Values live in the registry, services, app stores or the cloud, and Group Policy / Intune CSPs can lock pages.
  • ms-settings: deep links open pages directly.
  • The Control Panel (control.exe, .cpl DLLs) is being replaced slowly. Some pages still redirect to it, and some tools exist only in one door.