Open up the Windows 10 Technical Preview (Build 9926), and you'll probably notice something aboutthe new hybrid Start menu/screen: under Places, there are three links: File Explorer, Documents, and Settings.
Wait a minute -- Settings? Click on Settings, and the new Windows 10 Settings menu pops up. It's clean, with big, touch-friendly icons and simple descriptions, and it looks similar to the PC settings menu in Windows 8. But the PC settings menu in Windows 8 was hidden in the Charms bar (Charms > Settings > Change PC settings), and this new Settings menu is right there on the Start screen.
The new Settings menu looks like a mash-up of Windows 8's PC settings menu (most of the actual PC settings can be found under the System tab) and the more old-school Control Panel. So, it appears that Microsoft is trying to make a user-friendly menu that can help people find and change settings without having to dive into the Control Panel.
But it also appears that perhaps Microsoft is trying to get rid of the Control Panel altogether: While many of the settings in the new Settings menu can also be changed in the Control Panel (if you know where to look), not all of them can. For example, Windows Update is completely gone from the Control Panel -- it now exists only in the Update & recovery section of the new Settings menu. And several of the privacy settings (such as app permissions for webcams and microphones) never existed in the Control Panel to begin with.
Here's a deeper look at each of the sections in the new Settings menu:
The System tab
The Devices tab
The Network & Internet tab
The Personalization tab
The Accounts tab
The Time & language tab
The Ease of Access tab
The Privacy tab
The Update & recovery tab
As you can see, the new Settings menu is still a work in progress, and the Control Panel is still a major feature in Windows 10. But that may not be the case when the final version of the new operating system drops. Keep checking back -- we'll be updating each of these pieces as Microsoft releases new preview builds.
