Over the six years since Windows 7 was released, Microsoft has made its PC operating system far more intuitive and powerful by packing it with tablet- and smartphone-like features.

A lot of those features debuted with Windows 8, but they still weren't working perfectly.

Microsoft went back to the drawing board with Windows 10 to develop an operating system that will be familiar to Windows 7 users but doesn't compromise on modern features. (Note: You're not crazy -- Microsoft skipped Windows 9 altogether.)

Windows 10 has a Start Menu, just like Windows 7 -- only better.

On the left Start Menu column, you'll find a list of your most used apps, most visited folders and recently added software. There's also a button that will show you all your apps in a single list.

On the right part of the Start Menu, there is a grid of app tiles that you can arrange however you like. The "live" tiles will show you updates, such as the latest stock prices, the last show you were watching on Netflix, social media updates, weather, news and sports scores.

If you want, you can take the Start Menu full-screen by clicking the "expand" button -- it's kind of like having a tablet or smartphone screen for a desktop. But, crucially, it's only there if you want it. The default is the familiar Windows desktop experience.

Windows 10 provides some design changes that Windows 7 users will welcome. For example, taskbar icons glow at the bottom when they are opened, but only the app icon that is currently being used is completely highlighted. In Windows 7, all open apps are highlighted, confusingly.

(CNN)