HP don't list drivers for that for anything other than windows7, they may be available elsewhere, but it may be hard to find some of them.
Right deep breath :)
1). It seems impossible to create short-cuts to your desk top.
Anything that installs a shortcut as normal should still do so, anything you have a shortcut to the start menu you can just drag it onto the desktop and a shortcut will be created for it.
2). I dont like the Mac-esq floating bar at the top which reappears every time I turn the computer on.
Thats not a standard part of windows7, you must be able to remove it or turn it off, look in programs and features in the control panel and see if there is anything that is obviously that and remove it.
3). I don't like the dual-sided Start menu - prefer the Classic single list version you could get on XP and before.
http://www.howtogeek....rt-menu-in-windows-7/
4). I prefer the task bar organisation on XP
Right click on a empty part of the task bar, select properties and set the taskbar buttons to one of the other 2 settings, try both see which you like, you can also turn of the aero peek on the same page.
5). Files seem harder to find and manage. I used to access one screen and one list through 'My Computer' - now you've got photos, music, docments, my computer and a load more....
either just click start > computer and the old My computer window will open, or, if you want it on the desktop just right click on it on the start menu and select show on desktop.
it still won't be precisely the same, but a lot closer, though in my opinion you are disabling some of the better features.