Classic Shell Now Works in Windows 8 CP

By FaiKee
in The Fast Ring (Insider Previews)

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GreenMartian

Posted
Posted

Before people start asking "why the #@%& would you want to do that?!" or "metro is better!!!!", let me just say these words:

Choice is a good thing.

Sort of like how you don't just walk up to some guy and say "your wife's fat! why in the world would you marry her?!".

Some people love women who have a bit of meat attached to those bones!

Grand Master

remixedcat

Posted
Posted

Before people start asking "why the #@%& would you want to do that?!" or "metro is better!!!!", let me just say these words:

Choice is a good thing.

Sort of like how you don't just walk up to some guy and say "your wife's fat! why in the world would you marry her?!".

Some people love women who have a bit of meat attached to those bones!

I loves me some meat! I want ham and steak!

Grand Master

Fraud OS 11

Posted
Posted

If you want a Windows 7/Windows Vista style Start Menu with a search box which is selected by default when you open the menu, go to the Search Box tab in settings and check "Selected by default" and select the "Access normally" radio button. All the settings in Classic Shell are self-explanatory but if you still need help, just hover over any setting and tooltip help will be displayed. You can use any skin with two columns to make it work and look exactly like the Windows 7/Vista Start Menu, except for file search which is broken anyways in Windows 7/Vista for non-indexed files. :)

Ivo and I started Classic Shell back in Nov. 2009 out of desperation and MS refusing to fix any issues in Windows after release. I give the ideas, test stuff and how it should work (overall User Experience) and he programs them. It reached a million downloads this month. :woot:

The trick is to customize, customize, customize as the defaults in all three components are simple and bare minimum. You can save and restore all your settings in all three components. Classic Explorer and Classic IE9 also add many missing features back to Windows and make your transition easier.

The reviews from most users have been extremely positive.

  • GreenMartian and FaiKee
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FaiKee

Posted
  • Author
Posted

If you want a Windows 7/Windows Vista style Start Menu with a search box which is selected by default when you open the menu, go to the Search Box tab in settings and check "Selected by default" and select the "Access normally" radio button. All the settings in Classic Shell are self-explanatory but if you still need help, just hover over any setting and tooltip help will be displayed. You can use any skin with two columns to make it work and look exactly like the Windows 7/Vista Start Menu, except for file search which is broken anyways in Windows 7/Vista for non-indexed files. :)

Ivo and I started Classic Shell back in Nov. 2009 out of desperation and MS refusing to fix any issues in Windows after release. I give the ideas, test stuff and how it should work (overall User Experience) and he programs them. It reached a million downloads this month. :woot:

The trick is to customize, customize, customize as the defaults in all three components are simple and bare minimum. You can save and restore all your settings in all three components. Classic Explorer and Classic IE9 also add many missing features back to Windows and make your transition easier.

The reviews from most users have been extremely positive.

You guys are brilliant, period.

FYI I also posted about it in PCBeta, AFAIK yours is the only one providing multi-language UI. :)

http://bbs.pcbeta.com/viewthread-1014915-1-2.html

Grand Master

Fraud OS 11

Posted
Posted

Thanks FaiKee. :) There are still some usability issues we couldn't fix like the forced auto sorting and auto arrange monstrosity. Auto arrange at least has a registry hack but auto sorting is just unbearable.

Grand Master

Nick H. Supervisor

Posted
  • Supervisor
Posted
tbh it looks rather horrible and missplaced if u ask me

Really? It looks like it's right where the Start Menu has always been, if you ask me. Although I admit that if it were me I would change the shell logo...I guess Microsoft would have issues with that though?

Grand Master

Fraud OS 11

Posted
Posted

Here's how the Classic Start Menu can be customized and skinned. So either you hate the Windows 7 Start Menu too or you are a troll deliberately if you call it "ugly" or "horrible". :D

js5Rt.png

Experienced

DJGM

Posted
Posted

If it has the option to use Windows 7's Start Menu then I'd consider it. Otherwise, using the

classic menu would be even worse than using the Start Screen.

The original classic 9x/2K style Start Menu is the default, but it can easily be changed to the two columned menu

from Windows Vista and 7 which first debuted as the default option in XP, if that's what you're more used to.

Grand Master

Dot Matrix

Posted
Posted

Or if Microsoft go back to the Start Menu, which is more than likely not going to happen.

That's exactly my point. Microsoft is going to stick to their guns with Windows 9. A few (yet, highly vocal) power users aren't going to change their minds.

Grand Master

Fraud OS 11

Posted
Posted
Good luck to the people who want to use it but that looks horrible to me. There's a reason why MS junked the expanding Programs menu on the Start Menu - it was a usability nightmare.

Can you explain how the expanding Programs menu is a usability nightmare? It better utilizes screen estate in fact instead of cramping it into a tiny area with a scrollbar. The Start screen is also trying to make it go "full screen" for this reason. The one problem with flyout menus in Windows 9x was that if the mouse moved a little bit outside the menu it would close. But our menu being customizable, you can simply set the "Menu Delay" setting to a larger value like 10000 and it will never close with the mouse just moving, it will only open folders and close with a mouse click.

Grand Master

Nick H. Supervisor

Posted
  • Supervisor
Posted
That's exactly my point. Microsoft is going to stick to their guns with Windows 9. A few (yet, highly vocal) power users aren't going to change their minds.

...And I was agreeing with you ("which is more than likely not going to happen") while also stating that thanks to applications like this one the end user doesn't have to "delay the inevitable," they can be happy while the people that prefer Metro can be happy.

Veteran

+DKAngel Subscriber²

Posted
  • Subscriber²
Posted

Really? It looks like it's right where the Start Menu has always been, if you ask me. Although I admit that if it were me I would change the shell logo...I guess Microsoft would have issues with that though?

but it doesnt look like it belongs, you know hence why its not actually in the cp, i barely use the startmenu in windows 7 as it is so kinda seeing it gone doesnt really faze me and modifying windows 8 just to have one u may aswell jsut stay at windows 7

Grand Master

Nick H. Supervisor

Posted
  • Supervisor
Posted
but it doesnt look like it belongs, you know hence why its not actually in the cp, i barely use the startmenu in windows 7 as it is so kinda seeing it gone doesnt really faze me and modifying windows 8 just to have one u may aswell jsut stay at windows 7

Ok, I can understand if you don't use the Start Menu as it is. That's completely fine. But remember that there are a lot of additions to Windows 8 in the way of features, and many people would like to use them. At the same time, one of the bigger issues for people is the removal of the start menu, replacing it with the start screen. This kind of application gives users the best of both worlds, they can still have a start menu and get the extra features that comes with Windows 8.

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