Restore Start menu but limit it to Pro edition


Recommended Posts

Ramble Ramble Ramble

In terms of how to maneuver around the OS, there is NO other difference. How many users - even those still using Windows 7 - center all their operations around the Start menu? Now, if you are a user that does, in fact, center most of how you get to things around the Start menu, its excision is going to be massive.

However, other than that, nothing really changed from a user-operations POV between 7 and 8.

First, it absolutely changes how they maneuver, isn't that what this is all about? Change for the better, change for the future? It changes workflow the first time they open almost anything and changes navigation to find their way back. If you can't see the many pitfalls that are already hitting the help desk, you're blind.

Your other statement was spot on, I'm just not sure how you sweep a mammoth like that under the rug. If you heavily used the Start Menu, you will feel it more than most should not be a point of argument.

they did ti with win 3.11 to 95, u didnt have a start menu back then and then wulla u have it, people were furious about it and didnt like it

It wasn't about start menu that time.. It was about people who hates changes like Microsoft moved stuff around/changed UI. Which is why, people can't find something they look for. Hence, they HATE it.

I don't care if Microsoft add/remove the features or change the looks in UI.

Car factories do the same thing to their cars as well.. For example, they moved windshield switch from left side to the right side of the steering wheel. They changed the button types on their radio/AC unit ... Now, newer cars have touchscreen on their dash. I know some friends who do not like computer based cars... they want old fashion cars that have no computer crap in it. A few of them that have new cars for daily use and use old cars for fun.

You notice something at grocery store (other stores as well) that they move stuff around... how you feel about that?

That's the way we do is make some changes for better... no matter if you like it or not. How you feel if you make changes to your app for your users and users do not like it? It is about company wins their customers back based on the changes or new features. If the users do not like it, they can move on to new product that made by other company. For example, you moved from Apple to Android for a new phone since Apple has not changed a bit in homescreen UI.

Car factories do the same thing to their cars as well.. For example, they moved windshield switch from left side to the right side of the steering wheel. They changed the button types on their radio/AC unit ... Now, newer cars have touchscreen on their dash. I know some friends who do not like computer based cars... they want old fashion cars that have no computer crap in it. A few of them that have new cars for daily use and use old cars for fun.

You notice something at grocery store (other stores as well) that they move stuff around... how you feel about that?

Cars move the windshield switch, they don't hide it until the user waves their hand or stick their finger in the corner of the car to make it reappear.

Grocery stores move food around all the time, that's true. What they don't do is hide the entire aisle and make you find the nearest corner to stand in, or use a keyboard on your shopping cart to do a key combo to make the aisle reappear.

  • Like 3

Yes, but cars move the windshield switch, they don't hide it until the user has to wave their hand or stick their finger in the corner of the car to make it reappear.

Grocery stores move food around all the time, that's true. What they don't do is hide the entire aisle and make you find the nearest corner to stand in, or use a keyboard on your shopping cart to do a key combo to make the aisle reappear.

Dude, I was talking about make changes for better... I did not say hide stuff... where did I say hide?

Dude, I was talking about make changes for better... I did not say hide stuff... where did I say hide?

I just re-read your post. Now i'm thinking you are anti win8, though i'm still not entirely sure.

I just re-read your post. Now i'm thinking you are anti win8, though i'm still not entirely sure.

You are thinking wrong.

I have Windows 8 Pro.. so I am automatically anti Windows 8, huh?

What's wrong with you?

Like I said before, I don't care if Microsoft add/remove the features. I am not complaining about it. It is their decision.

I have used Linux, Windows, BeOS. I have not tried Mac Pro yet... but I have used iPhone, AppleTV, iPad.

They all work fine for me when I use them. No complaints there.

You are thinking wrong.

I have Windows 8 Pro.. so I am automatically anti Windows 8, huh?

What's wrong with you?

Like I said before, I don't care if Microsoft add/remove the features. I am not complaining about it. It is their decision.

I have used Linux, Windows, BeOS. I have not tried Mac Pro yet... but I have used iPhone, AppleTV, iPad.

They all work fine for me when I use them. No complaints there.

So then where you comparing the changes cars and grocery stores make to the changes Microsoft made with windows 8?

Which is really what many arguments regarding Metro boil down to. Its not just about the Start Menu or application launching. Its Start, Desktop, and Taskbar (ie a whole new UI paradigm) rolled together to accommodate coarse control mechanisms.

Forget it, you don't get it.. I was NOT comparing... I was talking about "MAKING CHANGES"... get it?

change huh? Well in that case I stand by "Hiding stuff comment". You never said anything about cars or grocery stores hiding anything, this is true. I'm the one talking about hiding stuff. Cars / Grocery stores and Windows 8 are 2 very different types of change. Cars / Grocery stores move things , Windows 8 hides them out of sight.

I still fail to understand so many people can't use the start screen.

it's the same basic thing....and you've got more space to put stuff on there.

it's just like a full-screen start menu... i mean, what's the problem in seeing that??

  • Like 2

I only go to windows 8 for playing games... windows 7 on the other hand, WORK.

I remember seeing a similar comment about 12 or so years ago. It went something like this:

I only go to windows xp for playing games...windows 2000 on the other hand, WORK.

I still fail to understand so many people can't use the start screen.

it's the same basic thing....and you've got more space to put stuff on there.

it's just like a full-screen start menu... i mean, what's the problem in seeing that??

That's precisely how I feel.

I never understood the extreme wailing toward the "lack of" start menu. Metro, aka Start Screen, is... pretty much the same thing, except better. Grouping's better. Everything's still there, and hell it looks better.

Then I see someone pointing out the fast access to the necessities: Control Panel, Search, Run, etc... That fast access is still there. Right click the bottom, left hand corner of the screen. All the said necessity is still there.

In my opinion, start screen made start menu redundant. I installed a start menu hack early on, and I found myself just... not using it at all, and eventually got rid of it, as I've already found myself preferring the start screen more. Personally I feel Start Screen could be a bit more customized (thank you Oblytile and Decor8). I don't see start menu coming back at all, nor would I support it being back at all.

But hey, it's your computer. You do what you want.

Now as for the desktop...

Who needs a Start menu anymore once the Desktop is gone for good.

That, alone, would be pretty much a business suicidal move. The rage regarding the 'lack' of start menu would be one thing, but the complete lack of desktop would be a whole another thing, especially since like... 99% of the software still rely on desktop.

When I need a screwdriver giving me a hammer and telling me its innovative and the new way of doing it doesn't really cut the mustard with me,if anything its just a Uniformly Insulting feature

When I need a screwdriver giving me a hammer and telling me its innovative and the new way of doing it doesn't really cut the mustard with me,if anything its just a Uniformly Insulting feature

...Except with Start Menu and Start Screen, I feel like that my screwdriver has been replaced with a sonic screwdriver-- a screwdriver with more bells and whistles > >

they did ti with win 3.11 to 95, u didnt have a start menu back then and then wulla u have it, people were furious about it and didnt like it

Actually that's not true. Windows 95 was universally acclaimed.

The intent of the start screen is to phase out older devices that still rely on screen resolutions of less then 1024*768. Most users now use a screen size of 1366*768. on most systems the small menu wasn't using the space of a full screen so it was in fact leaving a dead space.

Yes because keeping something that works perfectly fine on lower resolutions AND higher resolutions is the wrong thing to do, we must throw random garbage all over the screen just for the sake of the free real estate.

/s

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • You might be right... Look at his name, hiding in plain sight: hAmId.
    • ExplorerPatcher 26100.8457.70.3 by Razvan Serea ExplorerPatcher is a versatile and free tool that allows you to tweak and enhance the Windows Explorer. It comes with a range of useful features, including the ability to add new context menu items, change file name colors, and enable hidden features. Feature summary Choose between Windows 11 or Windows 10 taskbar (with labels support, small icons and lots of customization). Disable Windows 11 context menu and command bar in File Explorer and more. Open Start to All apps by default, choose number of frequent apps to show, display on active monitor and more. Choose between the Windows 11, Windows 10 and Windows NT Alt-Tab window switcher with customization. Lots of quality of life improvements for the shell, like: Skin tray menus to match Windows style, make them behave like flyouts and center them relative to the icon. Choose action when left and/or right clicking the network icon. Revert to the Windows 7 search box in File Explorer, or disable Windows Search altogether. Disable immersive menus and use mitigations that help you run the real classic theme without glitches. Discover the program's full range of features by reading this wiki article. ExplorerPatcher 26100.8457.70.3 changelog: Tested on OS builds 22621.4317, 22631.7079, 26100.6899, 26100.8037, 26200.8246, 26200.8457, 26300.8493, and 28000.2113. TIP: Windows Defender no longer flags ExplorerPatcher. It is no longer needed to configure Defender exclusions. Enjoy! Important Update for Windows Insider Users If you're running Windows 11 Beta build 26220.8474 or Experimental build 26300.8493, updating ExplorerPatcher is highly recommended. Microsoft has removed parts of the old Windows 10 Start menu from these builds, which caused ExplorerPatcher's Windows 10-style taskbar and Start menu to crash. This update fixes those issues and ensures Explorer starts correctly after future Windows updates. Because the required components are no longer included in Windows, the Windows 10 Start menu option has been disabled on these builds and future builds that lack the necessary files. A temporary workaround is to replace StartTileData.dll with a version from build 26xxx.8457, but this solution may stop working in future releases. The good news: development on the Windows 10 Start menu isn't over yet. More updates are planned. Highlights Fixed crashes affecting the Windows 10 battery flyout on Windows builds 25951 and newer. As part of that fix, network flyout buttons now behave like they did before Windows 11 version 24H2. Changes to the Primary taskbar location on screen setting now apply instantly without requiring a restart. ExplorerPatcher no longer modifies Windows 11 taskbar auto-hide settings when Explorer starts. The Open Start in All apps by default option is now hidden when the new Windows 11 Start menu is enabled. Fixed Windows 10 Start menu crashes on very early Windows 11 builds (21996–22000.51). Fixed a crash in Registry Editor when switching to thumbnail view during registry import/export operations. Improved compatibility with recent Windows builds, especially ARM64 and upcoming 26H1 releases. Improved overall ARM64 performance. Added Greek language translations. Thanks to @KonVetsos! ep_taskbar Improvements ep_taskbar now supports all 43 Windows 11 display languages. Fixed several issues in the system tray and other taskbar components. For mod developers: DLL naming has been simplified and made easier to understand. For mod developers: internal TrayUI changes provide better stability across Windows builds that use different taskbar implementations. Windows 10 Start Menu Improvements To help preserve compatibility, ExplorerPatcher now includes a newly recreated version of the tile layout engine that Microsoft removed in build 26xxx.8474. Current limitations: Tiles may occasionally overlap when pinned in certain ways. Restarting StartMenuExperienceHost.exe or Explorer usually corrects the layout. Further improvements are planned. Additional Fixes Added a blacklist that prevents ExplorerPatcher's shell extension from loading inside specific applications where it may cause problems. Updated Windows 10 Start menu animation support for newer ARM64 Insider builds. Fixed a rare taskbar initialization deadlock that could occur during startup. Start10 Updates Addressed a new compatibility issue caused by Microsoft's ongoing removal of tablet mode code in Windows 11 25H2 Experimental builds. Pinned tiles are no longer reset after repeated crashes. Various wording and interface text improvements throughout the application. Translation and UI Several interface strings have been cleaned up and clarified. Thanks to @sefinek for wording improvements. Please consult the README for more details. Download: ExplorerPatcher 26100.8457.70.3 | ARM64 | ~11.0 MB (Open Source) View: ExplorerPatcher Home Page | Features | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • This author may be AI..... we just...... don't know.... lol AI is taking over.....run for the hills!
    • Here's how to grab your share of Apple's $4 billion lawsuit payout (if you qualify) by David Uzondu Image via DepositPhotos.com A UK tribunal has approved a collective legal action letting a $4 billion (£3 billion) claim against Apple proceed to trial after consumer rights group Which? formally accused the company of violating competition laws. The tribunal recently set a full trial date for October 2028. Which? filed the lawsuit way back in November 2024, accusing Apple of trapping users in iCloud by restricting rivals from fully accessing iOS. Apple gives users only 5GB of free space, and once that limit vanishes, the system drives upgrades by repeatedly nudging users through notifications. The group claims Apple overcharged millions who bought plans ranging from 99p a month for 50GB to £54.99 a month for 12TB. If Which? wins the now-greenlit lawsuit, the court will force Apple to pay out damages to roughly 40 million UK consumers, with each person receiving around £77 for the pricing abuse. Apple has already put out a statement telling Reuters that the allegations are completely false and that consumers do have choices. "We work hard to make iCloud a great experience, but no customer is required to use it, and customers in the UK have plenty of alternatives to choose from," it told the outlet. The good thing is that if Which? wins, claiming your share requires almost no effort due to the automatic structure of the litigation. You are eligible if you used Apple's iCloud services between November 8, 2018, and June 8, 2026, and paid for upgraded storage during that time. The tribunal automatically enrolls everyone living in the UK on June 8, 2026. The system operates on an "opt-out" basis, meaning you do not have to register right now, and you will just verify your details to collect your cash. However, if you want to leave the claim, you must notify Which? by October 8, 2026. But if you lived outside the UK on June 8, 2026, you must manually register on the official Which? website before October 8, 2026, to opt into the action. If you ignore this deadline, you will lose your chance to grab a share of the settlement. On a related note, Google recently had to resolve a massive data privacy fight by agreeing to a payout of over $170 million to Android users. In that lawsuit, plaintiffs argued that Google programmed the Android system to transmit user data without permission, wasting cellular data. To settle, Google agreed to pay a $135 million nationwide settlement alongside an extra $35 million in California. Eligible Android users must submit online claims to secure their cash, with the final approval hearing literally taking place today (June 23, 2026).
    • Microsoft outs Windows 11 KB5095093 with long list of new features by Sayan Sen Microsoft today has released its newest preview update (C-release) for the month of June 2026 under KB5095093, builds 26200.8737 (for Windows 11 25H2) and 26100.8737 (on Windows 11 24H2). The update brings new features across various elements of the OS including the Windows update, the Recovery, Widgets, File Explorer, and more. The full changelog is given below: First up we have the features rolling out gradually: [Point-in-time restore for Windows] New! This flexible recovery feature helps you quickly roll back your PC, including apps, settings, and personal files, to a recent automatic restore point. It helps reduce downtime and simplifies troubleshooting when issues occur. To learn more, see Point-in-time restore for Windows. [Windows Update] New! A calendar experience in Windows Update Settings (Settings > Windows Update) lets you pause updates by choosing an end date, for up to 35 days. You can extend the pause by selecting a different end date and re‑pause updates as needed. For more information, see Pause updates in Windows. [Widgets] New! A quieter, more focused Widgets experience helps reduce interruptions and improves default settings and notification controls: Reduce distractions: Widgets no longer open on hover. Notifications and taskbar badges are minimized by default. Simpler: Open to the Widgets dashboard by default on first use. Customize: Configure Widgets how you want by selecting Settings in the navigation bar, then changing any of the default settings. Stay informed: Dashboard icons show the number of alerts, and badges clear automatically when you leave a dashboard. Adjusted defaults: Some default settings are preserved based on usage, while others adjust to reduce interruptions. Performance improvements: This update provides improved reliability, responsiveness, and visual quality across the Widget experience. [Accessibility] New! This update makes your screen easier to see and customizes your zoom experience: Screen tint: Apply a full-screen color overlay to help reduce eye strain and improve readability. Choose from preset tint options, adjust the intensity, or turn it on automatically. Find this feature in Settings > Accessibility. Magnifier: Enter a zoom percentage directly and change it in increments in the Magnifier window for more precise, flexible control. Magnifier settings menu: You can now also modify zoom increments directly from the magnifier bar instead of navigating to Windows Settings each time. [File Explorer] New! When you hover over a file in File Explorer Home, commands such as Open file location and Ask Copilot appear as quick actions. This experience is now supported for work and school accounts (Entra ID).1 Improves the speed and performance of File Explorer launch.2 Fixes an issue where the OneDrive shortcut in File Explorer stops working when File Explorer is run with administrative mode. The address bar now supports paths containing double backslashes and quotation marks (for example, C:\\Users\\user or "C:\Users\user"), improving compatibility with a wider range of inputs. The address bar suggestion dropdown is more reliable and now consistently closes after an item is selected. This update addresses an issue on File Explorer Home where OneDrive files could appear duplicated in the Favorites section. This update includes several refinements to the Rename experience: Addresses an issue where text was repeatedly selected when renaming items in folder views. Addresses an issue where case-only name changes were not immediately reflected in folder views for items stored locally or in the cloud. [Bluetooth] This update improves reliability and performance when connecting to and using Bluetooth devices: New! Windows now keeps the microphone mute state in sync between the audio mixer and the Hands-Free Profile (HFP) for a more consistent experience with Bluetooth headphones with mute buttons or indicators. Accessory compatibility workarounds: Improves compatibility with specific Bluetooth audio devices, helping AirPods appear faster in pairing mode and improving microphone reliability on Beats Studio Pro headphones. Bluetooth audio stability: Improves overall Windows stability with certain PC manufacturer drivers (error code 0x9F). Improves Bluetooth reliability for voice calls when using Classic Audio devices with the Hands-Free Profile (HFP). Reduces time for LE Audio accessories to start playing audio while using the microphone. Device management: Windows will no longer show a “Remove failed” message when attempting to remove Bluetooth devices if the Bluetooth radio is unavailable or has changed since pairing. Settings experience: Improves stability when using the Bluetooth & devices settings page for a smoother, more consistent experience. Connection reliability and responsiveness: Reduces the time it takes for classic Bluetooth audio devices to reconnect after Windows resumes from hibernation. Improves reliability when LE Audio accessories disconnect, such as when another device (for example, a phone) connects. Improves reliability of LE Audio streaming after a connection is lost and restored. [Bluetooth and Phone Link] This update improves audio routing for calls made through a connected phone: When an outgoing call is dialed from a paired phone, audio remains on the phone while ringing and transfers to the PC only when the call is answered from the PC. When Do Not Disturb is enabled on Windows, incoming call audio from a paired phone no longer rings on the PC. [Voice access and voice typing] New! You can now use voice access and voice typing in French, German, and Spanish. As you speak, your PC improves your text in real time. It corrects grammar, punctuation, and recognition errors, and helps improve clarity—even in the presence of background noise. This makes dictation smoother and reduces the need for manual edits.3 [Audio] This update improves the reliability of the inbox HD Audio driver. [Taskbar] This update improves the reliability of opening the Start menu when selecting the left edge of the taskbar when the icons in the taskbar are left-aligned. [Networking] This update includes networking improvements for virtualized environments. Confidential Virtual Machines (CVMs) now use SR-IOV hardware acceleration by default for improved network throughput, and a configuration issue in nested Hyper-V virtualization network setup has been corrected to ensure reliable VM network provisioning. This update improves the reliability of the Windows networking stack. It reduces bug checks (blue screen errors) related to Wi-Fi power and improves cellular (WWAN) connectivity, including support for IPv6 VPNs. Compatibility with third-party VPN software and SR-IOV configurations on server hardware is also improved. Network adapter settings and bindings are now preserved across OS upgrades. [Printing] New! New printer installations use Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) by default when supported, simplifying setup and improving reliability. For details about third-party driver deprecation, see End of Servicing Plan for Third-Party Printer Drivers on Windows. To control this behavior, use the toggle in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners > Default install printers using Windows Ready Print. For more information, see Introducing Windows Ready Print and modernized driver selection. For more information, see Introducing Windows Ready Print and Modernized Driver Selection. [Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)] The update improves usage of WSL in mirrored networking mode with VPNs. [Display and graphics] Improves the reliability of rendering content while scrolling for certain apps spanning across multiple monitors. Improves the reliability and persistence of applying color profiles. [Location services] This update changes how some location settings are displayed in Settings > Privacy & Security > Location to help with clarity. When location services are turned off, settings like Default location and Allow location override don't immediately apply, since location information is not given to apps or services. These settings will now be greyed out when location services are off to reduce confusion over when they take effect. [Search] This update improves the reliability of setting Search related group policies. [Input] New! You can now customize the size of the right-click zone in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad. Choose from default, small, medium, or large to control how much of the bottom-right corner responds to a single-finger right-click. This setting is only available on touchpads with a pressable surface. If your device manufacturer provides customization through their own app, a Custom option will appear to reflect those settings. This update improves recognition of English characters when using Japanese handwriting. [General performance] Improves the time to shut down Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) when you turn off your PC. [General Reliability] ​​​​This update improves the reliability of explorer.exe. It addresses issues on the login and lock screens related to third-party credential providers, reduces the probability of taskbar icons appearing as blank gray placeholders, and improves navigation to Home in File Explorer during OneDrive sync. It also improves explorer.exe reliability when switching between desktops, enhances app launch with shell extensions, and using acrylic blur effects in the Start menu, Settings, and the lock screen. [Apps] Resolves an issue where some installers and applications could show unexpected elevation (UAC) prompts after installing KB5089549. [Remote Desktop] This update refreshes the dialog design when you enable Remote Desktop in Settings > System > Remote Desktop. [Graphics Kernel] Improves memory-management policy that allows PCs with more than 32GB of installed memory to run larger local AI models. Up next we have the features under normal rollout: [Secure Boot] With this update, Windows quality updates include additional high confidence device targeting data, increasing coverage of devices eligible to automatically receive new Secure Boot certificates. Devices receive the new certificates only after demonstrating sufficient successful update signals, maintaining a controlled and phased rollout. [Authentication] This update improves Netlogon secure channel connections between domain controllers, enabling successful connections from member servers to domain controllers set up before 2025. [Emoji Panel Update] The emoji panel (Windows key + period (.)) now uses GIPHY for GIF content following the deprecation of Google’s Tenor API. Starting June 30, 2026, install the latest Windows update to continue using GIFs in the Emoji panel. If you don’t update, you will see a "GIF service is not available" error in the panel. Installing the latest Windows update will restore access to GIFs. [Networking] This update improves how your device connects to shared network resources. Connections used by apps and system features, such as the NetUseAdd function, now work more reliably, including unauthenticated (null session) connections. [Recycle Bin (known issue)] Fixed: This update addresses an issue where the confirmation dialog might display an internal Recycle Bin file name instead of the original file name when permanently deleting a file. This issue might occur after installing the June 2026 security update (KB5094126). [Taskbar] This update improves notification badge display across your apps. Notification counts and badge visuals now update correctly, helping you stay up to date with new activity. You can choose to manually download the update from Microsoft's update catalog website at this link.
  • Recent Achievements

    • One Month Later
      timbobit earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • One Month Later
      nates earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      Almohandis earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Rookie
      dorf went up a rank
      Rookie
    • First Post
      mike_rumble earned a badge
      First Post
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      468
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      165
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      106
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      87
    5. 5
      Steven P.
      69
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!