Classic Shell: Forum

No matter what I do, opening the start menu shows no animation. I know it seems insignificant, but I really like the animation choices. Is there something I'm doing wrong?

Which version of Classic Shell are you using and which style of the Start Menu? The most recent version, 3.9.5 RC added some animations for some areas of the main menu in Windows 7 style. If you are using the Windows 7 style in version 3.9.x, the main menu itself appears without animation. That is because the user picture frame is a separate window. It can’t animate together with the main menu. If the main menu faded or slided, the user picture would pop in after the menu is done animating. That's the way Windows 7's menu also behaves.

In Windows 7 style, there are animations for submenus as well as for jumplists. There is also a fade animation when you begin to search or click All Programs. The user picture area also fades icons for the right column.

If you use the Classic style (Classic with two columns or single column style), the main menu will animate (fade or slide) while it appears. Some menu animations won't show if you have Windows Appearance settings set to "Best performance". In the Start Menu search box, type SystemPropertiesPerformance.exe and press Enter. On the Visual Effects tab, make sure the option is set to adjust for best appearance.

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Links to some general topics:

● Compare Start Menus

● Read the Search box usage guide.

I am a Windows enthusiast and helped a little with Classic Shell's testing and usability/UX feedback.

Will opening animations for the Windows 7 style be added in the future? Also, is the XP style still in the latest version? I couldn't find that either. I don't know how many people use the animations and XP style, but I really like them. I hope you guys don't end up removing this stuff.

If you want the old features, use the Classic style - it has animation and XP skin. The new "Windows 7" style is not compatible with the animations and the XP skin.
Nothing is removed. It is just that you can't use some of the old features and some of the new features together because they are incompatible.

No features have been removed. But they have been moved around and renamed. What was previously the Windows XP style is retained as the 'Classic with two columns' style but the skin it uses by default is different depending on the OS so the Start Menu blends in with the look of the OS. After choosing 'Classic with two columns' style from the Style tab, go the Skin tab and there you can choose Windows XP Luna skin returning you to what you had in 3.6.8 as "Windows XP Style".

Similarly, what was earlier the 'Windows 7 style' in 3.6.8 is there under 'Classic with two columns' style (just set the "Windows Aero" skin) from the Skin tab. The real Windows 7 style in 3.9.x is a brand new style designed to closely imitate the real Windows 7 style menu with inline All programs and search results (yet in this style, you can have a cascading All Programs menu - such is the versatility of Classic Shell).

We will not remove features like Microsoft does. Believe us, we care about our users and removing what they developed a liking for is not something Classic Shell does.

If you want the Windows 7-like look but with the main menu animating, choose the 'Classic with two columns' style. The skin can be anything you like - XP Luna, Windows Aero or Windows 8 - which you set from the Skin tab after picking the base style. In fact, the Classic with two columns style is the most powerful of the 3 styles because it allows accommodating many items in the menu, including subitems.

_________________
Links to some general topics:

● Compare Start Menus

● Read the Search box usage guide.

I am a Windows enthusiast and helped a little with Classic Shell's testing and usability/UX feedback.

Classic Shell 4.3.0's Start Menu supports fade, slide and random animations also in Windows 7 style.

_________________
Links to some general topics:

● Compare Start Menus

● Read the Search box usage guide.

I am a Windows enthusiast and helped a little with Classic Shell's testing and usability/UX feedback.