Classic Shell: Forum

So far. I have been using Classic start menu ever since windows 10 came out. I have had zero issues with it, even after major updates.
Windows 11 has been leaked for a while now, and I believe is available as a legit download preview as well now...Has anyone tried Classic Start with windows 11?
I hated the win 10 start menu, and am sure I will hate the windows 11 version.
I know there are other start menu replacements, but CSM IS the BEST! Even if it has ben many years since an official update.

Yeah so for Windows 11, you need to know first that although its Taskbar and Start Menu suck completely, the classic Taskbar code is still intact and can be revived. And Start Menu replacements (Classic Shell/Open Shell, or StartIsBack/StartAllBack or Stardock's apps) continue to work. 7+ Taskbar Tweaker, probably the most important app for the Taskbar also works if this classic Taskbar is activated.

Open Shell/Classic Shell works with the new Taskbar as well as the classic taskbar. StartIsBack/StartAllBack works only with the classic one. Stardock's Start11 works only with the new Taskbar. Anyway, the more functional classic Taskbar is the one everyone wants - that is the far superior one. The new one is a total joke, I won't even bother to mention how messed up the new taskbar is. It is an insult to 25 years of Windows releases and drops features introduced by Windows 95, 98, 2000, Me, XP, Vista and 7.

Now, to bring back the classic Taskbar, there are currently two projects - one free, open source one called ExplorerPatcher and another very affordable, commercial, proprietary app called StartAllBack.

As for the choice of Start Menus, this is always your own decision but Classic Shell's menu is objectively superior to the Start menu in StartAllBack, or Stardock's and of course to the Windows 7 menu, Windows 10 menu, or Windows 11 Start. Also, Open Shell is definitely now better than Classic Shell for Windows 10 and Windows 11 because of the various fixes and enhancements it made after Classic Shell's last release in 2017.

There are many ways to use Classic Shell/Open Shell with Windows 11:

1.⠀Use the ExplorerPatcher project to revert first to the Classic Taskbar without losing the rest of Windows 11 functionality
2.⠀Use StartAllBack to enable the Classic Taskbar and revert many bad changes in Windows 11 but keep using the Classic Shell/Open Shell menu.
3.⠀Use⠀Classic Shell/Open Shell just as is with the Modern Taskbar (but you will have to use a square button - more on that below, read on)


1.⠀If you use ExplorerPatcher, there are no compromises required
2.⠀StartAllBack⠀is yet another excellent, easy to use option with an installer with no compromises required
3.⠀If you use Open Shell with the new Taskbar in Windows 11, you lose a huge amount of Classic Taskbar features which has better usability
⠀
Taskbar Toolbars (DeskBands) such as NetSpeedMonitor and Everything Toolbar also work once the classic Taskbar is revived. You can use Winaero Tweaker to enable classic Volume control with the Volume icon (and also fix a lot of broken Windows 11/10 stuff).

Since they split Quick actions from notifications in Windows 11, the cogwheel icon on the classic Taskbar (Win+A) opens the flyout from where you can access Wifi/Network, Volume and other things. Win+N shows calendar and notifications (but not calendar events/agenda).

If you still need direct icons for some broken/missing tray icon functionality, try these apps.

● For replacing/augmenting Network icon even though you can access Wifi from Win+A, use NetAnimate 1.8. Here's what NetAnimate is (it's an app that gives direct access to network adapters' status and properties and also has its own internet connectivity indicator per network interface - both Ethernet and Wi-Fi). Alternate download link if original website goes down: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AqQf4TJSwxe-ggHjTBgD3J36QoUO?e=5mCYWs.
● For Sound/Volume, use Winaero SimpleSndVol especially with the Jloud theme which shows the current volume level directly in the taskbar with a clear white icon + green bar: https://winaero.com/simplesndvol/
● For Power icon, use Battery Mode app by Artem Tarasov: https://en.bmode.tarcode.ru/ This is far superior to the Windows power icon
● To launch the Wi-Fi/Network pane, use this command from Run dialog: ms-availablenetworks: or create a AutoHotkey script to open it with for example Win+W for Wifi.

Turn off any extra Taskbar icons from Settings if you want (Task View button, Search icon etc).
7+ Taskbar Tweaker works with the Classic Taskbar, all the older Registry values work, as does StartAllBack and Open Shell for changing the taskbar's appearance.⠀StartAllBack⠀taskbar msstyles/themes also work with it to restore the taskbar appearance like Windows Vista, 7 or 8.1.

See here if you need screenshots and step-by-step guidance: https://winaero.com/how-to-restore-classic-start-menu-in-windows-11-and-get-back-live-tiles/

As for the skin to use with the Classic Shell/Open Shell Start Menu, I recommend this one: viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8557 Unlike the Windows XP skin which had only 3 colors (Blue, Olive Green and Silver), this one follows your Windows accent color while still maintaining the practical and beautiful XP layout.

Finally if you would like more people to know how to properly configure Classic Shell and Open Shell with Windows 11 and to make them aware that they still work with Windows 11 brilliantly, please share the link of this topic everywhere on the web as many people mistakenly seem to think it no longer works. They repeatedly keep asking in the Open Shell Github to update it for Windows 11 when actually it is not required if you fix the taskbar correctly first.

I have attached screenshots of Open Shell Start Menu with this skin in 7 style and XP style, and some examples of fixed Taskbar with a combination of Open Shell/Classic Shell and⠀StartAllBack⠀on Windows 11.

P.S. The taskbar in these screenshots is intentionally cluttered in the screenshots to demonstrate all the features that Windows 11's new taskbar removes (but the classic Taskbar has intact).

_________________
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.

If you wish to use Classic Shell / Open Shell with the new severely degraded "Modern" Windows 11 taskbar and the taskbar icons on the left (not centered), this particular button works well with it for now, completely overlaying the Windows 11 Start button. As it's a square button without any transparency.

_________________
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.

As mentioned above, there is a free open source in-memory patch available: https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher by a talented developer, Valentin-Gabriel Radu to enable only the Classic Taskbar without enabling "UndockingDisabled" and prevent the side effects it comes with/the things it breaks. As Windows 11 is finalized, the developer aims to update it to work with newer builds/releases.

Update: As of now it's already compatible with the latest builds.

There is also StartAllBack, an outstanding commercial, proprietary app, priced very sensibly, from well-known developer, Tihiy who's enhancing and fixing Windows with his little projects since the Windows 9x days.

Of course, for now, both projects simply enable the old Taskbar code still left intact in the Windows 11 OS. If Microsoft decide to remove it, some developer will have to step up and develop a full taskbar alternative or reverse engineer the full classic Taskbar code to re-create it. However, currently there are no compromises with the approaches used by ExplorerPatcher or StartAllBack. All of the above features (broken from UndockingDisabled) work due to the in-memory nature of these apps. Both projects even let you disable the new dumbed down context menus. You don't have to use any of the above mentioned workarounds as new Windows 11 features still work.

ExplorerPatcher and StartAllBack bring back the full classic Taskbar while keeping full Windows 11 functionality and offer several of their own enhancements.

How to use Classic Shell / Open Shell as the Start Menu and StartAllBack/StartIsBack++ only for taskbar fixes without it interfering with the Start button of Classic Shell / Open Shell

Here's a special transparent Start button specifically for the use case where you want Open Shell/Classic Shell as the Start Menu but StartAllBack for its taskbar fixes. Put this in C:\Program Files\StartAllBack\Orbs and then from StartAllBack Settings, set this transparent Start button in StartAllBack settings: Taskbar. Then in Classic Shell/Open Shell, use whatever Start button you want to use and set left click and Win key to open Classic/Open Shell Menu.

_________________
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.

I have installed Classic Shell 4.3.1 on a Windows 11 system, build 22000.194 and so far I have had no problems with it.

I've installed CS 4.3.1 and it behaves like OS for me with no access to the menu or settings.

This is my Windows 11 desktop with Classic Shell 4.3.1



Desktop2 by Kevin Balmforth, on Flickr

Windows 11 desktop - 2nd photo/

Any comments?

Desktop1 by Kevin Balmforth, on Flickr

7+ Taskbar Tweaker does not work for me in Windows 11.

The Wi-Fi list in tray stopped working for me after some time after installing Explorer Patcher (the window appears but empty).

StartAllBack disactivates all tray icons, even volume control.

hi, nothing is happed after taskkill /f /im explorer.exe, exp is closed but no restarts. when i run it by myself i see no changes.

So in that long message what you are saying is that both Open and Classis Shell do not allow the old Windows Start menu? You have the boring and useless window with whatever you have pinned. You have to search for a program and then choose from that program's old start menu.

Depuis la mise à jour Windows 11 22H2 , la transparence des thèmes à disparue !
Quelque idée là dessus ???
merci !





Since the Windows 11 22H2 update, the transparency of themes disappeared!
Any idea about that?
thank you!

Good morning.
I ask the same question regarding the transparency disappeared with W11 22H2 specifically in the skin "Mignight"
If it is possible to resolve with some procedure, currently I use ClassicShell 4.3.1
I tried to read the tutorial
http://www.classicshell.net/tutorials/skintutorial.html
But I don't know how to enable transparency for W11 22H2.

Thank you very much

hello, any update ? Classic shell is still the best option for a classic taskbar on windows 11 ?
Can I put the icons on the left of the screen as before ?
Thank you for your help.