Classic Shell: Forum

Hi. I was using an older version (3.2) of Classic Start Menu and it worked great. I had it set to display Programs in multiple columns. I recall going out of my way to be sure that the program/folder names were NOT sorted. I want them in the order they've been in for years, which was completely customized (and based on order of installation). I have a lot of programs installed, and I remember them not by name but by position in the multi-column Program menu.

I installed version 4.1 to see what was changed, and was aghast to find that my Programs menu was sorted alphabetically, with folders separated from the rest. I have unchecked all sort options to no avail.

Is there any way I can restore the old way (never sort), including restoring the exact sequence that has been in place for several years?

Thank you!

-Roy.

No, unfortunately, the sort order is destroyed from migrating from Classic Shell 3.x to Classic Shell 4.0. That is because the way the menu order is stored in the registry has changed to a better, but incompatible way. For example in the new version, the Programs menu can show the combined contents of the Programs and the Start Menu folders (that's 4 folders together). There is no way to migrate the old order that was only showing the 2 Programs folders.

But now if you sort the All Programs menu once and then never sort again, the sort order will be preserved with new programs added at the end instead of getting sorted by name.

_________________
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.

Wow, thank you for the incredibly prompt and on-point answer!

I think I'll system-restore back to 3.2, take a screenshot of the sort order, re-install 4.1, and manually arrange the most important elements to where they used to be. The main thing for me is that I look for recently-installed programs at the end of the list (bottom of the last column) and ones I've had for years near the beginning. Most of the middle has become a blur anyway, so alphabetical will be fine for those.

Thanks from Mr. OCD!

One quick question: is the old sort order still existent in some part of the registry? If so, I can get it from there instead of the multi-step process I just mentioned.

I think you don't need to use System Restore. That often messes things up. Just uninstall Classic Shell 4.x, install 3.x again. The old sort order is preserved in another key in the registry so 4.x doesn't overwrite it. You could take a screenshot and then upgrade to 4.x again.

_________________
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.

Awesome. That saves a LOT of trouble. I did what you suggested, but installed the latest 3.x instead of 3.2, and it works great. Even if I decide not to update to 4.x, I've successfully installed a significant update, which is great.

Thanks so much!!