Classic Shell: Forum

I am in the beginning stage of the Windows 10 deployment and using Classic Start Menu.

Recently I had some odd issues of users saying they "lost their start menu".
Interestingly I no longer saw that the ClassicStartMenu.exe wasn't in the folder.

Come to find out the when Microsoft releases a Build, it will remove any program without any warning or logs. The following 2 links give greater detail of this. Windows will create a Windows.old when it updates to a new build. Apparently these builds are part of the normal windows updates.

WTF Microsoft!!

Any one else experienced this?

http://www.howtogeek.com/243581/windows ... ut-asking/
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/x-programs ... ve-device/

If you have trouble reinstalling Classic Shell after installing the Anniversary Update, follow these instructions: http://winaero.com/blog/fix-classic-she ... ry-update/

This is one of the changes Microsoft did with Windows 10 - removing software automatically but forcing the build upgrade no matter what and informing the user via an Action Center message. I don't like this behavior so I reverted to Windows 7 or 8.1.

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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.

This happened to me too! Anyone have any ideas? I wish they wouldn't remove stuff without asking me!

Yes it happened to me. I rashly posted before finding this thread.
W10 has removed a bunch of stuff from my computer today, including Classic Start Menu with the flat statement that it isn't supported in this version of windows.
I note that the programs removed are all competitors of MS who do stuff better than windows and it's store items does.
If this is the case, then surely the small concerns involved have solid grounds for a case against Microsoft for anti-competitive practice. I believe that I have a right to run whatever programs I like on my computer and feel that MS is overstepping the mark by arbitrarily binning them. If this is what we are going to have to put up with, MS will lose me as a customer.

What I am curious to know is if you have Classic Shell 4.3.0 installed before Anniversary Update gets installed, does it still get removed?

_________________
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.

In a word Yes. W10 removed my CSM 4.3.0 with a note saying it was removed because it was not supported by this version of Windows.

After my anger subsided a little, I downloaded a fresh copy of CSM 4.3.0 and it installed properly and restored using my previous configuration - proving that it was only the .dll file that had been deleted by W10.

W10 also deleted a number of other unrelated files including 'Win 7 games for Win 10' Reinstallation of a fresh copy restores the pack and linked with the original scores file.
It seems that W10 erases independently authored programs where they perform better than Microsoft's own efforts. An attack of sour grapes methinks!

The removed files are stored temporarily in C:\windows.old and will be deleted in 30 days. I took advantage of that to access everything that W10 took, and saved the contents in a safe place. I also stored a complete list of MS-independent programs in a new Library folder names "Programs at risk" so that when this happens again I will have a catalogue of programs to hand to either re-install or update and install, without having to search around for all that is missing. I plan to include every non-MS program that I have as the catalogue increases in size and presumably - the irritation to MS increases.

Well that is really unfortunate that Microsoft is doing this. But you could always revert to Windows 8.1 or Windows 7 and use Classic Shell on it. It looks like Windows 10 is going to give its users a lot of ongoing pain for no reason due to its constant updating design.

_________________
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.

Indeed. I am seriously considering moving back to 7. I kept a 7 disk image for just that eventuality as MS has a reputation for being awkward about protecting their own. I imagine they will - at best keep on doing it or - at worst find a way of preventing other stuff running at all.

I don't want to be part of their herded computing scene. I'd go Linux first! Thing is though, if I do go back to 7, I wouldn't need Classic as the need for it would be removed...