Classic Shell: Forum

Hi,

I'm trying to get Classic shell to work with every user that logs into my new RDP server (without the settings screen coming up).
there are lots of post here re: amending reg keys, and using GPO to install .reg files etc, but is there a definative guide on how to set it up to work (as previously mentioned) within a RDP environment ?
If not, could someone that has it working document their process of setting it up and add it as a stickie to the forum ?

thanks

The next version will provide an ability to suppress the initial settings screen for new users.

For versions before 4.0.1 it is possible to suppress the initial settings prompt in two ways:

Either create a value for every logged in user:

- If you are running Classic Shell 3.6.x, create a DWORD value called "ShowedStyle" in HKCU\Software\IvoSoft\ClassicStartMenu and set it to 1. This will have to be done for every user.

- If you are running Classic Shell 4, create a DWORD value called "ShowedStyle2" in HKCU\Software\IvoSoft\ClassicStartMenu and set it to 1. This will have to be done for every user.

or another way is to use the HKLM branch which means it doesn't have to be done for every user. For the HKLM branch (which affects all users), the "MenuStyle" string value at HKLM\Software\IvoSoft\ClassicStartMenu controls which style is enforced. Your users won't get the settings prompt if you add the MenuStyle value to HKLM but they won't be able to change the style either because settings in HKLM are enforced/locked down.

What Classic Shell 4.0.1 will introduce is a way to suppress the settings prompt for all users without locking it down and also eliminating the need to add ShowedStyle/ShowedStyle2 for every user.

_________________
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.

Update: The new version is out. In Classic Shell 4.0.1 and later, you can suppress the initial popup for selecting the style.
Create a new string value MenuStyle_Default in HKLM\Software\IvoSoft\ClassicStartMenu and set it to "Classic1", "Classic2" or "Win7" depending on which style you want to be the default.

_________________
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 4.0.4 introduces Group Policy support for its own settings. The file, C:\Program Files\Classic Shell\PolicyDefinitions.zip includes the policy definitions. If you have an Active Directory domain, extract the files to %logonserver%\sysvol\%userdnsdomain%\policies\PolicyDefinitions\ or whatever your Group Policy Central Store is. For Local Group Policy, extract them to C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions folder.

_________________
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.

Hi there.. Just want to say a big thanks to the makers of this program as well... You dont know how much hassle this has saved me, as I was waiting for the flurry of complaints from the RDP users when they logged in only to find that the Start Menu was gone... Why, after almost twenty years of evolution Microsoft would make such a ridiculous change is beyond me... Apparently Start Menu is back in Windows 2012 R2.

Anyway, what I did was as follows:
- Install Classic Menu under Administrator.
- Create a shortcut to Classic Menu and put it in C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu
- Log in to RDP with each user and click on the Classic Menu from the Start Menu (which I created in the last step).
- Choose and configure the menu to use for each user.

This seems to work

Has anyone gotten this to work with 2012 R2? We can't be configuring the start menu and removing metro for hundreds of users. All we really need to do is remove the metro from starting up. Tried the group policy templates, they don't work and we are getting an Application Error with the following details:

Application: SkipMetroSuiteUI.exe
Framework Version: v4.0.30319
Description: The process was terminated due to an unhandled exception.
Exception Info: System.ArgumentException
Stack:
at System.Drawing.Icon.ExtractAssociatedIcon(System.String, Int32)
at ToggleDesktopControl.Form1..ctor()
at ToggleDesktopControl.Program.Main()


Faulting application name: SkipMetroSuiteUI.exe, version: 3.0.0.0, time stamp: 0x50df33fc
Faulting module name: KERNELBASE.dll, version: 6.3.9600.16496, time stamp: 0x52b3f283
Exception code: 0xe0434352
Fault offset: 0x0000000000005a88
Faulting process id: 0xda4
Faulting application start time: 0x01cf3d7473e7bf21
Faulting application path: \\clgryvm03\Local\File Transfer\SkipMetroSuiteUI.exe
Faulting module path: C:\Windows\system32\KERNELBASE.dll
Report Id: b2045b29-a967-11e3-80d3-00155d070a00
Faulting package full name:

Skip Metro Suite is a separate third party app from Winaero and has nothing to do with Classic Shell. Also it is not supposed to be used with Windows Server 2012 R2 (or Windows 8.1).

For Windows 8.1/Server 2012 R2, the option to boot to desktop is part of the OS but unfortunately it is per-user only. There is no global setting. If you apply the upcoming Spring Update 1 (Feature Pack), then the option to boot to desktop is on by default for mouse and keyboard PCs without a touchscreen.

_________________
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.