What Start Menu replacement software do you use?

hdmi · May 3, 2024

Fejinwales said:
I did actually find two 'Start menu' folders a few minutes ago in the Microsoft\Windows 'Default User' and in My User folders which I added to .rar files and saved them on an external drive - just in case.

On my laptop with Windows 11 Home NL (Dutch) OEM,

%userprofile%\Menu Start is a Junction that points to:
%appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu
%systemdrive%\Users\Default\Menu Start is a Junction that points to:
%systemdrive%\Users\Default\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu
%programdata%\Menu Start is a Junction that points to:
%programdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu

I think this is because Menu Start is the localized (Dutch) translation of Start Menu (albeit here in Flanders everyone and their cat just calls it the "start menu" anyway, I digress...). Where this gets (even more) confusing is when you come to realize that junctions tend to have the same exact yellow folder icon as regular folders. So, to be able to more easily see the difference between regular folders, junctions, symbolic links, regular files, and hardlinks, download and install LSE.

That said, the Default user profile is a template profile for all created users. Whenever you create a new user profile, the profile is built based on the Default user profile. So, it should be used only to configure applications, settings and customizations for each future new user account on the PC, as modifications within it do not propagate to existing users.

Fejinwales · May 3, 2024

Hdmi, thank you - it's a rediculously convoluted way to do something so bloody simple....

IownAmoneyPit · May 3, 2024

hdmi said:
I still don't see it. Your network/sound/notifications icons don't look like you have the Windows 10 taskbar. They look like you have the Windows 11 taskbar. I took a picture of my taskbar and I resized the picture so that its width matches the width of your picture. Here is the result:

View attachment 95134

As you can see, your taskbar is absolutely huge, and for no good reason excepting only maybe if you are visually impaired. It's like forcing everyone to stay in a wheelchair regardless of whether a person can walk. This is Microsoft in 2024.

@hdmi I misspoke after checking my settings I am indeed using "Windows 11 flyouts" for the Notification Area Icons and have included my StartAllBack settings below along with normal 100% DPI Taskbar

(Note for some reason I see rounded corners in my posted screenshots but they should be square)

glasskuter · May 4, 2024

I haven't used any third party GUI app since I used Start8 with Windows 8. I adapted instead.

hdmi · May 4, 2024

IownAmoneyPit said:
@hdmi I misspoke after checking my settings I am indeed using "Windows 11 flyouts" for the Notification Area Icons and have included my StartAllBack settings below along with normal 100% DPI Taskbar

(Note for some reason I see rounded corners in my posted screenshots but they should be square)

View attachment 95210

View attachment 95211

View attachment 95212

I was referring to the visual appearance of the system icons. I.e., the Network icon, the Sound icon, and the Notification Center (bell) icon. But anyway. Even after you changed your settings to make it smaller, my taskbar height is still 25% smaller than yours. Not a huge difference, but my point was that I still can't see the Windows 10 taskbar in any of your pictures. To me, what it looks like is that the guy who wrote StartAllBack just "borrowed" his tweak from Ramen Software (former RaMMicHaeL's Blog) Windhawk. The latter is free software, and the guy who "borrowed" it is charging money for it because he lives in a place called Russia.

hdmi · May 4, 2024

glasskuter said:
I adapted instead.

easyrider77 · Jul 14, 2024

For me, I've used sab, start11, and ep.
Of those it really depends on what you want from each and what version of windows you are using.

In my testing I have used windows 11 pro and windows 11 LTSC IOT.
Of those ep is not supported on ltsc iot, but sab and start11 are supported

I want a taskbar alternative because I use toolbars, and start11 does not have that option, but ep and sab do allow the old win10 toolbars.

Even further sab was the only one that worked across the board on all Windows versions

So for me in this order:
Sab, ep, start11

Sab just works with everything, while it doesn't have the desired start menu layout as start11 does a better job on start menu selections, sab does have what I use more which is toolbars.

That all given, it really depends on what you use/want, as well as windows version as to what you use.
I've seen some that use start11 + ep combo so that's an option too.

Edwin · Jul 14, 2024

easyrider77 said:
Sab... doesn't have the desired start menu layout as start11

Half the reason I use SAB is because the native Windows 11 Menu, and anything remotely similar to it, is so incredibly, unforgivably lame.

hdmi · Jul 14, 2024

easyrider77 said:
Even further sab was the only one that worked across the board on all Windows versions

So for me in this order:
Sab, ep, start11

Just to clarify on this. Originally, when Windows 11 had just come out, EP was designed such that you no longer had a Start menu if you used it to bring back the Windows 10 taskbar while not having to sacrifice other features that belong to the UI of Windows 11, which was its biggest feature back then. Thereby it was forcing you to use a Start menu replacement (e.g., Open-Shell) excepting only if you were able to live without a Start menu. The Start menu replacent of EP actually was added much later than many of the other features that it has.

hdmi · Jul 14, 2024

Edwin said:
Half the reason I use SAB is because the native Windows 11 Menu, and anything remotely similar to it, is so incredibly, unforgivably lame.

Compared to the Windows 7 style Start menu option of Open-Shell, SAB is still also so incredibly unforgivingly lame.

spapakons · Jul 14, 2024

That's why I combine Open Shell and Explorer Patcher to get exactly what I want. If I also want the good old blue background on the File Explorer menu, I add Mica for everyone.

Edwin · Jul 14, 2024

hdmi said:
Compared to the Windows 7 style Start menu option of Open-Shell, SAB is still also so incredibly unforgivingly lame.

Really???
Got any example screenshots???

hdmi · Jul 14, 2024

Edwin said:
Really???
Got any example screenshots???

Screenshots don't do it justice IMO. It has so many customization options that posting screenshots would most likely give you all sorts of wrong impressions of what the features are factually about. In a sense, it would be similar to posting screenshots of a foobar2000 skin to explain what's possible with the player, and how the whole thing can be set up with all its complex addons etc.. That would be like posting a wedding picture to explain marriage.

Edwin · Jul 14, 2024

hdmi said:
Screenshots don't do it justice IMO.

I hear ya! I think I remember a bit of what it was like..., it's all good!

spapakons · Jul 15, 2024

I like Open Shell because not only adds the Windows 7 start button (orb) and start menu, it also adds the Windows XP cut/copy/paste buttons in File Explorer which are very handy. Yes I know that Windows 11 have finally added such buttons by default, but they are flat and ugly. I prefer the colorful 3D buttons of Open Shell. If you have also replaced the default system icons with the good old 3D icons of Windows 7 or 8.1 they look even better.

asteski · Jul 15, 2024

hdmi said:
Yes

EDIT: you can actually even have both the original and the Start menu of Open-Shell if you assign different keyboard/mouse actions for each (on the Controls tab of the Settings for Open-Shell Menu window).

Are you aware of any other tools that can do that? I plan to drop using OSH all together, as it's not supported on ARM.

spapakons · Jul 15, 2024

I am not familiar with other tools, but in Open Shell by default clicking on the start button or pressing Win on the keyboard shows the customized start menu. If you hold SHIFT and click on the button or press Win it shows the original Windows 11 start menu. So you can use both to suit your needs.

hdmi · Jul 15, 2024

asteski said:
Are you aware of any other tools that can do that? I plan to drop using OSH all together, as it's not supported on ARM.

PowerToys can be used to remap a keyboard shortcut to a custom command/app. But then you'd still have to look for a Start menu replacement that will run on ARM and suits all your other needs so, to me, personally, problems like this are why ARM is still a huge no no.

asteski · Jul 15, 2024

spapakons said:
I am not familiar with other tools, but in Open Shell by default clicking on the start button or pressing Win on the keyboard shows the customized start menu. If you hold SHIFT and click on the button or press Win it shows the original Windows 11 start menu. So you can use both to suit your needs

Yes I'm aware, I only use osh to trigger winx menu when clicking start menu orb or win button.

spapakons · Jul 15, 2024

I don't know of any device running Windows 11 for ARM, except probably some Microsoft Surface models. Two questions:
1) Why buy a Microsoft tablet? Other brands make excellent Windows models too.
2) Why not buy a Microsoft Surface running a regular x64 version of Windows 11? Is the price difference too high? It reminds me of Windows RT vs Windows 8 tablets. The former would only run Windows Store apps/games similar to Windows 11 S Mode, while the latter could run anything.

What Start Menu replacement software do you use?

Jack of all trades – master of none

My Computers

Member

My Computer

Canadian Loonie X 2

My Computers

aka Mama Glass

My Computers

Jack of all trades – master of none

My Computers

Jack of all trades – master of none

My Computers

Member

My Computer

♦ ♦

My Computers

Jack of all trades – master of none

My Computers

Jack of all trades – master of none

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

♦ ♦

My Computers

Jack of all trades – master of none

My Computers

♦ ♦

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

WinMac creator

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Jack of all trades – master of none

My Computers

WinMac creator

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Similar threads