Classic Shell Skin to Get Windows 7 Lookalike Start Menu & Button

By MS Bob 11
in Tips, Tweaks & Customization

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Grand Master

McKay

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bull****. If you don't like something, modify it until you do. Is that not one of the great things about PC's, how customisable they are?

I didn't say "Don't modify it" I said don't use it. The people here aren't using the Start Screen are they? They found an alternative.

At what price? I'm kinda wondering what her boot time is with all that junk running.

I find it interesting that someone so against the startscreen has a desk full of icons....

Rising Star

Andrea Borman

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So now Classic Shell boots directly to the desktop in the new and improved version. Also the other changes are that when you search your folders on Windows 8,you are now taken to Windows Explorer,instead of the Metro start menu.

But also you can now add and create your own custom start button on Windows 7 in the new version of Classic Shell. However,you cannot change the start button on Windows Vista.Because the new version Classic Shell does not support this.Or at least not yet.

But this is the first time we have ever been able to change the start button on Windows 7. There are several tutorials on the web about changing the start button on Windows 7,Windows Vista and Windows XP. But it involves editing the Windows Shell files and that's just too risky,as you can break Windows.

So Classic Shell is the safe way to do it. I am not sure if Classic shell really changes the start button on Windows 7.Or just places it's own custom button or one that you have chosen on top of the Windows 7 start button. To make it look like the start button has changed.

The only other start menu software I know of that changes the start button on Windows 7 is Start Menu 7. But it just looks like they have placed a second start button over the Windows 7 start button. So it's not very well done.

The other start menu software that changes the start button is Vi start.Which gives you the Windows 7 start button and start menu on Windows XP. And Vi Start also works on Windows 8 and so does Start Menu 7.

But neither of the two start menu software's are as customisable as Classic Shell. And you can see in my picture of my Windows XP start button on Windows 7. That Classic Shell does change the start button on Windows 7. As well as giving you a start button and Windows XP and Windows 7 start menu on Windows 7.

And in this version of Classic Shell,you now have all of the functions of the Windows 7 and Windows XP start menu on Windows 8. Andrea Borman.

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Mentor

Asharae

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This looks very ugly, AndreaBorman

A massive true dat, I can understand you make like it like that Andrea, but I wouldn't be able to look at that. Plus, Im one of the minority that actually likes the start screen.

Rising Star

Andrea Borman

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A massive true dat, I can understand you make like it like that Andrea, but I wouldn't be able to look at that. Plus, Im one of the minority that actually likes the start screen.

It looks exactly like Windows XP. On Windows 7 and Windows Vista,you can set your theme to Windows Classic,which disables Aero. But sadly they have removed Windows Classic from Windows 8,a bad move as I miss it very much. And you can only set it to Windows 8 Basic which is the same as Windows 7 Basic. Which only partly disables Aero. Andrea Borman.

Grand Master

Dot Matrix

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It looks exactly like Windows XP. On Windows 7 and Windows Vista,you can set your theme to Windows Classic,which disables Aero. But sadly they have removed Windows Classic from Windows 8,a bad move as I miss it very much. And you can only set it to Windows 8 Basic which is the same as Windows 7 Basic. Which only partly disables Aero. Andrea Borman.

Because the Classic chrome runs off the CPU. It was inefficient. With Windows 8, the GUI is completely rendered on the GPU. There just isn't a need for the Classic UI anymore.

Rising Star

Andrea Borman

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Because the Classic chrome runs off the CPU. It was inefficient. With Windows 8, the GUI is completely rendered on the GPU. There just isn't a need for the Classic UI anymore.

But the Windows Classic theme is better for a netbook.The Aero theme only slows the computer down. Andrea Borman.

Rising Star

Andrea Borman

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I can't confirm. Windows 7 works great on low-end systems.

Yes,and Windows 7 is faster than Windows 8. And Windows XP is slightly faster than Windows 7. So Windows XP and Windows 7 tie as the top 2 versions of Windows. Andrea Borman.

Grand Master

Dot Matrix

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But the Windows Classic theme is better for a netbook.The Aero theme only slows the computer down. Andrea Borman.

No. no. The CPU of the netbook is limited. The more offloaded onto the GPU the better your machine will be. It balances out the work the machine is doing.

Yes,and Windows 7 is faster than Windows 8. And Windows XP is slightly faster than Windows 7. So Windows XP and Windows 7 tie as the top 2 versions of Windows. Andrea Borman.

And Windows 95 is faster than XP. Doesn't mean anything. XP is actually very inefficient with multi-core processors and RAM usage.

Grand Master

McKay

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But the Windows Classic theme is better for a netbook.The Aero theme only slows the computer down. Andrea Borman.

If your Computer has a GPU, running Aero will make it run on the GPU, freeing up the CPU, so often you'll find that classic slows your computer down.

Grand Master

theyarecomingforyou

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Yes,and Windows 7 is faster than Windows 8. And Windows XP is slightly faster than Windows 7. So Windows XP and Windows 7 tie as the top 2 versions of Windows. Andrea Borman.

Okay, I'm confused. You're trying to make Windows 8 look like Windows XP even though - according to you - it's much slower and you hate the default visual theme? Not only that but adding countless programs to change the visual appearance can only impact performance further.

Given that you have a low post count, the majority of your posts are in Windows 8 topics and you're posting those garish images at every opportunity I have to ask: are you just doing this for laughs? If not - and I'm not trying to be rude here - are you partially sighted? Your screenshots are very reminiscent of the high contrast colour schemes used by the visually impaired. I mean absolutely no disrespect but your screenshots are incredibly distasteful.

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Rising Star

Andrea Borman

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Okay, I'm confused. You're trying to make Windows 8 look like Windows XP even though - according to you - it's much slower and you hate the default visual theme? Not only that but adding countless programs to change the visual appearance can only impact performance further.

Given that you have a low post count, the majority of your posts are in Windows 8 topics and you're posting those garish images at every opportunity I have to ask: are you just doing this for laughs? If not - and I'm not trying to be rude here - are you partially sighted? Your screenshots are very reminiscent of the high contrast colour schemes used by the visually impaired. I mean absolutely no disrespect but your screenshots are incredibly distasteful.

No the these on my laptops are not set on high contrast,not at all.

They are set on Windows 7 Classic on Windows 7. Then I change the grey taskbar and dark blue desktop to a color of my choice.

And on Windows 8 they are set on Windows 8 Basic. Andrea Borman.

Proficient

derkim

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No the these on my laptops are not set on high contrast,not at all.

They are set on Windows 7 Classic on Windows 7. Then I change the grey taskbar and dark blue desktop to a color of my choice.

And on Windows 8 they are set on Windows 8 Basic. Andrea Borman.

But this is nonsense. Also in Windows 7 the themed UI using the GPU. What you are doing is counterproductive.

Grand Master

Lee G. Veteran

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  • Veteran
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Given that you have a low post count, the majority of your posts are in Windows 8 topics and you're posting those garish images at every opportunity I have to ask: are you just doing this for laughs?

If you look at Andrea's YouTube channel, you'll see that she isn't doing it for laughs.

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Grand Master

Dot Matrix

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I could say the same about the people who thought Metro was a good idea.

Give it till Windows 9, and we'll forget all about the point and click OS days.

Grand Master

theyarecomingforyou

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I'd rather people spent time trying to improve Metro Start than trying to recreate the past. Imagine Metro Start with animated app rollovers and launching, super-tiles (i.e. twice the current size), mini-tiles (ala Windows Phone 8), live previews of websites, dynamic backgrounds (similar to

), keeping the taskbar constantly visible, allowing desktop apps to appear on top of the start screen, etc. I'm not saying all of those ideas are particularly good but the potential is huge. The most obvious fix to address some of the usability issues with Metro multitasking would be to keep it visible at all times.

If you look back to the XP modding scene there were a lot of slight variations on Luna it was dominated by people trying to do new things. The modding scene today is dramatically less innovative and has actually regressed in many respects.

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