Win 7 any edition; classic look & classic start menu, can it be done?

I'm sure I will get some 'flack' over this question, but is there any way to wind up with anything that looks like Windows classic look including the classic start menu with any flavor of Win7??

I really can't stand all of this artsy fartsy new look to the GUI. The classic layout including the classic start menu worked fine for 15 years, I see no need to change it. other than just another lame reason to sell more bloated software.

At least, like XP, give the user the option to revert back if he chooses!

videobruce said:

I'm sure I will get some 'flack' over this question, but is there any way to wind up with anything that looks like Windows classic look including the classic start menu with any flavor of Win7??

I really can't stand all of this artsy fartsy new look to the GUI. The classic layout including the classic start menu worked fine for 15 years, I see no need to change it. other than just another lame reason to sell more bloated software.

At least, like XP, give the user the option to revert back if he chooses!

Click to expand...

Yes you can

START>Control Panel>Appearance and Personalization>Change Theme:

scroll down to the bottom and you'll see:

Basic and High Contrast Themes

There will be

Windows 7 Basic
Windows Classic
and some high contrast ones as well.

I hope this helps.

Done that. It only helps a little.

From the moment I realized I couldn't do it until I finally did it, I hated the thought of even booting into Windows 7. But now, behold, my Windows 7:





http://www.overclockers.com/xp-style-buttons-and-clickable-search-for-windows-7/

Looks like the menu bar of IE.

You can make it look any way you want to - the point is, you get both Classic Start Menu and Classic Explorer, or just one of the two if you choose.


That's what you wanted, isn't it?

Here is what I think the OP wants:

http://classicshell.sourceforge.net/

I wasn't able to get the classic start button and program listings without it.

torin3; That has been also suggested elsewhere. I will have to try it.

We don't get it, that is exactly what you asked for, classic explorer and/or classic start menu.

c627627 said:

We don't get it, that is exactly what you asked for, classic explorer and/or classic start menu.

Click to expand...

This is what I get when I try the classic theme in 7:



This is with classicshell and aero:

videobruce said:

I'm sure I will get some 'flack' over this question, but is there any way to wind up with anything that looks like Windows classic look including the classic start menu with any flavor of Win7??

I really can't stand all of this artsy fartsy new look to the GUI. The classic layout including the classic start menu worked fine for 15 years, I see no need to change it. other than just another lame reason to sell more bloated software.

At least, like XP, give the user the option to revert back if he chooses!

Click to expand...

If you don't want the new "bloated" features why are you using it?

Why not just keep using XP? Or actually it sounds like what you really want is Win98, why not just install that and be happy?
The second part of this is somewhat sarcastic, but you don't have to upgrade if you don't want to. Yes if you are upgrading for some of the new features of Win7, unfortunately that does mean you get the rest of the new features of Win7.

I'm more of a function over form kind of guy. I could care less if its "artsy fartsy" or basic grey as long as it works. And the Win7 start menu works and works well. The search feature alone does amazing things for productivity. I rarely use anything else in the start menu. If I want to open a command prompt, I press the Windows Key then type cmd enter. If I want paint its the same thing. If I want a recent document I can't find -- start menu search. If I want firefox its the same thing. I can open nearly any program on my computer almost instantly without clicking through menus or folders. You don't even need to type the whole thing, for me the Windows key then "f" is all it takes to get firefox to the top of the list. I can type Winkey+f+enter a heck of a lot faster than I can click around. Obviously you can have taksbar shortcuts too, but sometimes I just feel like using the keyboard. Sure there are other things you can do with the start menu like right clicking on my computer and going to manage, buy for me its faster to just hit winkey "man" enter. The start menu search doesn't just search file names on your hard drive, it searches application names and control menu items, thats what makes it so awesome.

I guess this isn't really the answer you were looking for: point is, I wasn't trying to give you "flack" (you are free to use whatever OS and like or hate whatever OS you want), I'm just pointing out that there are some nice new features you might like if you give them a try.

torin3 said:

This is with classicshell and aero:

Click to expand...

Do I see a snood shortcut on your taskbar!? Wow its been like 10 years since I've even thought about that game.

DaveHCYJ said:

The search feature alone does amazing things for productivity.

Click to expand...

The only amazing thing about Windows 7 Search is that it's amazingly broken.
http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=616264

c627627 said:

The only amazing thing about Windows 7 Search is that it's amazingly broken.
http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=616264

Click to expand...

Oh sure find a few downfalls and all of sudden its not worth using


For what its worth, Window's file search has always felt lacking in power compared to what you can do in linux, but maybe that just because I know scripting better in linux and don't know how to use the advanced search features or regex type searches in windows (if they exist).

Well yes Windows 7 search engine is much more pewerfull, but there is no GUI - none, anywhere on Windows 7.


This means you need to have a How to Use Windows 7 Search Engine book open in front of you to actually use any of the Windows 7 search engine features. My concern is that I found it to miss items I know to be there. It does this in a random - non reproducible way - so there's no way to really raise an issue about it but as some of my screen shots showed in that other thread - it definitely can miss files that exist on the system.

This never happens with third party search freeware installed under Windows 7... or using Windows XP Search on the same system, since it's a multi-boot.

DaveHCYJ said:

Do I see a snood shortcut on your taskbar!? Wow its been like 10 years since I've even thought about that game.

Click to expand...

Well, it is a Snood icon, but I hacked PuTTy to show it. I also do have Snood installed on this system.

if you stop and disable the theme service. it'll look as plain as you can get it...minus the start menu