Classic Shell: Forum

Here's what's new:

• New Group Policy ADMX files to allow you to control the settings through group policies. Look at the file PolicyDefinitions.zip in the Classic Shell folder
• More secure checks for new versions and language updates. The data is digitally signed to prevent corruption or spoofing
• Multiple improvements and bugfixes

Download the new version from the usual place: http://www.classicshell.net. You can safely upgrade from any version. All your settings will be preserved.

Next release is Classic Shell 4.0.5
Previous release is Classic Shell 4.0.2

This release, version 4.0.4, has numerous fixes and some new features. Here's the full change log:

New features:

● Full Group Policy support for Classic Shell's settings. Group Policy Administrative Templates (ADMX files) for tweaking all Classic Shell settings are in C:\Program Files\Classic Shell\PolicyDefinitions.zip. You must extract the ADML and ADMX files to C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions folder. If you have Active Directory domain, extract the files to %logonserver%\sysvol\%userdnsdomain%\policies\PolicyDefinitions\ or whatever path your Group Policy Central Store has. Hidden (registry-only) settings not exposed in the Settings UI are also supported in Group Policy.

● All EXEs and DLLs now have a digital signature

● New setting for Classic Start Menu in the GUI to disable hybrid shutdown for the Start Menu's shutdown command on Windows 8 and later

● New hidden/registry settings for Start Menu (string values): FolderStartMenu, FolderCommonStartMenu, FolderPrograms and FolderCommonPrograms to override the path to the Start Menu folders and redirect them. The value data should contain the redirected path. Hidden settings can be added to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\IvoSoft\ClassicStartMenu\Settings (for a single currently logged in user) or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\IvoSoft\ClassicStartMenu (all users). These hidden settings are also present as Group Policy settings called: Start Menu folder, Common Start Menu folder, Programs folder, and Common Programs folder. Restart the Start Menu for changes to take effect.

● New hidden registry settings, ProgramsWidth and JumplistWidth (both DWORD values) to control the width of the Windows 7 style menu. The value data in pixels for both ProgramsWidth and JumplistWidth must be in decimal. These values can be added to HKCU\Software\IvoSoft\ClassicStartMenu\Settings (single currently logged in user) or HKLM\Software\IvoSoft\ClassicStartMenu (all users). These hidden settings are also present as Group Policy settings called: Programs pane width and Jumplist pane width. Restart the Start Menu for changes to take effect.

● New hidden setting for Start Menu "ShutdownW7", where you can list what commands you want to see in the Shutdown menu for Windows 7 style. "ShutdownW7" is a string value which can be added to either HKCU\Software\IvoSoft\ClassicStartMenu\Settings (currently logged in user) or HKLM\Software\IvoSoft\ClassicStartMenu (all users). The value data must contain the commands that you want to allow. The available commands are: switch_user, windows_security, logoff, lock, disconnect, undock, restart, sleep, hibernate, shutdown. Separate the commands with a comma or semicolon. The order of commands is not important. This hidden setting is present as a Group Policy setting too called "Shutdown menu items". Restart the Start Menu for changes to take effect.

● New hidden setting "DisablePinExt", which hides the "Pin to Start Menu (Classic Shell)" context menu item. Add a DWORD value of this name to either HKCU\Software\IvoSoft\ClassicStartMenu\Settings (per user) or HKLM\Software\IvoSoft\ClassicStartMenu (all users). A value data of 1 hides the "Pin to Start Menu (Classic Shell)" context menu item. This hidden setting is also present as a Group Policy setting called 'Disable the Pin shell extension'.

● If you set a hotkey without Ctrl for the Up button, then Ctrl+hotkey will open the parent folder in a new window

● Added cross-fade animation between jumplists

● The installer now preserves the selected components during upgrade so you don't have to de-select the components that are not installed every time you update Classic Shell

● Shell folders in the format of "shell:name" show up in search results

● Drag/drop improvements:
◦ You can drop files onto shortcuts in the main menu (like drop a text file onto Notepad)
◦ The text changes to "Pin to Start menu" when you are about to pin
◦ Metro apps show the app’s icon when dragged
◦ The Apps folder in the tree shows its icon while dragged

● Many improvements to the Classic Shell Update component
◦ New integrated download box with progress bar and Cancel button for downloading the new version and the language files
◦ The file that contains the update info is now signed. This will prevent spoofing of the update links
◦ The Download button now downloads the new installer and verifies the signature.

● Troubleshooting features:
◦ New hidden setting AutoStartDelay that delays the opening of the Start Menu (in milliseconds). This is mostly for troubleshooting.
◦ New hidden setting for Start Menu: LogStartup that logs the startup process (only works in HKCU\IvoSoft\ClassicStartMenu\Settings). For troubleshooting.
◦ New Classic Shell Utility which will collect information about your system that can assist in troubleshooting problems. Download from http://www.classicshell.net/downloads/ if required.

Bug fixes and design changes:
● Fix for Aero Glass on Windows 8.1 to make the taskbar less opaque
● Fix for the empty submenus when network folders were added
● Fixed the blank icons for network links. They show correct icons – a network drive, a computer, a shared folder, or simply a folder
● Files with # in the path can be found by search
● The common folders are correctly removed from the All Programs tree if they are disabled by a Group Policy
● Autocompleting and executing from the search box are correctly disabled if Run is disabled by a Group Policy
● Adding a blank recent_programs item shows as a sub-menu instead of a blank separator
● Fixed a bug where the settings tabs were not immediately updated if XML file is imported that has a different style
● Fixed the Windows 7 context menu for the Start Button (the menu was showing but the items didn’t work)
● The cache is correctly discarded and rebuilt if the Windows language is changed
● Clicking 'Update and Shutdown' now does a full shutdown, not hybrid shutdown, whenever Windows updates are available so the updates get correctly installed
● Fixed a language bug if English is the first, but not the only available language
● Fixed the update notification that was popping in some cases even if auto-update is disabled
● Fixed the submenus not opening by hover bug after clicking on the search box
● Fixed the missing search icon for some skins when a right-to-left (RTL) language is used
● Fixed the incorrect placement of the vertical separator in the Full Glass skin when right-to-left (RTL) language is used
● Fixed the missing icons from the Copy dialog in Hebrew
● Fixed the broken variations for old skins
● Fixed the main menu icons showing from under the Programs tree control in some cases
● Fixed the bug where in some cases text with '&' can be cut off
● The Start screen item in the main menu opens the Start screen on the same monitor as the menu
● Apps from the Programs folder don’t show up in search results if Metro apps are excluded from search
● The WSM cascading menu settings are removed from the Basic tab but retained on the Windows Start Menu tab
● When searching for programs/settings, the results don’t show up until all items are parsed. This way the order of items won’t change while the search is in progress
● Added a time and count limit for computing the total file size in the status bar, so Explorer doesn’t freeze when viewing large folders like Indexed Locations
● Inline buttons can be used in the second column of the Classic style ("Insert sub-items as buttons" option) even if icons in the second column are disabled in the Skin's options
● Fixed a bug where if you drop a file in the tree control, the new item is added to the end instead of at the location of the mouse
● Fixed the common folder files showing in searches. Also files from the Start Menu folders don’t redundantly show up in the Files category (unless searching for programs is disabled)
● The first jumplist item is not incorrectly selected when a jumplist is open with the mouse
● Fix for the custom icon for a folder not being shown until the cache is deleted. Now the icon is updated instantly.
● Fix for Frequent Programs list items showing in all caps when the Start Menu is on the network
● Fix for the animation of the cascading All Programs menu in the Windows Start Menu when Windows 7 style was selected in Classic Start Menu
● The Start Menu hides unrecognizable items in the Control Panel that start with some GUID. These are broken/invalid entries left behind by apps
● When there are too many items in the jumplists in Windows 7 style, they don’t spill over the Shutdown button anymore
● Changed the highlight color for some skins from orange to peach
● When All Programs menu is cascading in Windows 7 style, it uses a normal sub-menu arrow
● Starting with this release, ClassicStartMenu.exe runs from the registry even on Windows 8 and later
◦ It detects when you upgrade from 8 to 8.1 and offers to repair the installation. Self-repair will also work on Windows 10 build upgrades.
◦ It also serves as a backup in case the normal startup failed for some reason
● Many other compatibility and reliability fixes

There is also an elaborate feature comparison available now, of Start Menus in case you are undecided whether to go with Classic Shell: http://classicshell.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=2399&p=11787

_________________
Links to some general topics:

● Compare Start Menus

● Read the Search box usage guide.

I am a Windows enthusiast and did Classic Shell's testing and usability/UX feedback.

Jan,
When you extract the msi files the are still called ClassicShellSetupxx_4_0_2.msi
Pete

It is working fine for me. Are you sure you are running the correct exe? Maybe you are looking at an old file.

I get like a dozen errors related to classic shell when I start the group policy settings. And I can find like two settings. (Language and update check)
What's the point in hidden settings anyway? Why not an expert or advanced tab in the normal settings?


What would this override? What are these? CSM variables? How would I know what they mean then?

Somehow the files got corrupted right before they were included in the installer. I have attached the correct files.
Some of these settings are intended for admins when deploying Classic Shell on multiple machines. Some are intended to be tweaked for testing or troubleshooting purposes (there have always been hidden settings in Classic Shell, but there was no way to find them unless I tell you). And also adding rarely used settings to policies saves me the trouble of having to translate them in multiple languages. If a setting becomes popular it may become a normal setting in the future.
Comments for these are included in the ADMX files (the fixed ones).

I have identified the reason why the ADML files were corrupted. The files are generated automatically as part of the installer creation. When I made the build the current language was not English, and the process failed to find the correct text.

I fixed the installers and replaced the downloads. The only difference from the earlier version is the included PolicyDefinitions.zip file. If you already downloaded the zip from the forum attachment then you won't need to install again.

Swell.

I love Classic Shell; but Norton says 4.0.4 is a problem and contains the WS.Reputation.1 virus. Is this because of modifications to system code or some other problem?

Thanks Big Al

WS.Reputation.1 means "the program doesn't have a reputation yet". http://www.classicshell.net/faq/#install_av

I wonder why the Classic Shell updater doesn't see latest version...

Norton on Windows 8.1 wouldn't let me install 4.0.4. Same problem as mentioned by Big Al earlier. I ended up just repairing 4.0.2.

Norton is being stupid. The solution is to disable "Download intelligence": http://www.ghacks.net/2012/06/25/how-to ... -1-system/ Even better, avoid Norton products and use another AV.

_________________
Links to some general topics:

● Compare Start Menus

● Read the Search box usage guide.

I am a Windows enthusiast and did Classic Shell's testing and usability/UX feedback.

Well we contacted Symantec and they are going to whitelist Classic Shell and remove it from the reputation based filtering when they update their virus definitions.

_________________
Links to some general topics:

● Compare Start Menus

● Read the Search box usage guide.

I am a Windows enthusiast and did Classic Shell's testing and usability/UX feedback.

Hello, i have an issue since updated from 4.0.2 to 4.0.4
If I navigate the folder list in the Windows Explorer with up/down keys, the files list is not updated anymore for the current selected folder.
I' using Windows 7 pro x64

Open Classic Explorer settings and on the first tab, make sure that 'Autonavigate to the selected folder' is set to 'When using the keyboard' or 'Always'.

If your Classic Explorer got disabled after the upgrade, follow these steps:
http://www.classicshell.net/faq/#explorer_toolbar

_________________
Links to some general topics:

● Compare Start Menus

● Read the Search box usage guide.

I am a Windows enthusiast and did Classic Shell's testing and usability/UX feedback.

@GauravK Thank you! That option was "default".
Now i noticed, that all settings are reset to it's default :-/
I have not exported a backup before, but i have a backup of my whole system partition. In which file(s) are the settings of Classic Shell?
Additional note: I'm using a german Windows and Classic Shell + language pack

The Classic Shell settings are stored in the registry. It is possible something deleted the registry key HKCU\Software\IvoSoft. Maybe some registry cleaner?

No, last time i used such "tuning" tools was 10 years ago

In the start menu after updating to 4.0.4, many of the folders, such as "programs," apps," "favorites," etc. have "$.Menu."before them. How do I fix this?

Are the settings for the toolbar of Explorer (not Internet Explorer) also stored there? I've extraced an 1 month old backup, and there are (except update timestamps) no differences. Any more hints?

Something is wrong with your installation. Run the Classic Shell Utility from here: http://www.classicshell.net/downloads/
Save a log and send it to me.

If you mean the Classic Explorer toolbar, then yes, it is stored in the registry inside HKCU\Software\IvoSoft\ClassicExplorer\Settings. The value name is ToolbarItems.
If you mean the command bar in Explorer (the one with the Organize menu), then no, that's part of Windows and Classic Shell doesn't touch it.

@gsus969, most probably your C:\Program Files\Classic Shell\StartMenuL10N.ini file got deleted or corrupted. Uninstalling and reinstalling will fix it.

_________________
Links to some general topics:

● Compare Start Menus

● Read the Search box usage guide.

I am a Windows enthusiast and did Classic Shell's testing and usability/UX feedback.

@Ivo: I got my (toolbar) settings back!
After exporting HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\IvoSoft\ClassicExplorer (especially CEditCustomItemDlg) as a .reg file, add "\Settings" to the path and reimported it.
The data where in the wrong place!?
So for me it's okay. Do you want to investigate this? Should I still send output of Classic Shell Utility?

The settings in ClassicExplorer are probably from older version. Classic Shell before 4.0 was keeping its settings there.
See if you can change any Classic Explorer settings (like try adding a button to the toolbar). Then reboot and see if the changes persist or the settings get reset.

Settings are after a reboot still there, everting's fine.
I noticed, some subdirs had a "updated=1" entry and settings in \settings, but not in case of the Explorer

updated=1 happens when Classic Shell 4.0.4 detects settings from version 3.6.8 or older and updates them. It is to fix a bug where new install is mistaken for old version.

After install update I now get $menu.programs, $menu.settings, $menu.documents and so on. How do I fix this so the menu names appear right? Everything else is file, its just in the main start menu.

Most probably your C:\Program Files\Classic Shell\StartMenuL10N.ini file got deleted or corrupted. Uninstalling and reinstalling Classic Shell will fix it.

_________________
Links to some general topics:

● Compare Start Menus

● Read the Search box usage guide.

I am a Windows enthusiast and did Classic Shell's testing and usability/UX feedback.

That seems not worked for me...

The update happens the first time you save the settings. Maybe you haven't changed any Explorer settings yet.

Yes, i hav'nt changed any settings since months (or years?)

Can you tell me a more detailed history of what you installed?
Is it possible you've used version older than 4.0, then upgraded but never changed any Explorer settings ever?
It shouldn't be a problem but if there's a bug I want to recreate the sequence of events that led to it.

In my downoad history i have these files found:

So I "think" i had all of these installed.
I've set the settings as i installed it somewhere before 3.6.8. And I updated with the above versions and some even older not more in the history.
I can't remember if i've changed any settings later (but it's possible).
I always had installed explorer+ie+update, never startmenu-compenent

Hope that helps

Ivo and team, epic updates in this release! Everything so far working great, billions endless thanks!

Hi,

I just upgraded from 4.0.2 to 4.0.4 and now when I open Windows Media Center -> Recorded TV the thumbnail images for the recorded programs don't show. Instead, it just displays a blue rectangle as a place holder with the name of the recorded program within.

I've looked around the net to try to find a solution but none of the recommendations worked. The only thing I installed/changed on my computer since the thumbnails last correctly showed was the upgrade to Classic Shell 4.0.4, so I assume that was the problem. I only have installed the Classic Explorer component (not start menu or IE).

BTW, when I just registered for this forum, the registration process asked me to confirm that I was a human by asking what the border colour is on the logo at the top of the screen. I, obviously, answered this correctly, however, a friend of mine who is colour blind would not have been able to.

Thanks.

Classic Shell shouldn't have any effect on the thumbnails. It does not install a thumbnail provider or prevent any of them from working.
It is possible you installed or uninstalled a codec, so the default thumbnail provider fails to read the files and generates some default image.

I am here to report that when upgrading from 4.0.2 to 4.0.4, it appeared that my settings had been lost, but I found out that the installer failed to restart Classic Shell, so the Windows 7 Start Menu was appearing instead.

Can you elaborate? Did the settings just appear to be lost because the start menu didn't restart, or were the settings really lost?

On my Win7sp1 laptop, I will stick with version 4.0.2, for the simple reason that I don't have nearly enough computing knowledge (I'm an economist, not a computing technician, aka Geek) to upgrade to 4.0.4.

I think --- but am not sure --- that 4.0.4 could let me add to or delete from or rearrange my Classic Menu on three accounts (but I'm the only user of that laptop) all at once. I would like that.

But there is so much technical language in this thread that for me, upgrading to 4.0.4 would be a huge time sink as I struggled to learn what everyone in this thread is writing about. For example, never before have I seen the ADMX acronym. Not knowing its history impedes understanding whatever ADMX does.

My current simplification technique after making a menu change is to backup my Classic Menu to a special folder on my partition D: (which is totally accessible to all three accounts), and then go to the other accounts and "restore" their settings from the partition D: Classic Menu settings.

I don't even know if installing 4.0.4 requires first uninstalling version 4.0.2.

And my only problem with 4.0.2 is that my "C:\Users\[AccountName or AllUsers]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent Items" folder, (accessed from the main Classic Menu's Document link), doesn't do anything. The folder always is empty.

But I can live without that convenience.

So I will stick with 4.0.2 until this website has a "Classic Menu Updates for Dummies" thread, or even better, a tutorial for dummies.

Cordially to all, R.N. (Roger) Folsom

@RNFolsom, you don't need to know the technical jargon to use Classic Shell. You can safely upgrade from any version to use to version 4.0.4. All your settings will be preserved.

If your Recent Documents folder is empty, the Windows setting for it might be turned off. Right click an empty area of the Taskbar -> go to the Start Menu tab and check "Store and display recently opened items in Jump Lists.".

_________________
Links to some general topics:

● Compare Start Menus

● Read the Search box usage guide.

I am a Windows enthusiast and did Classic Shell's testing and usability/UX feedback.

The former. Checking in Task Manager revealed that Classic Shell was not running. Starting it manually via "All Programs -> Classic Shell -> Classic Start Menu Settings" restored normal operation with settings intact. It has done this on every computer I have updated so far.

Download the Classic Shell Utility from here: http://www.classicshell.net/downloads/
Run it and send me the log file.

Registered for this forum specifically because I have a problem with the latest version. I've been a Classic Shell user for a couple of years now without any issues with it or problems as a result of a Classic Shell update. That is, until today. I finally upgraded to 4.04 today because I kept getting the nag. Installed it and some of my Start menu settings were wiped out. I had numerous programs pinned to the Start menu and there are none now. They were there before the update, but all gone now. Other settings changed as well such as the look of the Start menu. I've restarted my computer a couple of times and even checked Task Manager to make sure Classic Shell is running, which it is.

Not real happy I lost all my pinned programs in this manner. Of course I never took a photo of the menu so I don't remember what was there. I guess I'll just have to set it all up again.

What version did you have prior to the upgrade?

4.02

Guess I should have mentioned my system info.

Windows 7 Professional 32 Bit.

Before you touch any settings, open regedit and go to HKCU\Software\IvoSoft\ClassicStartMenu\Settings.
Do you see your settings still there? Basically I'm trying to determine if the settings are actively being deleted or just ignored.

Well, prior to my first post here, I had already went into settings of Classic Shell to see if I could figure out what the problem was. I did navigate to the path you provided and there are settings there, but maybe my going into settings after the update created them?

Have you had versions older than 4.0 before you used 4.0.2?
My current theory is that the problem happens if you use an old version like 3.6.8, then you upgrade to 4.0.2, don't touch any settings, then upgrade to 4.0.4.