Classic Shell: History

Version 4.3.1 general release (August, 2017):

• Official support for the Creators Update version of Windows 10
• Added a setting to clear icon cache
• Multiple minor improvements and bugfixes

Version 4.3.0 general release (July, 2016):

• Official support for the Anniversary Update version of Windows 10
• Fixes for issues found during the 4.2.7 beta

Version 4.2.7 beta (May, 2016):

• Quick fix for a crash on 32-bit Windows 10

Version 4.2.6 beta (May, 2016):

• Improved support for Windows 10 Redstone
• Taskbar skinning - change background color, texture, and text color
• New Metallic skin with many new skin features
• New menu animations
• Ability to execute some start menu commands from the command line
• New buttons for Explorer to change folder settings and to create zip archive
• Ability to change the font and size of the status bar in Explorer
• Multiple minor improvements and bugfixes

Version 4.2.5c general release (May, 2016):

• Updated version 4.2.5 with the latest security certificate

Version 4.2.5 general release (Nov, 2015):

• New transparency settings for skins
• New ability to uninstall Metro apps from the start menu
• Improved support for Windows 10
• Improved support for the Edge browser
• Improved search performance

Version 4.2.4 general release (Aug, 2015):

• Finalized support for Windows 10 - multiple bugfixes and performance improvements

Version 4.2.3 release candidate (Jul, 2015):

• Improved support for Windows 10
• Improved support for touch keyboard
• New command to access the PC settings directly
• New settings to control the color and opacity of the Windows 10 taskbar
• Multiple minor improvements and bugfixes

Version 4.2.2 beta (Jun, 2015):

• Improved support for Windows 10
• New ability to save settings to XML files from command line:
    use "ClassicStartMenu.exe -backup <settings file>"
• New skin features, including glass for Windows 10
• Multiple minor improvements and bugfixes

Version 4.2.1 general release (Apr, 2015):

• Improved support for Windows 10
• The start menu searches modern PC settings for Windows 8.1 and Windows 10
• Added support for Scottish, Catalan, Macedonian and Persian languages
• Added new Midnight skin with dark background
• Added new flat Metro skin that uses the start screen colors
• Multiple minor improvements and bugfixes

Version 4.2.0 beta (Dec, 2014):

• Improved support for Windows 10
• New ability to apply settings from XML files from command line:
    use "ClassicStartMenu.exe -xml <settings file>"
• New setting to override the system DPI resolution only for the start menu
• New setting to change the user picture
• Improved support for touch and high resolution displays
• Multiple minor improvements and bugfixes

Version 4.1.0 general release (Apr, 2014):

• Improved support for Windows 8.1 Spring Update
• Improved checks for new versions
• Minor stability fixes

Version 4.0.6 general release (Apr, 2014):

• Quick fix for a crash in Explorer introduced in version 4.0.5

Version 4.0.5 general release (Mar, 2014):

• Improved support for high resolution displays
• Improved support for touch displays
• New button for the Explorer toolbar to toggle the navigation pane
• Added support for animated start buttons
• Multiple minor improvements and bugfixes

Version 4.0.4 general release (Jan, 2014):

• New ADMX files to allow controlling all settings through group policy
• Secure download of language files and new versions
• Multiple minor improvements and bugfixes

Version 4.0.2 general release (Oct, 2013):

• Quick fix for the taskbar showing up on top of fullscreen programs under some conditions

Version 4.0.1 general release (Oct, 2013):

• New setting to hide Metro apps from the Programs folder
• Improved compatibility with the final build of Windows 8.1
• Minor bugfixes

Version 4.0.0 general release (Oct, 2013):

• The first official release of Classic Shell 4.0
• Improved support for downloading and installing language files
• Improved compatibility with Windows 8.1

Version 3.9.5 release candidate (Sep, 2013):

• Windows 8.1 RTM is officially supported
• Added animated menu transitions for the Windows 7 style
• Added status bar for Explorer in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 to show the total size of the selected files and the free disk space
• Improved hovering functionality for the start button
• New feature allows administrators to modify the default settings without locking them
• Fixed many bugs reported during the beta

Version 3.9.3 beta (Aug, 2013):

• New setting to override the glass color used by the menu
• Support for Nvidia surround and AMD eyefinity
• Many fixes, including a crash that happens on some versions of Windows 8.1

Version 3.9.1 beta (Aug, 2013):

• The All Programs tree can be rearranged with drag and drop
• The start button settings are applied immediately and you can see a preview of the button image in the settings dialog
• The start menu can use the native Windows 8.1 start button
• The Windows 8.1 setting to skip the Metro screen can be accessed through the Classic Shell settings
• New item in the main menu to open the start screen (Windows 8 and 8.1)
• New setting for the Windows 7 style to control the height of the main menu
• The installer uses better compression that reduces the download size by half
• Many bugfixes reported for the previous beta version

Version 3.9.0 beta (Jul, 2013):

• New "Windows 7" menu style that replicates the look and feel of the Windows 7 start menu
• the programs show in a tree inside the main menu
• search results and jump lists show inside the main menu
• dedicated shutdown button
• the unparalleled customizability you've come to expect from Classic Shell


• You can search for files as well as programs, using the Windows indexing service
• The menu can show the most frequently used programs
• Programs can be pinned directly from Explorer
• New programs are automatically highlighted in the menu
• The list of Classic Shell settings can be searched to easily find the setting you need
• New more reliable way to start on Windows 8, that doesn't use a service
• Improved compatibility with Windows 8.1 Preview
• Many improvements to performance and responsiveness

Version 3.6.8 general release (Jun, 2013):

• Added support for Windows 8.1 Preview
• Modified the Classic Shell logo and removed the Metro button by request from Microsoft
• Fixed some bugs found in the previous version

Version 3.6.7 general release (Apr, 2013):

• Fixed incompatibility with the taskbar of Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012

Version 3.6.6 general release (Apr, 2013):

• New setting to disable the taskbar transparency
• Improved compatibility with future versions of Windows
• Fixed some bugs found in the previous version

Version 3.6.5 general release (Dec, 2012):

• Fixed a crash bug in the start menu for some 64-bit systems

Version 3.6.4 general release (Dec, 2012):

• Fixed a freezing problem for some users when right-clicking on the Start button in Windows 7

Version 3.6.3 general release (Dec, 2012):

• Improved performance of the start menu
• Added new Metro-style start button image
• Added support for multiple taskbars in Windows 8
• Fixed some bugs found in the previous version

Version 3.6.2 general release (Oct, 2012):

• Added support for jump lists in the main menu
• Added support for displaying and launching Windows Store apps in Windows 8
• Faster skipping of the Metro screen in Windows 8
• Fixed some bugs found in the previous version

Version 3.6.1 general release (Aug, 2012):

• Fixes a critical bug found in the previous version (the "new version" notification pops up too often)

Version 3.6.0 general release (Aug, 2012):

• Windows 8 is now officially supported
• Added more customization settings for the start button
• Added a setting to disable all Metro hot corners
• Improved the initial setup of the start menu
• Added support for split menu buttons
• Improved the usage of the Aero colorization in skins
• Fixed some bugs found in the previous version

Version 3.5.1 general release (Jun, 2012):

• Enabled the custom start button for Windows 7 and added more settings
• Added a setting to skip the Metro screen on startup
• Improved compatibility with the IE10's Enhanced Protected Mode
• Fixed some bugs found in the previous version

Version 3.5.0 general release (Mar, 2012):

• Added support for Windows 8 Consumer Preview:
• Added customizable start button
• Added a Metro skin for the start menu
• Updated all settings for Windows 8
• Fixed the missing caption in IE10
• Added a setting to control the menu shadows
• Added toolbar commands to map and disconnect network drives
• Improved the responsiveness of the check for a new version
• The check for new version is a separate component that can be skipped during install

Version 3.4.1 general release (Jan, 2012):

• Fixed a small problem in the automatic check for a new version

Version 3.4.0 general release (Jan, 2012):

• Fixed some minor problems found in the previous release. Most notably the corrupted text in the toolbar buttons
• Added a check if a new version is available
• Ctrl+Click in the navigation pane opens the folder in a new window
• Alt+Enter in the search box of the start menu shows properties of the selected item
• The recent documents list can be sorted by name or extension

Version 3.3.0 general release (Jan, 2012):

• Fixed some minor problems found in the previous release
• Improved compatibility with Windows 8 and removed the features that are no longer necessary or possible
• Added customizable "Windows Explorer" item to the start button context menu
• Added a new "paste shortcuts" command to Explorer
• Added an option to hide the user picture from the Windows start menu
• Ctrl+Shift+Enter can launch commands and documents as administrator from the start menu
• Added a customizable hotkey for the Up button

Version 3.2.0 general release (Aug, 2011):

• Fixed some minor problems found in the previous release
• Added new setting to show the title in IE9 with no icon
• Added a new "sortby" command to Explorer to sort the folder by given property
• Added support for F2, Del and Alt+Enter keys in the start menu

Version 3.1.0 general release (Apr, 2011):

• Added a new component called Classic IE9. It lets you customize the title bar and the status bar of Internet Explorer 9
• Added ability to use external search programs from the search box of the start menu
• Added support for the Lock command in the start menu

Version 3.0.0 general release (Mar, 2011):

• Fixed some minor problems found in the previous version
• Added the contents of the GodMode folder to the search in the start menu

Version 2.9.3 release candidate (Feb, 2011):

• Added a search box to the start menu
• Improved the responsiveness of the start menu by showing the menu first and loading the icons later
• Added a command in the start menu to create a new shortcut
• Added a way to include a row of icon buttons in the start menu
• Added an option to hide extensions in the start menu
• Added an option to hide the scroll tip in Explorer
• Improved support for icons larger than 32x32
• Added support for the "don't show common start menu items" group policy
• Improved the option to always navigate to the selected folder

Version 2.9.2 release candidate (Dec, 2010):

• Added a toolbar command for creating a new folder
• Added a way for the custom toolbar commands to receive all selected files
• Added a white list and a black list to limit which processes can load Classic Explorer
• Fixed the Z-order problems when the start menu is activated by hovering
• Fixed the spontaneous expanding of the All Programs menu
• Small improvements to the settings UI

Version 2.9.0 beta (Oct, 2010):

• Replaced the ini files with a graphical interface for editing all settings
• Added a setting to force sorting headers in Windows 7 (based on the Explorer7Fixes tool by Ian Prest)
• Added more settings
• Added special handling for specific folders in the start menu - Computer, Recycle Bin, Network, etc

Version 2.8.3 beta (Jul, 2010):

• Added a way to put shell folders as buttons in the toolbar
• Fixed a crash when browsing the assembly cache in the start menu
• Fixed a problem that may corrupt the registry during uninstall
• Added more troubleshooting capabilities

Version 2.8.2 beta (Jul, 2010):

• Added toolbar commands for different Explorer views (Details, List, etc)
• Fixed a freezing bug in the start menu
• Fixed few cosmetic bugs in the skins

Version 2.8.1 beta (Jul, 2010):

• Added an option for cascading All Programs in the Windows start menu
• Added an option to open the start menu when hovering over the start button
• Added a possibility for the skins to include the user name in the start menu
• Added support for dropdown menus and chevrons in the Explorer toolbar
• Added an option to automatically open progress dialogs to show more details
• Converted the help to CHM file format
• A much better installer using WiX
• The settings no longer have semicolon in front of them. Just enter the new value. Leave the value blank to use the default
• Changes to StartMenu.ini no longer require the start menu to be restarted

Version 2.0.0 general release (Jul, 2010):

• Fixed a bug in the "EnableContextMenu" setting
• Fixed a compatibility bug with Restorator

Version 1.9.8 release candidate (Jun, 2010):

• Fixed a compatibility bug with older applications (you see the message "The ordinal 345 could not be located in the dynamic link library COMCTL32.dll")
• Fixed a problem with the backing up of the ini files during uninstall

Version 1.9.7 release candidate (Jun, 2010):

• Ctrl+Shift+Click in the start menu runs the program as administrator
• The uninstaller offers to back up the ini files
• Some improvements to the settings
• Fixed a bug that was blocking the toolbar on Windows Vista
• Fixed an incompatibility problem with QTTabBar
• Fixed a start menu bug that was causing a flicker when Windows was running too long
• Fixed a hovering bug in the start menu

Version 1.9.6 release candidate (May, 2010):

• Added a setting to track and display the recently used programs
• The middle mouse button can be used to open the start menu
• Fixed an incompatibility with X-Mouse and other mouse bugs
• Fixed some problems with separators

Version 1.9.2 release candidate (Apr, 2010):

• This build contains mostly minor bugfixes found in the previous version

Version 1.9.1 release candidate (Apr, 2010):

• Some skins can support two-column main menu similar to Windows XP
• Some skins can support showing the user picture in the main menu
• Fixed a bug showing an extra "Empty" item in the start menu
• Fixed a bug that broke most foreign translations
• Fixed a bug with the share overlay in the Recycle Bin items
• Added a new Luna skin that is similar to the Windows XP start menu

Version 1.9.0 beta (Mar, 2010) - new skin engine:

• The sub-menus can be skinned like the main menu
• Full glass support, even behind the menu items
• More skinnable elements - the sub-menu arrows, the scroll buttons, the vertical separator
• Skins can provide customization options (small or large icons, add/remove caption, and many more)
• The start menu plays the system sounds for opening a menu or selecting a command

Version 1.0.3 general release (Mar, 2010):

• Added an overlay icon for shared folders
• Added a setting for sound alerts when overwriting system or read-only files
• The status bar shows the details of the currently selected file
• The drop down of the address bar is replaced with a list of parent folders  like in Windows XP
• Added translations for Traditional Chinese (Taiwan)
  

Version 1.0.2 general release (Mar, 2010):

• Added a setting to disable the breadcrumbs
• Added a setting to show the path and icon in the Explorer title bar
• Fixed a bug with the resizing of the Search box in Explorer

Version 1.0.1 general release (Feb, 2010):

• This is a bugfix-only release. Fixes a few rare crashes in the start menu

Version 1.0.0 general release (Feb, 2010):

• Added Up button to the Explorer title bar
• More options for the start menu and for the Explorer toolbar
• The installer supports command line options for logging or unattended install
• Fix for the scroll problems in the Explorer navigation pane (Windows 7 only)

Version 0.9.10 release candidate (Jan, 2010) - make your own toolbar:

• The Explorer toolbar can be customized with new icons and additional buttons
• Fixed a crash bug when Windows is restarting
• Fixed a crash bug when Explorer is restarting
• Fixed a bug that was failing to replace the copy dialog for French, Hebrew, Croatian and Slovenian languages
  
• Added more options for the navigation pane in Explorer
• Active Accessibility support is enabled by default

Version 0.9.9 release candidate (Jan, 2010) - make your own start menu:

• The start menu can be customized with new icons and additional menu items
  
• The skins in the start menu can have variations
• Added ini files that contain even more customization options for the Explorer toolbar and the start menu than are available from the Settings dialog box
• Added "New Folder" and "Auto Arrange" commands to the start menu
• The selected menu item fades out like in a real menu
• Added "Email" button to Explorer
• First try to support Active Accessibility (disabled by default for now)

Version 0.9.8 beta (Jan, 2010) - skins for the start menu:

• Added support for skins in the classic start menu
• Fixed compatibility problems with Unicode-unaware shell extensions (Microangelo On Display, I'm looking at you)
• The start menu supports auto-hide taskbar and (on Vista only) a taskbar that is not "always on top"
• Replaced the folder conflict dialog box with a simpler version (similar to the file conflict dialog box)
• Fixed a crash when right-clicking on the caption area of the start menu
• The start menu remembers the scroll position of scrollable menus
• Added "-open" and "-toggle" command line parameters to ClassicStartMenu.exe to programmatically open the start menu
  

Version 0.9.7 beta (Dec, 2009):

• Added free disk space and file size to the status bar in Windows 7 Explorer
• Added dragging with the right mouse button for the start menu
• Fixed a few UAC bugs
• Fixed a few drag and drop bugs

Version 0.9.6 beta (Dec, 2009):

• Added Properties button to the toolbar
• Added settings for the look of the folder tree in Explorer - XP Classic, XP simple, don't fade buttons
• Added option to expand links to folders in the start menu
• Added option to show a confirmation dialog during Log Off from the start menu
• Added option for a hotkey to replace the Win key for the start menu
• The start menu hides the commands to search for printers or computers if Active Directory is not available
• The start menu accepts click in all of the start button area even if it is not exactly on the orb
• The start menu doesn't close if you hold down Shift while launching a program. Allows the user to start multiple programs more easily
  
• Added support for the start menu group policies like "Hide Run", "Hide Help", "Always show Log Off", etc.
• Fixed a bug with sorting Favorites and other top-level folders
  

Version 0.9.5 beta (Dec, 2009):

• Added option to remove the Documents menu and option to use an alternative search application
• Added more buttons to the toolbar - Cut, Copy, Paste, Delete
• Added option for "big buttons" in the toolbar
• The selected menu item is drawn using the current theme
• Fixed a crash in the start menu
• Fixed a problem when dropping items in an empty sub-menu
  

Version 0.9 beta (Nov, 2009) - first public version:

• Classic start menu
• Replacement for the Copy UI in Vista
• Fix for Alt+Enter in Explorer
• Toolbar for Explorer with Up button