HeadCase, there is also a somewhat stripped down version of True Launch Bar called, appropriately, "Free Launch Bar". Free Launch Bar - Free replacement for standard Quick Launch It may have all the features that you need in a free application.
Windows 7 Classic vs. New Start Menu
- Thread starter iroken22
- Start date
Thnx for the headsup, John.
I just went straight for the download and didnt bother to look around.
Unfortunately the free version doesnt want to install correctly.
I assume it's because of the changes to the taskbar. It doesnt register the new toolbar being installed. I'm no registry wiz so I don't know where to redirect it.
The TrueLaunchBar seems a great tool. But the trial Nags are just a bit too much for me.
For now I'll live with creating new "Toolbars" right onto the taskbar out of my shortcut folders. The biggest wish I have for them is to let the Text Label expand the list instead of just those dinky arrows.
I just went straight for the download and didnt bother to look around.
Unfortunately the free version doesnt want to install correctly.
I assume it's because of the changes to the taskbar. It doesnt register the new toolbar being installed. I'm no registry wiz so I don't know where to redirect it.
The TrueLaunchBar seems a great tool. But the trial Nags are just a bit too much for me.
For now I'll live with creating new "Toolbars" right onto the taskbar out of my shortcut folders. The biggest wish I have for them is to let the Text Label expand the list instead of just those dinky arrows.
Thanks - always glad to help out when I can 
Play around with it. You may end up loving just as I have. It's worth the purchase price in oh so many ways. Although ... I haven't tried it on Windows 7 yet but I will when I get a spare interrupt this evening. Yes, I purchased 8 copies; one for each of the PC's I use on a regular basis at home and at work
Play around with it. You may end up loving just as I have. It's worth the purchase price in oh so many ways. Although ... I haven't tried it on Windows 7 yet but I will when I get a spare interrupt this evening. Yes, I purchased 8 copies; one for each of the PC's I use on a regular basis at home and at work
Last edited:
Thank you for your input, 51Cards. Even tho we who prefer the more classic interface may be less than majority, I think we are a large enough group for it to be worth while for Microsoft to sit up and listen. Following a fiasco like Vista, Microsoft needs all the support they can muster. Whether the percentage worldwide is 15%, 24% as shown in the informal survey here, or 40% that you find within your organization, abandoning a large group, and ultimately permanently losing a large percentage of those that have been abandoned, ain't gonna be in their best interest. CLASSIC ALL THE WAY!
I always have preferred the Classic look. I find it much easier when I know what I'm looking for. The whole cluttered "All Programs" in the new menu is quite the pain to search through and scroll through.
Now that being said, I also like the "Pin to Start Menu" idea, but I think the all programs should have the option of displaying it as a popout list instead of just a clickable list.
I personally know of 5 people I've talked to and showed 7 to that will NOT upgrade just for that reason. They're older and set in their ways. If that's the way they're used to, they dont' want to spend the time to learn something new at this point. It's just easier to stick with XP with the classic look and wait until there's a better option for them.
Now that being said, I also like the "Pin to Start Menu" idea, but I think the all programs should have the option of displaying it as a popout list instead of just a clickable list.
I personally know of 5 people I've talked to and showed 7 to that will NOT upgrade just for that reason. They're older and set in their ways. If that's the way they're used to, they dont' want to spend the time to learn something new at this point. It's just easier to stick with XP with the classic look and wait until there's a better option for them.
Radenight
New Member
Decent enough rant there john3347, I just have a couple of things to say about it... for one I really don't understand what you mean by the new start menu being a resource hog.. with ram being dirt cheap these days and most having at least 4GB what (as far as OS features) can really be considered a resource hog? I've seen people running Win 7 on 1.5 - 2GB of ram and Aero runs flawlessly... I do realize that some can't have 4GB of ram or even 3GB for that matter due to their machines limitations but still.. the solution in that case would simply be don't use Win Vista or Win 7 on that machine..
Secondly, though I do agree with the concept you have for there only being one "saved documents" folder where everything user created is automatically saved to, I just don't think it's very practical... I mean sure, it would be easier to find things but than again how hard is it to click the mouse button a few times to find a file... Not to mention that if you really want to have that kind of setup for the most part you can simply by setting it up yourself..
I donno, I guess I'm, just somewhat "new aged" if you wanna throw a title on it.. I liked Windows 2000 (still do) and I liked Windows XP (I really dispised the start menu in that one though simply because it looked like something a kid would create, I DON'T feel that way about Aero though as I think it has a much more sophistocated look to it) and I liked Windows Vista.. But Windows 7 is finally moving away from some of that old crap and ushering in some new things.. new things that already are sucking many users in as early polls suggest...
That all being said, I can relate to wanting the option to use the old stuff... it's just one of those things that I really don't think MS is going to listen to.. the $ signs outway the wants of a few die hard fans unfortunately.... (Even if they'll lose a few customers for life as a result... they know as well as we do, for all the die hard fans they lose, new ones will emerge with Windows 7, 8, 9 and so on... )
When I got my first XP Computer it took me about thirty minutes to find the Classic Start Menu. At the time I didn't want to deal with learning a new interface because I was an extreme newby. I guess I'm a creature of habit because I have been using it ever since. The XP Start Menu is ugly to me. I tried the Vista Start Menu but I just couldn't get into it. Since then I've read where some computer experts prefer Classic too because it's faster. I think they're right.
Now I have Windows 7 and I guess the start menu isn't too bad but there is one thing I really hate about it. I hate the All Programs menu. You have to scroll it up and down and you have to click to see submenus. That is annoying to me. I prefer to click start once then move up to programs and have the whole menu pop into view. Then you mouse over a link and it opens the submenu and you click once more on what you want. That's really a lot better in my book.
As far as speed goes My XP x64 Edition blows Vista and Windows 7 both right out of the water. The only advantage I've found so far is that XP Home on our 2 laptops isn't much good with our home network. However XP Professional x64 on my desktop does pretty good. Of course Vista and Windows 7 are both good with networking.
Not having the Classic Start menu isn't a deal breaker for me with Windows 7 or anything but I really want my Classic Start Menu.
Now I have Windows 7 and I guess the start menu isn't too bad but there is one thing I really hate about it. I hate the All Programs menu. You have to scroll it up and down and you have to click to see submenus. That is annoying to me. I prefer to click start once then move up to programs and have the whole menu pop into view. Then you mouse over a link and it opens the submenu and you click once more on what you want. That's really a lot better in my book.
As far as speed goes My XP x64 Edition blows Vista and Windows 7 both right out of the water. The only advantage I've found so far is that XP Home on our 2 laptops isn't much good with our home network. However XP Professional x64 on my desktop does pretty good. Of course Vista and Windows 7 are both good with networking.
Not having the Classic Start menu isn't a deal breaker for me with Windows 7 or anything but I really want my Classic Start Menu.
SteveWiilliams
New Member
Out With the Old and in With the New
I think the new Start menu is superior in looks, usability, accessibility and speed.
First and foremost, hitting the Windows key on your keyboard and then typing the name of the file you are looking for is much faster than having to open Explorer and hunt around your entire filing system. With 7, I have noticed a massive improvement in Start search, in that it is faster, and the results are more 'thought out' than the results Vista normally proposed. Not once have I seen the word 'Searching...' at the top of the 7 Start menu - that's how fast 7 gets results.
The removal of the 'My' prefix from Documents, Computer and the likes was a great idea from Microsoft. It makes the system feel one heck of a lot cleaner, and more spacious too. However, I still find the new Libraries folder somewhat irritating on occasions, but then again, I used to hate the breadcrumb trail in Vista's edition of Explorer.
As for Aero... well, I think it's fantastic, personally. It adds a whole new realm of customization, allowing you to change the level of transparency and pick a colour for the 'glass'. And it's not just the Start menu's Aero that I have fallen in love with; it's the system-wide Aero as well! I write as much on my blog: check out Link Removed - Invalid URL if you wanna get my opinion on Windows 7 Aero.
The layout of the 7 Start menu, not to mention practically everything else about it, is in my opinion much, much better than the XP and Classic Start menu styles.
I think the new Start menu is superior in looks, usability, accessibility and speed.
First and foremost, hitting the Windows key on your keyboard and then typing the name of the file you are looking for is much faster than having to open Explorer and hunt around your entire filing system. With 7, I have noticed a massive improvement in Start search, in that it is faster, and the results are more 'thought out' than the results Vista normally proposed. Not once have I seen the word 'Searching...' at the top of the 7 Start menu - that's how fast 7 gets results.
The removal of the 'My' prefix from Documents, Computer and the likes was a great idea from Microsoft. It makes the system feel one heck of a lot cleaner, and more spacious too. However, I still find the new Libraries folder somewhat irritating on occasions, but then again, I used to hate the breadcrumb trail in Vista's edition of Explorer.
As for Aero... well, I think it's fantastic, personally. It adds a whole new realm of customization, allowing you to change the level of transparency and pick a colour for the 'glass'. And it's not just the Start menu's Aero that I have fallen in love with; it's the system-wide Aero as well! I write as much on my blog: check out Link Removed - Invalid URL if you wanna get my opinion on Windows 7 Aero.
The layout of the 7 Start menu, not to mention practically everything else about it, is in my opinion much, much better than the XP and Classic Start menu styles.
SteveWiilliams
New Member
I dislike the style and layout of the Classic Start menu, but if there are some people that like it, Microsoft will earn more kudos and credibility than what they would do if they were to expel the Classic Start menu altogether. A clever move, no matter how redundant the Classic menu is.
Familiarity breeds contentment...........not contempt
I posted a rant on this thread a couple of weeks or so back which, I think, stepped on some people's toes (at least they thought so; and that was not my intent in the least). I do feel obligated to respond to my own post after having a couple of additional weeks to become more familiar with a few of the points that I ranted about. First, let me explain in a bit more detail a point or two. Radenight, When I mentioned the "new start menu being a resource hog" I was meaning to be speaking of the default desktop GUI as a whole and not of any one particular aspect of it. I failed to make that clear in my rant.
I am running Windows 7 on a machine of minimum specs and everything (except Internet Explorer 8 beta and a few specific applications) runs beautifully. I have a "bottom end" Bio star Motherboard with a Pentium D 830 Processor and 2 GB ram with an IDE harddrive and onboard graphics. This setup runs Aero without a whimper. (Vista WILL NOT do that on approximately equal equipment.) My problem with Aero was not so much that it is a resource hog (which it is), but that it makes my "going on 70 year old eyes" not able to read the writing in the transparent sections. Classic mode fixes that problem. Now that I have learned that I can customize the classic desktop wallpaper, I am finding satisfaction there. The start Menu as it is displayed in Classic mode is less than perfect, but could be made wonderful with only a couple of tweaks, 1] I would like to see "All Programs" be the default, requiring a mouse click to go "back". 2] I would like to see the full "All Programs" list without having to waste time scrolling to the top or bottom of the list. I imagine both of these complaints could be fixed with a simple registry tweak that I have absolutely no idea how to do.
I have, since my rant, discovered "libraries". I have not fully figured how they "work" and how to utilize them fully, but that feature looks like something that XP very much needed and Vista needed even worse. It doesn't quite measure up to the simplicity offered in Windows 2000, but it is a big improvement over anything since.
The more I use 7, the better I like it. It does, however, LOOK too much like Vista and doesn't FEEL enough like Windows 2000 Pro (or even XP Pro) to be worth $300 each for the 8 computers on my home network. (Some of my computers that are capable of running the OS didn't even cost what the OS would cost)
Has this been a more acceptable rant? Again, I thank everybody for listening.
John
I recently read a transcript of an interview with someone on the Windows 7 development team - - may have been Steve Synofsky and may have been someone else...I have forgotten... but the content of their statement was that: at this point there is no classic start menu, however that could possibly change by the time the final release is ready.
This sounds like something that was, at one time, totally shelved; has been placed back on the table......but not yet back into the product. Can anyone confirm or disprove this?
I posted a rant on this thread a couple of weeks or so back which, I think, stepped on some people's toes (at least they thought so; and that was not my intent in the least). I do feel obligated to respond to my own post after having a couple of additional weeks to become more familiar with a few of the points that I ranted about. First, let me explain in a bit more detail a point or two. Radenight, When I mentioned the "new start menu being a resource hog" I was meaning to be speaking of the default desktop GUI as a whole and not of any one particular aspect of it. I failed to make that clear in my rant.
I am running Windows 7 on a machine of minimum specs and everything (except Internet Explorer 8 beta and a few specific applications) runs beautifully. I have a "bottom end" Bio star Motherboard with a Pentium D 830 Processor and 2 GB ram with an IDE harddrive and onboard graphics. This setup runs Aero without a whimper. (Vista WILL NOT do that on approximately equal equipment.) My problem with Aero was not so much that it is a resource hog (which it is), but that it makes my "going on 70 year old eyes" not able to read the writing in the transparent sections. Classic mode fixes that problem. Now that I have learned that I can customize the classic desktop wallpaper, I am finding satisfaction there. The start Menu as it is displayed in Classic mode is less than perfect, but could be made wonderful with only a couple of tweaks, 1] I would like to see "All Programs" be the default, requiring a mouse click to go "back". 2] I would like to see the full "All Programs" list without having to waste time scrolling to the top or bottom of the list. I imagine both of these complaints could be fixed with a simple registry tweak that I have absolutely no idea how to do.
I have, since my rant, discovered "libraries". I have not fully figured how they "work" and how to utilize them fully, but that feature looks like something that XP very much needed and Vista needed even worse. It doesn't quite measure up to the simplicity offered in Windows 2000, but it is a big improvement over anything since.
The more I use 7, the better I like it. It does, however, LOOK too much like Vista and doesn't FEEL enough like Windows 2000 Pro (or even XP Pro) to be worth $300 each for the 8 computers on my home network. (Some of my computers that are capable of running the OS didn't even cost what the OS would cost)
Has this been a more acceptable rant? Again, I thank everybody for listening.
John
I recently read a transcript of an interview with someone on the Windows 7 development team - - may have been Steve Synofsky and may have been someone else...I have forgotten... but the content of their statement was that: at this point there is no classic start menu, however that could possibly change by the time the final release is ready.
This sounds like something that was, at one time, totally shelved; has been placed back on the table......but not yet back into the product. Can anyone confirm or disprove this?
Last edited:
SteveWiilliams
New Member
Hmm...
Good rant.
I dislike Libraries to be perfectly honest. I preferred the old way of storing documents, pictures, videos and music, as well as other things. But then again, I used to dislike the breadcrumb trail, and now I cannot live without it.
Good rant.
I dislike Libraries to be perfectly honest. I preferred the old way of storing documents, pictures, videos and music, as well as other things. But then again, I used to dislike the breadcrumb trail, and now I cannot live without it.
The Breadcrumb Address Bar is the one thing that I really liked about Vista. I like it so much that I kept looking for a third party program to put that in XP. I found one finally and I love it. QuizoApps: QTAddressBarGood rant.
I dislike Libraries to be perfectly honest. I preferred the old way of storing documents, pictures, videos and music, as well as other things. But then again, I used to dislike the breadcrumb trail, and now I cannot live without it.
unawave
New Member
Being bi - using best of two worlds:
• Windows 7 start menu with "last opened programs" and "jump lists" AND
• "Classic menu emulation"
See here: http://windows7forums.com/windows-7-desktop-customization/1358-classic-start-menu-3.html#post15729
• Windows 7 start menu with "last opened programs" and "jump lists" AND
• "Classic menu emulation"
See here: http://windows7forums.com/windows-7-desktop-customization/1358-classic-start-menu-3.html#post15729
mistofeles
New Member
Personal or company view
Personally I like the old one, but I know I get accustomed to the new and slowly start to like it
If I think my 15000 customers, I like the old one. It takes time and money to teach people find the tools. I hoped there was a simple way to switch to the old menus and taskbars.
I also hoped, that in W7 the settings of the menus, display and toolbars were in right values. Alas, everything is as it was in WinXP. You got to spend about 15 minutes to get them right. Installing 5-10 PC per week makes many minutes.
Wrong values:
- Taskbar locked
- Quick launch off
- language bar on
- similar taskbar buttons groubed
- hide inactive icons
- clean unused icons
- My Computer and My Documents missing from desktop
Mostly i hate this menu system and visual appearance of WinXP, W7 as well as Gnome and KDE.
I'd like to get rid of all the menus and toolbars.
We have the second key in our mouses and a lot of Fx-keys which are not used for anything.
In old bad days of MSDOS we used WordPerfect 4.2 with our bare hands. Menus came up with function keys and everyting went smooth. you could help a customer in the phone: -" Press this, that and that and write this there...". Then somebody innvented the mouse and the probles appeared in the helpdesk, because nobody had given a lightest tought how it should be used.
And the programmers tought that the most important aspect in the computer was that the programs should be colourfull and full of fancy icons. Every programmer forgot that the most important aspect of a PC is the use of it. There is a lot of people, who want to make work with their PCs. even though the teenagerrs are the most eager to tell how the computer should be more and more colourfull year after year.
I hope MS makes at least 5 profiles for the new Win7: games, multimedia, homeserver, office, laboratory.
Forr example in office PC you just dont need multimedia. and in games PC you don't need as strict security and backup as in office.
I'd like to have a dektop and for example word processing program, where the menus could be awaken with the second key of the mouse or mouse gestures. I don't need all this eye candy there focking my valuable screen all the time.
In Firefox I can hide the bars and get the full screen by F11. It is really a stroke of genius !
Personally I like the old one, but I know I get accustomed to the new and slowly start to like it
If I think my 15000 customers, I like the old one. It takes time and money to teach people find the tools. I hoped there was a simple way to switch to the old menus and taskbars.
I also hoped, that in W7 the settings of the menus, display and toolbars were in right values. Alas, everything is as it was in WinXP. You got to spend about 15 minutes to get them right. Installing 5-10 PC per week makes many minutes.
Wrong values:
- Taskbar locked
- Quick launch off
- language bar on
- similar taskbar buttons groubed
- hide inactive icons
- clean unused icons
- My Computer and My Documents missing from desktop
Mostly i hate this menu system and visual appearance of WinXP, W7 as well as Gnome and KDE.
I'd like to get rid of all the menus and toolbars.
We have the second key in our mouses and a lot of Fx-keys which are not used for anything.
In old bad days of MSDOS we used WordPerfect 4.2 with our bare hands. Menus came up with function keys and everyting went smooth. you could help a customer in the phone: -" Press this, that and that and write this there...". Then somebody innvented the mouse and the probles appeared in the helpdesk, because nobody had given a lightest tought how it should be used.
And the programmers tought that the most important aspect in the computer was that the programs should be colourfull and full of fancy icons. Every programmer forgot that the most important aspect of a PC is the use of it. There is a lot of people, who want to make work with their PCs. even though the teenagerrs are the most eager to tell how the computer should be more and more colourfull year after year.
I hope MS makes at least 5 profiles for the new Win7: games, multimedia, homeserver, office, laboratory.
Forr example in office PC you just dont need multimedia. and in games PC you don't need as strict security and backup as in office.
I'd like to have a dektop and for example word processing program, where the menus could be awaken with the second key of the mouse or mouse gestures. I don't need all this eye candy there focking my valuable screen all the time.
In Firefox I can hide the bars and get the full screen by F11. It is really a stroke of genius !
Last edited:
