Solved Start Menu - Show All Programs automatically

[johnhoh]

I'll third this request. I have customized the menu about as much as I can, but I still have no use for the 'recent items' and resent that I can't remove it. If MS won't let us have a Windows Classic menu in 7, can they at least let us customize what they do have so that it meets our needs?

Ariel

I'll fourth the request

 

[reghakr]

If you need to bring the Quick Launch bar back it's very easy,. then you create a new shortcut and type this in the Target box"

"C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu"

Then drag that to the Quick Launch bar

You now have total access to the Start Menu,. you can move files, create folders.etc

 

[Ivo]

Thanks, Brink.

I did try CSMenu and like it very much, but the freeware version was not customizable and I'm always tweaking my menu. Otherwise, it would work brilliantly! Can you customize the Pro version?

Ariel

If you want customizable classic start menu (just like in 95, 2000, XP and Vista) try mine: http://www.sevenforums.com/customization/42932-ann-classic-shell-start-menu-other-features.html
It is still in beta and there are few glitches, but I hope to address them in the next week or 2.

Ivo

 

[arielphf]

If you want customizable classic start menu (just like in 95, 2000, XP and Vista) try mine: http://www.sevenforums.com/customization/42932-ann-classic-shell-start-menu-other-features.html
It is still in beta and there are few glitches, but I hope to address them in the next week or 2.

Ivo

Thanks for the link, Ivo - I'll try it!

If you need to bring the Quick Launch bar back it's very easy,. then you create a new shortcut and type this in the Target box"

"C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu"

Then drag that to the Quick Launch bar

You now have total access to the Start Menu,. you can move files, create folders.etc

Yep, that's how I've been operating with it - that and clearing the 'recent items' (setting => '0') and just clicking the 'All Programs' right away. I actually like the way the new start menu looks when the all programs list fills that empty box and the way I can navigate the menus there so I could really relate to what the threadstarter said. If we could have what that person described, I might even be able to live without a classic menu.

I tried pinning every menu item in the box, but the icons you create that way come out larger than the 'all programs' list and I didn't see any way to scroll pinned items to find those that didn't fit in the little box. It also opens up a new window when select a pinned folder, not just the program you are looking for. And that takes up even more real estate than the old classic menu did.

I guess I am one of the few that just likes to see everything they have when they look through the menus. Maybe most people only use a few of the commands, but not me; I use nearly everything. I always turn off 'Customized Menus' on my programs too - you gotta know what all your options are, ya know?

 

[reghakr]

Yep, that's how I've been operating with it - that and clearing the 'recent items' (setting => '0') and just clicking the 'All Programs' right away. I actually like the way the new start menu looks when the all programs list fills that empty box and the way I can navigate the menus there so I could really relate to what the threadstarter said. If we could have what that person described, I might even be able to live without a classic menu

I just changed nine,. looks much better and easier to navigate.

 

[Boris]

A pity we have no hack or MS solution for this

If "Number of Programs on Startmenue" = 0 then show "All Programms"



Keep hoping though

 

[reghakr]

Theres a new program out called Ckassic Shell

It's om Soundforge, but I can't locate iy yet

The best I;ve evwer seen

 

[johnhoh]

Theres a new program out called Ckassic Shell

It's om Soundforge, but I can't locate iy yet

The best I;ve evwer seen

you shouldn't drink and type

 

[reghakr]

I still type with one finger.

I do have a spell checker but forgot to use it

Here ya go:
For the past month I've been working in my spare time on this Classic Shell project. It has:

• full-featured start menu (keyboard and mouse support, drag and drop, recent documents list, localized in 35 languages)
• Up button for Explorer
• and other features

Check out the screenshots.

It is free and open source. I just added it to Source Forge: Welcome to Classic Shell
and Code Project: CodeProject: Classic Shell. Free source code and programming help

The project is still in beta, so glitches and compatibility problems are expected.

Please, give it a try. If you find a problem you can report it here or on the Source Forge help forum.

Regards
Ivo Beltchev
Attached Thumbnails

 

[johnhoh]

I still type with one finger.

I do have a spell checker but forgot to use it

Here ya go:
For the past month I've been working in my spare time on this Classic Shell project. It has:

• full-featured start menu (keyboard and mouse support, drag and drop, recent documents list, localized in 35 languages)
• Up button for Explorer
• and other features

Check out the screenshots.

It is free and open source. I just added it to Source Forge: Welcome to Classic Shell
and Code Project: CodeProject: Classic Shell. Free source code and programming help

The project is still in beta, so glitches and compatibility problems are expected.

Please, give it a try. If you find a problem you can report it here or on the Source Forge help forum.

Regards
Ivo Beltchev
Attached Thumbnails

fantastic program. Thank you.
I posted a couple questions in source forge but just in case you see this one first:

Is it possible to not have My Documents on the start menu? (I notice that right-click delete is not an option), and is it possible to have the "search" on the start menu automatically use a program such as SearchEverything? (I do not like windows search). Thanks again

 

[reghakr]

I've been so busy, I haven;'t even installed it yet.

 

[RIPcord]

I still type with one finger.

I do have a spell checker but forgot to use it

Here ya go:
For the past month I've been working in my spare time on this Classic Shell project. It has:

• full-featured start menu (keyboard and mouse support, drag and drop, recent documents list, localized in 35 languages)
• Up button for Explorer
• and other features

Check out the screenshots.

It is free and open source. I just added it to Source Forge: Welcome to Classic Shell
and Code Project: CodeProject: Classic Shell. Free source code and programming help

The project is still in beta, so glitches and compatibility problems are expected.

Please, give it a try. If you find a problem you can report it here or on the Source Forge help forum.

Regards
Ivo Beltchev
Attached Thumbnails

THANKYOU! THANKYOU! THANKYOU! Ive been waiting for some to make this program since the first hour I installed the win 7 beta. Thank you again.

 

[reghakr]

Way to go davhc

I did that myself, put in on the Quick Launch bar.

 

[spidermagicat]

Is there any progress on the original Idea of opening All programs automatically. I'd prefer this to the classic menu, every thread with this subject seems to get hijacked by the classic menu. I admit it is a better solution to our other options but I don't see why we can't try to improve on it

 

[MrJukes]

There is no way to make the all programs menu open automatically.

 

[spidermagicat]

Well if that's the case then is there a way of making the entire left panel disappear? I'm currenly experimenting with things like "NoStartMenuLeftPanel" as a reg entry in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer. I've currently got to the stage of a cascaded All Programs in the left panel. If I can somehow remove the right one I will have something similar to the Classic menu but more compact and in the right theme.

And just because no one knows a way to make the all programs menu open automatically doesn't mean there isn't one...

 

[MrJukes]

Sorry, what I meant was there are no registry settings available to do this. The contents of the all programs menu aren't populated until the user first clicks on the button. This was done for performance reasons since it can sometimes take a few seconds to enumerate the contents for the first time.

 

[Raargh]

reghack;

Humblest of thanks from the most low to the most high for the clue re: Classic Shell. I'm slack-jawed with amazed disbelief at it's awesomeness... Mr. Coder - Please keep working on, if you provide a PayPal link I will donate.

Question: I ave enabled the Classic Explorer toolbar, but all the icons are bunched up on the far left. There does not seem to be a slider or other way of getting them over to the right:




Any suggestions most welcome,

Thanks again,

Raargh

 

[Ivo]

Mr. Coder - Please keep working on, if you provide a PayPal link I will donate.

Question: I ave enabled the Classic Explorer toolbar, but all the icons are bunched up on the far left.

Thanks for the offer, but I do not accept donations for this project. It is done in my spare time and for my own enjoyment.

To move the toolbar you have to right-click on it and uncheck "Lock the Toolbars". Move it where you want it and lock it again (this is to prevent you from accidentally drag the toolbar somewhere). The locking works exactly the same way as for the taskbar.

 

[Aethera]

Classic Shell rocks!

For the past month I've been working in my spare time on this Classic Shell project. It is free and open source. I just added it to Source Forge: Welcome to Classic Shell and Code Project: CodeProject: Classic Shell. Free source code and programming help

Thanks so much for this awesome app Ivo! This is *exactly* what I want!

How I organize my custom start menu is to create my own folders under AppData->Roaming->Microsoft->Windows-Start Menu.

I usually create the following folders:
01 Peripherals
--Camcorder
--Camera
--Printer-Scanner
--Webcam
02 Office
03 Web
04 Audio
05 Graphics
06 Viewers
07 Games
09 Utilities
10 System & Security

I then copy in to these folders the shortcuts for all relevant applications that I use. I leave the original Start Menu intact. With Classic Shell this works perfectly and is extremely convenient.

Thank you again Ivo!