trying to get the "old style" Windows 10 start menu

Cipheron · 20 Apr 2017

Forum newbie with a quick question here, had to reinstall a new PC with latest Windows 10 build, and I'm trying to get the "old style" Windows 10 start menu working. I unpin all the tiles and shrink the menu horizontally. I had thought that the ease of doing this was a plus for Windows 10. However with the latest build here, it's impossible to get something close to what you could do before. e.g. like in this guide:
How To Slim Down The Start Menu In Windows 10

The main issues are:

- I can expand the text, but I have to do it EVERY time I open the start menu, it doesn't remember.

- when in icon mode the menu is a LOT fatter than in the previous system. This is just really annoying.

JohnBurns · 20 Apr 2017

You might consider Classic Shell Start - it has no tiles and has customize options. Not sure if this is what you are looking for, but give it a view.

Classic Shell - Start menu and other Windows enhancements

Cipheron · 20 Apr 2017

Thanks for that, not sure I want to rollback all the way to Windows 7 style.

After more research it appears others have had the same issue with no way to resolve it. What I ended up doing was to go find Microsoft's archived versions of Windows 10 from before late 2016, which was when they completely changed how the start menu works.

Reading further, in case it's any use to future people, the problem is if you install Window 10 from a post 2016 "anniversay update" build, then you get this new start menu which sucks, and you can't go back to the standard windows 10 menu. You need to get an older build. Why would they do this you ask? Well it becomes apparent after reading some articles about the Anniversary Update of Windows 10.

The issue is because Microsoft is now trying to style the start menu to conform to their mobile phone control scheme, so it's yet another attempt at microsoft trying to shoe-horn familiarity with the interface for Windows Phones onto desktop users. This is the reason it's balls. Because a mobile interface on desktop is balls. No thanks, Microsoft, I don't think I'll be advancing to the Anniversary Update if that's your plan.

kimkl · 21 Apr 2017

You would think with all that information Windows collected, and send to MS, that it would remember what was pinned, but no.
Darn hard work to get my "pin's" back in the Start Menu, and i can't see why for any reason in the world that my HP printer drivers where uninstalled, my Documents "i keep my doc and most software on another hd" but going through my folders i was mad as heck to see empty folders, which normally contained my sorted txt files, they were not gone just dumped outside my sorted folders.

But then again i am not very cleaver, i mean 25 years of working with PC and troubleshooting my neighbors problems, can hardly be consider experience, no i am sure MS have a very good reason for deleting my HP Photo smart software "uninstalling it" then deleting the folders, removing several programs from my startup menu, and going through my Documents like you see in American prison movies, where the guards just dumps everything on the floor, and unpinning my programs.
There is prob a very good reason i just haven't found it yet "compatibility issue don't fly with me" well i suppose its my own fault clicking yes to MS invading my privacy and empty my Doc's in root folder when i got my "free upgrade to windows 10"

okay this have a slight rant to it was not meant to rant like this, but once i got started.
I apologize for my ranting, and if my reply is not understandable, sometimes what is in my head "yea yea there ain't much" is not what the final text looks like

dalchina · 30 Apr 2017

There are other 3rd party Win 10 -ish start menus around with tiles.

Bear in mind Win 10's start menu is comparatively difficult to work with (Where's Startup? No drag 'n drop, left column) and it fails badly on complex start menus with sub-sub folders when the contents of the typical folder created by a program are extracted and listed alphabetically.

Thus I see
Help
Help
Help
Help

- where each one actually relates to a different program.

Classic shell is problem free, comfortable, quite configurable, can launch apps as well as programs, and has a better and more configurable search bar.

And you can still launch Win 10's native start menu with a hot key.
Windows 10 Start menu replacements shifting like hot cakes â€¢ The Register

You could try
Start10: Software from Stardock Corporation
(traditional and tiled options)

Outlander · 30 Apr 2017

Dalchina's words are wise. They helped me through similar concerns when I first loaded 10 and instead of joy found bewilderment and a childlike visual tackiness. Things are much better with Classic shell and I even popped for a subscription to Stardock Windowblinds.. Win Aero Tweaker is good too. 10 is fairly tolerable at this point. It now looks and functions pretty much like 7. However every now and then some trace of ugliness still pops up. If you have any deep training in design, this thing will grind you.......And if you EVER update I'll bet you will lose all your mods!

dalchina · 30 Apr 2017

Thanks... I find I keep all my GUI mods thru routine updates- a build upgrade means I have to redo two things- copy one file and run one tiny program. (There's a marginal risk I would have to copy a file after an upgrade- if imageres.dll were updated).

trying to get the "old style" Windows 10 start menu-snap-2017-04-30-20.40.11.jpg

Outlander · 30 Apr 2017

Thank You! This is good to know and encouraging. I have never updated. I am simply afraid....My computer skills are somewhat simple and I had to work very hard to get 10 to a point where it is visually tolerable. I don't know if I have it in me for a do-over if an update should go sideways. I just wish MS would do a final update and call it a finished product. I would probably risk that.......Maybe..........

WOT · 30 Apr 2017

I agree with everyone that recommended Classic Shell. Just in case you were curious, here are the screenshots for the Classic Menu Option and the Start Menu (I deleted many apps from the start menu):

trying to get the "old style" Windows 10 start menu-screenshot-8-.png

trying to get the "old style" Windows 10 start menu-screenshot-9-.png

WOT · 30 Apr 2017

Also, here is my customized Windows 7 look:

trying to get the "old style" Windows 10 start menu-screenshot-10-.png

trying to get the "old style" Windows 10 start menu-screenshot-11-.png

I prefer this one because you can add special functions to the right side of the menu.