If you look into the lower left corner for the first time in the new Windows 8, you will quickly be amazed. The start menu button is gone. Very unusual for many users. Some users do not want to change or cannot get used to the new system. The Classic Shell tool can help. The aim is for users to feel at home and find what they are used to from older operating systems. It also has some nice tools in its own Start menu, Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer. 

 

 

General

The Classic Shell program by Ivo Beltchev has been public since November 2009. Back then in Beta 0.9 for all systems from Windows 95 onwards. The developer has now reached version 3.6.1 (as of August 2012) and the program has a complete Integration in Windows 8. It is available as freeware, just like at the start of the software, and there is a link to donate on the developer's website. Classic Shell is available in 35 languages ​​and runs on 32 and 64 bit systems. 

 

Start menu functions

Classic Shell has replaced the Start menu since Windows 95 and always adapts it to the previous Windows version. It also offers a few other small functions. Shift + click the start button to open the standard start menu. The program also has its own context menu with many functions for renaming, sorting, etc. It also has a search function for files and programs, which has also been integrated into the original start menu since Windows Vista. The list of installed programs is expanded on the screen in Classic Shell, as in Windows XP and its predecessors.

 

 

 

Designs

The program is highly modifiable. There are 8 standard designs pre-installed. It is also possible to download skins from the Internet or to create your own. A tutorial can be found on the developer's website, but it is written in English. The start button can also be changed under Windows 8.

 

Other functions

Classic Shell also includes a toolbar for Windows Explorer. With it you can copy, cut, paste, delete and send by mail. The key combination ALT + ENTER also shows properties of the selected file. The integrated status bar in Windows Explorer no longer shows the free space on the computer since Windows 7. Classic Shell does!

Classic Shell is also represented in Internet Explorer version 9 or higher. It shows the title of the page at the top. In the status bar below, the program shows the security of the website and a loading bar for the page.

 

 

Anyone looking for a leaner solution could do with Turn off Windows 8 Metro be better served.

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© Copyright Michael Hille

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