Alternative Windows 11 start menus


... And Microsoft tries to convince us it is obsolete. Yeah right...
Yes, that is well know fact. They wanted everybody to run to the shops to buy a new computer when Windows 11 was introduced. đź–•
I bought back in 2015 an Intel Core i7-6700K (6th Gen) that it sitting in my old computer. And it still runs happily 26H2 with no problem. (No TPM and an "obsolete" i7 CPU) So indeed! Yeah right....
 
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My Computers My Computers

  • At a glance

    Win 11 Pro 26H2 Build 26300.9550, Zorin OS ProIntel® Core™ i7-12700KF 12th Gen. (S1700)32GB DDR5 5600-36 Vengeance (2x16)PCIe4.0 Asus NVIDIA RTX3060Ti
    OS
    Win 11 Pro 26H2 Build 26300.9550, Zorin OS Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self built
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i7-12700KF 12th Gen. (S1700)
    Motherboard
    ASUS Prime Z690-A, BIOS v4505 (Z690 Intel Chipset)
    Memory
    32GB DDR5 5600-36 Vengeance (2x16)
    Graphics Card(s)
    PCIe4.0 Asus NVIDIA RTX3060Ti
    Sound Card
    Onboard; Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    34" LG 34UC79G-B Curved 21:9 144Hz
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1080 (No HDR)
    Hard Drives
    250Gb Samsung 870PRO NVMe (Win 11 Pro)
    1Tb Samsung 980PRO NVMe
    1Tb Samsung 970EVO NVMe
    2Tb Samsung 990PRO NVMe with heatsink.
    4Tb WDC WD40EZRZ Blue SATA (Int.)
    4Tb WDC WD40EZRZ Blue SATA (Int.)
    3Tb WDC WD30EFRZ Red SATA (Int.)
    256Gb Samsung 840PRO SSD (RHEL 9,5)
    256Gb Samsung 850PRO SSD (Zorin OS Pro 18)
    PSU
    Coolermaster 850W V2 Gold with internal 12cm exaust fan
    Case
    Be-Quiet Pure Base 600.
    Cooling
    3x Be-Quiet! 12/14cm "Silent Wings 4" casefans, 1x Arctic Freezer i35 CPU towerblock with fan.
    Keyboard
    Steelseries APEX 7 keyboard.
    Mouse
    Logitech G-502 Hero
    Internet Speed
    1Gb
    Browser
    Brave
    Antivirus
    F-Secure
    Other Info
    No Noise system.
    256Gb Kingston Travler USB 3.0 drive.
    64Gb Sandisk USB 3.2 drive. (Ventoy)
    8Gb Philips USB 3.0 drive. (Win. Inst.)
    8Gb Philips USB 3.0 drive. (Rescue disk)
    2Tb WD USB 3.0 Passport drive.
    USB Ext. 500Gb WD SATA drive.
    External USB 3.0 C.A. CD/DVD* burner.
  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 26H2Intel® Core™ i7-6700K 6th Gen. (S1151)32Gb DDR4 2400 Corsair Vengeance (4x8)ASUS GeForce GTX1080
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 26H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Selfbuild
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i7-6700K 6th Gen. (S1151)
    Motherboard
    ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger (Intel Chipset Z170)
    Memory
    32Gb DDR4 2400 Corsair Vengeance (4x8)
    Graphics card(s)
    ASUS GeForce GTX1080
    Sound Card
    Onboard; Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG IPS277L 27" WideLED, IPS
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 Pro SSD
    PSU
    Zalman ZM600-HP with internal exhaust fan. Heatpipes & Modular cables.
    Case
    Cooler Master Aero
    Cooling
    Scythe Mugen 4 dual fan towerblock.
    Keyboard
    Red Dragon
    Mouse
    Red Dragon
    Internet Speed
    1Gb
    Browser
    Brave
    Antivirus
    F-Secure

My Computers My Computers

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 (26H2)Core(TM) i5-12400T12.0 GB (11.7 GB usable)Intel(R) UHD Graphics 730
    OS
    Windows 11 (26H2)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion 577B5AA#ABA
    CPU
    Core(TM) i5-12400T
    Motherboard
    HP 89E9
    Memory
    12.0 GB (11.7 GB usable)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel(R) UHD Graphics 730
    Sound Card
    DFX Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HO Generic PnP Monitor
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG MZVLQ10HBLB00BH1 SSD 1TB
    PSU
    HP Std. for this product
    Case
    All-in-One
    Cooling
    Fan
    Keyboard
    HP Wireless / Bluetooth
    Mouse
    HP Wireless / Bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    Link speed (Receive/Transmit): 1000/1000 (Mbps)
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Pro / Windows Security
    Other Info
    Retired IT professional.
  • At a glance

    Windows 11 (25H2)Intel I-7-1165G78 GB DDR4-3200 SDRAMIntel Iris Xe Graphics
    Operating System
    Windows 11 (25H2)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP 15tegooo [HP Pavilion Laptop Intel I-7]
    CPU
    Intel I-7-1165G7
    Motherboard
    HP
    Memory
    8 GB DDR4-3200 SDRAM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP HD micro edge, Bright View, 250 nits
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x768
    Hard Drives
    256 GB DD4-3200 SDRAM
    PSU
    HP
    Case
    Std HP Laptop
    Cooling
    Fan
    Keyboard
    std
    Mouse
    Logi M585
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
For some other system files that Customizer God cannot modify, I used Resource Hacker.
How with such extensive modifications you can pass the system files check like sfc /scannow? If not, you need other ways to check that system files are not modified or damaged.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Pro 25H2AMD Rysen 5 4600H32 GB (2 x 16 GB Samsung SO-DIMM DDR4-3200)GeForce GTX 1650 Ti, 4 GB GDDR6
OS
Windows 11 Pro 25H2
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Lenovo Legion 5-15ARH05
CPU
AMD Rysen 5 4600H
Memory
32 GB (2 x 16 GB Samsung SO-DIMM DDR4-3200)
Graphics Card(s)
GeForce GTX 1650 Ti, 4 GB GDDR6
Screen Resolution
1920x1080
Hard Drives
SSD M.2 512 GB SAMSUNG MZALQ512; SSD M.2 1 TB Seagate FireCuda 530
Mouse
Logitech M650L in Bluetooth mode
How with such extensive modifications you can pass the system files check like sfc /scannow? If not, you need other ways to check that system files are not modified or damaged.
I avoid running this command because it restores the original unmodified files and I have to do all the customizations again. That's the problem with every full upgrade using the ISO. Thankfully I could switch from 24H2 to 25H2 using the 25H2 Enablement Package without replacing all the modified system files. I will use the 26H2 Enablement Package to switch to 26H2 during the weekend, so it won't replace my custom icons either.
 

My Computers My Computers

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (7584), 26H2 (9711)Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz4GBMobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (7584), 26H2 (9711)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Extensa 5630EZ
    CPU
    Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz
    Motherboard
    Acer Extensa 5630
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Mobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC268 @ Intel 82801IB ICH9 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB SATA Device (250 GB, SATA-III)
    Internet Speed
    802.11g wireless 54 Mbps
    Browser
    MICROSOFT EDGE
    Antivirus
    WINDOWS DEFENDER
    Other Info
    Legacy MBR installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, no WDDM 2.0 graphics drivers, no SSE4.2, cannot get more unsupported ;) This is only my test laptop. I had installed Windows 11 here before upgrading my main PC. For my main PC I use everyday see my 2nd system specs.
  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 26H2 (build 26300.9711)Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generat...2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3050 WINDFORCE OC V2 6GB...
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 26H2 (build 26300.9711)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom-built PC
    CPU
    Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generation)
    Motherboard
    Asus P8H61 s1155 ATX
    Memory
    2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600
    Graphics card(s)
    GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3050 WINDFORCE OC V2 6GB (GV-N3050WF2OCV2-6GD)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD audio (ALC887)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia KDL-19L4000 19" LCD TV via VGA
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 32-bit 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WD Blue SA510 2.5 1000GB SSD as system disk, Western Digital Caviar Purple 4TB SATA III (WD40PURZ) as second
    PSU
    Thermaltake Litepower RGB 550W Full Wired
    Case
    SUPERCASE MIDI-TOWER
    Cooling
    Deepcool Gamma Archer CPU cooler, 1x 8cm fan at the back
    Keyboard
    Mitsumi 101-key PS/2
    Mouse
    Microsoft Compact Optical Mouse
    Internet Speed
    802.11ac 5GHz wireless 260Mpbs
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Legacy BIOS (MBR) installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, WDDM 3.0 graphics drivers, WEI score 7.4
I installed the 26H2 Enablement Package and switched from 25H2 26.300.9457 to 26H2 26300.9457. I then installed latest preview update and reached build 26300.9550. Classic Explorer Bar and the rest of Open Shell still working fine.
 

My Computers My Computers

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (7584), 26H2 (9711)Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz4GBMobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (7584), 26H2 (9711)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Extensa 5630EZ
    CPU
    Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz
    Motherboard
    Acer Extensa 5630
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Mobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC268 @ Intel 82801IB ICH9 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB SATA Device (250 GB, SATA-III)
    Internet Speed
    802.11g wireless 54 Mbps
    Browser
    MICROSOFT EDGE
    Antivirus
    WINDOWS DEFENDER
    Other Info
    Legacy MBR installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, no WDDM 2.0 graphics drivers, no SSE4.2, cannot get more unsupported ;) This is only my test laptop. I had installed Windows 11 here before upgrading my main PC. For my main PC I use everyday see my 2nd system specs.
  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 26H2 (build 26300.9711)Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generat...2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3050 WINDFORCE OC V2 6GB...
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 26H2 (build 26300.9711)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom-built PC
    CPU
    Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generation)
    Motherboard
    Asus P8H61 s1155 ATX
    Memory
    2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600
    Graphics card(s)
    GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3050 WINDFORCE OC V2 6GB (GV-N3050WF2OCV2-6GD)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD audio (ALC887)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia KDL-19L4000 19" LCD TV via VGA
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 32-bit 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WD Blue SA510 2.5 1000GB SSD as system disk, Western Digital Caviar Purple 4TB SATA III (WD40PURZ) as second
    PSU
    Thermaltake Litepower RGB 550W Full Wired
    Case
    SUPERCASE MIDI-TOWER
    Cooling
    Deepcool Gamma Archer CPU cooler, 1x 8cm fan at the back
    Keyboard
    Mitsumi 101-key PS/2
    Mouse
    Microsoft Compact Optical Mouse
    Internet Speed
    802.11ac 5GHz wireless 260Mpbs
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Legacy BIOS (MBR) installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, WDDM 3.0 graphics drivers, WEI score 7.4

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