Boy I Don't Like the 'New' Start Menu


To be clear, the Pinned section appears collapsed when you open the Start menu? It also appears there's no longer a Back button to return you from All to Pinned in the new scrolling design. This is brain-dead. It's like my mom rearranging furniture because she got bored one day. "Can you come help me move the china cabinet back?"
The pinned section can be displayed collapsed or as I posted earlier you can set it in settings to display all pins by default full time as I do. The All Apps is now a vertical scroll list underneath the pinned apps.
 

My Computers My Computers

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 25H2Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (24-Core)64GB DDR5 6400MT/sNVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 and Intel UHD Graphics
    OS
    Windows 11 25H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware 18 Area-51
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (24-Core)
    Motherboard
    Alienware
    Memory
    64GB DDR5 6400MT/s
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 and Intel UHD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Onboard, Realtek high-performance Audio chips (ALC3329 & ALC1708))
    Monitor(s) Displays
    300HZ 18-inch QHD 500 nit Comfort View+
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2TB NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen 5 SSD
    Case
    Magnesium Alloy
    Cooling
    Advanced Cryo-Tech Quad-Fan Cooling system & large vapor chamber
    Keyboard
    Cherry MX ultra low profile mechanical keyboard with per key AlienFX RGB lighting
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 4
    Browser
    Vivaldi (main), Firefox, Chrome, Edge
    Antivirus
    MS Defender and Malwarebytes Free
  • At a glance

    Windows 11 25H2Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite (12 Core) ARM bas...16GB LPDDR5Qualcomm Adreno X1-85
    Operating System
    Windows 11 25H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface Laptop 7
    CPU
    Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite (12 Core) ARM based CPU
    Motherboard
    Microsoft Corp.
    Memory
    16GB LPDDR5
    Graphics card(s)
    Qualcomm Adreno X1-85
    Sound Card
    Omnisonic speakers with Dolby Atmos spatial sound
    Monitor(s) Displays
    120 Hz 13.8-inch 600 nit PixelSense Flow touchscreen
    Screen Resolution
    2304x1536
    Hard Drives
    1TB NVMe Gen 4 SSD
    Case
    Anodized Aluminum
    Cooling
    Traditional active cooling fan system
    Keyboard
    Mechanical QWERTY, backlit when in use
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 4 and Surface Arc Mouse
    Browser
    Vivaldi (main), Firefox, Chrome, Edge
    Antivirus
    MS Defender and Malwarebytes Free
What a mess!!! :facepalm:
 

My Computers My Computers

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS ROG Strix
  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS VivoBook
  • ASUS VivoBook 'Lite' ~ Windows 11 Home
What a mess!!! :facepalm:
Lol, I've been playing with it for quite some time now so I've gotten use to it and keep all pinned apps showing and use grid view for the apps listing. One other item of note I should mention is the menu size varies between my three computers. Two have a smaller more compact menu with the pinned items being scrollable but the other machine has a larger wider menu (pictures earlier) with all pinned items showing in one view and not needing scrolling. Not sure why the difference but my guess is it has something to do with what display scaling or font scaling you set on the machine.
 

My Computers My Computers

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 25H2Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (24-Core)64GB DDR5 6400MT/sNVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 and Intel UHD Graphics
    OS
    Windows 11 25H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware 18 Area-51
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (24-Core)
    Motherboard
    Alienware
    Memory
    64GB DDR5 6400MT/s
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 and Intel UHD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Onboard, Realtek high-performance Audio chips (ALC3329 & ALC1708))
    Monitor(s) Displays
    300HZ 18-inch QHD 500 nit Comfort View+
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2TB NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen 5 SSD
    Case
    Magnesium Alloy
    Cooling
    Advanced Cryo-Tech Quad-Fan Cooling system & large vapor chamber
    Keyboard
    Cherry MX ultra low profile mechanical keyboard with per key AlienFX RGB lighting
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 4
    Browser
    Vivaldi (main), Firefox, Chrome, Edge
    Antivirus
    MS Defender and Malwarebytes Free
  • At a glance

    Windows 11 25H2Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite (12 Core) ARM bas...16GB LPDDR5Qualcomm Adreno X1-85
    Operating System
    Windows 11 25H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface Laptop 7
    CPU
    Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite (12 Core) ARM based CPU
    Motherboard
    Microsoft Corp.
    Memory
    16GB LPDDR5
    Graphics card(s)
    Qualcomm Adreno X1-85
    Sound Card
    Omnisonic speakers with Dolby Atmos spatial sound
    Monitor(s) Displays
    120 Hz 13.8-inch 600 nit PixelSense Flow touchscreen
    Screen Resolution
    2304x1536
    Hard Drives
    1TB NVMe Gen 4 SSD
    Case
    Anodized Aluminum
    Cooling
    Traditional active cooling fan system
    Keyboard
    Mechanical QWERTY, backlit when in use
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 4 and Surface Arc Mouse
    Browser
    Vivaldi (main), Firefox, Chrome, Edge
    Antivirus
    MS Defender and Malwarebytes Free
The pinned section can be displayed collapsed or as I posted earlier you can set it in settings to display all pins by default full time as I do. The All Apps is now a vertical scroll list underneath the pinned apps.
Ah, that's like only 50% horrible. I can probably ignore the new prominence of "All Apps" about as easily as I've learned to ignore "Recommended", which I did reduce by turning on "More Pins" in Start Menu settings.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11
OS
Windows 11
Am I the only one around here that hardly ever uses the Start Menu?
No. I put my main programs (now called Apps) (I guess if you don't want to change something but are tired of swiveling your chair, just rename something) on the desktop as shortcuts. The most used ones ones are in the taskbar so I only have to clink them once. I can go ages without using the Start menu.
 

My Computers My Computers

  • At a glance

    Windows 11
    OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Tablet
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface 7
  • At a glance

    Windows 11 ProIntel32GNvidia
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Z G9
    CPU
    Intel
    Memory
    32G
    Graphics card(s)
    Nvidia
In the past, I've actually used Stardock's ObjectDock for Windows 7, 8.1 and 10 for easy access to my most used programs, and I am seriously considering using them again. I just have to make the plunge and again pay for a new license.


It's been a workaround away from the clumsy Start Menu, which is getting worse & worse with each new OS upgrade.
 

My Computers My Computers

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 build: (26200.7623)32GB
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 build: (26200.7623)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface Pro
    Memory
    32GB
  • At a glance

    Microsoft 25H2 ProIntel Core Ultra 764GBIntel Integrated Graphics
    Operating System
    Microsoft 25H2 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Pro 14 - PC14250
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7
    Memory
    64GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Integrated Graphics
    Hard Drives
    Micron 1TB SSD
I keep my desktop clean except for a few random notes and that one birthday GIF I'm always looking for.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 1111th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-1185G7 @ 3.00GH16GB
OS
Windows 11
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
MSFT Surface Pro 8
CPU
11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-1185G7 @ 3.00GH
Memory
16GB
I've been using Windhawk > Start Menu Styler with the "Metro" option to get this:

1750286884023.webp

Not ideal, but much better than the icon based interfaces.

It would be nice if MS would acknowledge that many of us just want a Start Menu that looks like XP... and allows us to reorg it simply by putting files in folders and/or creating folders for the User or All Users. It was so simple and easy to work with.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Pro 24H2Intel Ultra 7 155H16gbIntel Arc integrated
OS
Windows 11 Pro 24H2
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
HP
CPU
Intel Ultra 7 155H
Memory
16gb
Graphics Card(s)
Intel Arc integrated
Hard Drives
SSD
This thread is a good example of how varied peoples preferences are for their desktops lol. Myself, I don't use desktop icons, don't use or display the taskbar search box, I prefer to just use the start menu search box by hitting the start button and typing. Many people were thrilled by the way to have a scrollable one page start menu. Just goes to show they'll never please everyone lol.
 

My Computers My Computers

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 25H2Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (24-Core)64GB DDR5 6400MT/sNVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 and Intel UHD Graphics
    OS
    Windows 11 25H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware 18 Area-51
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (24-Core)
    Motherboard
    Alienware
    Memory
    64GB DDR5 6400MT/s
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 and Intel UHD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Onboard, Realtek high-performance Audio chips (ALC3329 & ALC1708))
    Monitor(s) Displays
    300HZ 18-inch QHD 500 nit Comfort View+
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2TB NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen 5 SSD
    Case
    Magnesium Alloy
    Cooling
    Advanced Cryo-Tech Quad-Fan Cooling system & large vapor chamber
    Keyboard
    Cherry MX ultra low profile mechanical keyboard with per key AlienFX RGB lighting
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 4
    Browser
    Vivaldi (main), Firefox, Chrome, Edge
    Antivirus
    MS Defender and Malwarebytes Free
  • At a glance

    Windows 11 25H2Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite (12 Core) ARM bas...16GB LPDDR5Qualcomm Adreno X1-85
    Operating System
    Windows 11 25H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface Laptop 7
    CPU
    Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite (12 Core) ARM based CPU
    Motherboard
    Microsoft Corp.
    Memory
    16GB LPDDR5
    Graphics card(s)
    Qualcomm Adreno X1-85
    Sound Card
    Omnisonic speakers with Dolby Atmos spatial sound
    Monitor(s) Displays
    120 Hz 13.8-inch 600 nit PixelSense Flow touchscreen
    Screen Resolution
    2304x1536
    Hard Drives
    1TB NVMe Gen 4 SSD
    Case
    Anodized Aluminum
    Cooling
    Traditional active cooling fan system
    Keyboard
    Mechanical QWERTY, backlit when in use
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 4 and Surface Arc Mouse
    Browser
    Vivaldi (main), Firefox, Chrome, Edge
    Antivirus
    MS Defender and Malwarebytes Free
This thread is a good example of how varied peoples preferences are for their desktops lol. Myself, I don't use desktop icons, don't use or display the taskbar search box, I prefer to just use the start menu search box by hitting the start button and typing. Many people were thrilled by the way to have a scrollable one page start menu. Just goes to show they'll never please everyone lol.

Which reinforces the point that MS should give people options instead of forcing everyone into the same box.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Pro 24H2Intel Ultra 7 155H16gbIntel Arc integrated
OS
Windows 11 Pro 24H2
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
HP
CPU
Intel Ultra 7 155H
Memory
16gb
Graphics Card(s)
Intel Arc integrated
Hard Drives
SSD

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 1111th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-1185G7 @ 3.00GH16GB
OS
Windows 11
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
MSFT Surface Pro 8
CPU
11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-1185G7 @ 3.00GH
Memory
16GB
I use the, a Start Menu cuz that's what it's there for, and, I mean a menu, a simple menu..., not something that looks like a page out of the National Enquirer magazine! I keep the Desktop and Taskbar clean.

10099.webp
 

My Computers My Computers

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS ROG Strix
  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS VivoBook
  • ASUS VivoBook 'Lite' ~ Windows 11 Home
I use the, a Start Menu cuz that's what it's there for, and, I mean a menu, a simple menu..., not something that looks like a page out of the National Enquirer magazine! I keep the Desktop and Taskbar clean.

View attachment 137241
or even like this (from Linux using KDE)

Screenshot_20250619_001937.webp

Cheers
jimbo
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows XP,11 Linux Fedora Rawhide pre-releas...2 X Intel i7
OS
Windows XP,11 Linux Fedora Rawhide pre-release 45
Computer type
PC/Desktop
CPU
2 X Intel i7
Screen Resolution
4KUHD X 2
Recent update (beta channel) - forces ALL apps onto Start menu and condenses (expandable with dropdown) my curated list of apps.

They were curated for a reason!

Ugh. That is all.

[/rant]
Well I finally got the new Start Menu with today's Dev build 26200.5661. A flick of a switch makes it look just like my old Start, with all my pins showing, and those new All apps categories not visible unless I scroll down.

1750718083357.webp

Spot the difference between this and my RTM build's old style Start in post #15 (hint: the scroll bar is new).

1750718251210.webp
 

My Computers My Computers

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 HomeAMD Athlon Silver 3050U8GBRadeon Graphics
    OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23-R9VY
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD (from April 2026: 250GB EVO 850)
    Internet Speed
    150 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October 2021 it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update, 24H2 on 3rd October 2024 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 24H2, and 25H2 on 30th September 2025 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 25H2.

    UPDATE - 11 April 2026: due to mechanical deterioration this PC has been retired from active duty. The OS with all software and files has been migrated to my System Seven in 'Other systems' to carry on as my general purpose 'main machine'.
  • At a glance

    Windows 11 ProIntel® Core™ i5-520M8GB(integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround.

    In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround.
    Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.
    In-place upgrade to 24H2 using hybrid 23H2/24H2 install media.
    Upgraded to 25H2 by Enablement Package.

    Also running Insider Dev, and Canary builds and Windows 10 as native boot .vhdx.
  • My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro.

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Dev, Beta, and RP 24H2 as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 8GB RAM, 1TB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds (and a few others) as a native boot .vhdx.

    My SYSTEM SIX is a Dell Latitude 5550, Core Ultra 7 165H, 64GB RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD, supported device, Windows 11 Pro 24H2, Hyper-V host machine. Updated to 25H2 on 30th September 2025.

    My SYSTEM SEVEN is a Lenovo Thinkpad T580, Intel Core i7-8650U, 16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD + 2nd 512GB NVMe SSD, a supported device for Windows 11. This is my current general purpose 'main machine'. The installed Windows 11 Home from my System One has been migrated to this machine.
Has anyone checked to see if the new Start Menu works in Safe Mode now? Last time I checked it still wouldn't open if you booted into safe mode. The start button on taskbar and keyboard would do nothing.
 

My Computers My Computers

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 25H2Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (24-Core)64GB DDR5 6400MT/sNVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 and Intel UHD Graphics
    OS
    Windows 11 25H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware 18 Area-51
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (24-Core)
    Motherboard
    Alienware
    Memory
    64GB DDR5 6400MT/s
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 and Intel UHD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Onboard, Realtek high-performance Audio chips (ALC3329 & ALC1708))
    Monitor(s) Displays
    300HZ 18-inch QHD 500 nit Comfort View+
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2TB NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen 5 SSD
    Case
    Magnesium Alloy
    Cooling
    Advanced Cryo-Tech Quad-Fan Cooling system & large vapor chamber
    Keyboard
    Cherry MX ultra low profile mechanical keyboard with per key AlienFX RGB lighting
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 4
    Browser
    Vivaldi (main), Firefox, Chrome, Edge
    Antivirus
    MS Defender and Malwarebytes Free
  • At a glance

    Windows 11 25H2Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite (12 Core) ARM bas...16GB LPDDR5Qualcomm Adreno X1-85
    Operating System
    Windows 11 25H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface Laptop 7
    CPU
    Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite (12 Core) ARM based CPU
    Motherboard
    Microsoft Corp.
    Memory
    16GB LPDDR5
    Graphics card(s)
    Qualcomm Adreno X1-85
    Sound Card
    Omnisonic speakers with Dolby Atmos spatial sound
    Monitor(s) Displays
    120 Hz 13.8-inch 600 nit PixelSense Flow touchscreen
    Screen Resolution
    2304x1536
    Hard Drives
    1TB NVMe Gen 4 SSD
    Case
    Anodized Aluminum
    Cooling
    Traditional active cooling fan system
    Keyboard
    Mechanical QWERTY, backlit when in use
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 4 and Surface Arc Mouse
    Browser
    Vivaldi (main), Firefox, Chrome, Edge
    Antivirus
    MS Defender and Malwarebytes Free
Which reinforces the point that MS should give people options instead of forcing everyone into the same box.
In all fairness, people do have options, but members of the holy inquisition keep trying very hard to convince people that options will cause Windows to break, and then people's shorts get mangled between the door. Try Open-Shell:

Start 1.webp

Start 2.webp

Start 3.webp
 

My Computers My Computers

  • At a glance

    11 Homei7 13650HX16GB DDR5GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile
    OS
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus TUF Gaming F16 (2024)
    CPU
    i7 13650HX
    Memory
    16GB DDR5
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Cooling
    2× Arc Flow Fans, 4× exhaust vents, 5× heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Internet Speed
    30Mbit/s up, 500Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF
    Antivirus
    What's an antivirus?
  • At a glance

    11 Homei5 1135G716GB DDR4Intel Iris Xe
    Operating System
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Medion S15450
    CPU
    i5 1135G7
    Memory
    16GB DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    2TB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Internet Speed
    30Mbit/s up, 500Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF
Has anyone checked to see if the new Start Menu works in Safe Mode now? Last time I checked it still wouldn't open if you booted into safe mode. The start button on taskbar and keyboard would do nothing.
I have now. It still doesn't.
26200.5661
 

My Computers My Computers

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 HomeAMD Athlon Silver 3050U8GBRadeon Graphics
    OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23-R9VY
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD (from April 2026: 250GB EVO 850)
    Internet Speed
    150 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October 2021 it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update, 24H2 on 3rd October 2024 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 24H2, and 25H2 on 30th September 2025 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 25H2.

    UPDATE - 11 April 2026: due to mechanical deterioration this PC has been retired from active duty. The OS with all software and files has been migrated to my System Seven in 'Other systems' to carry on as my general purpose 'main machine'.
  • At a glance

    Windows 11 ProIntel® Core™ i5-520M8GB(integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround.

    In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround.
    Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.
    In-place upgrade to 24H2 using hybrid 23H2/24H2 install media.
    Upgraded to 25H2 by Enablement Package.

    Also running Insider Dev, and Canary builds and Windows 10 as native boot .vhdx.
  • My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro.

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Dev, Beta, and RP 24H2 as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 8GB RAM, 1TB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds (and a few others) as a native boot .vhdx.

    My SYSTEM SIX is a Dell Latitude 5550, Core Ultra 7 165H, 64GB RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD, supported device, Windows 11 Pro 24H2, Hyper-V host machine. Updated to 25H2 on 30th September 2025.

    My SYSTEM SEVEN is a Lenovo Thinkpad T580, Intel Core i7-8650U, 16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD + 2nd 512GB NVMe SSD, a supported device for Windows 11. This is my current general purpose 'main machine'. The installed Windows 11 Home from my System One has been migrated to this machine.
In all fairness, people do have options, but members of the holy inquisition keep trying very hard to convince people that options will cause Windows to break, and then people's shorts get mangled between the door. Try Open-Shell:

View attachment 137693

View attachment 137694

View attachment 137695

Hey @hdmi: Thanks for reminding me about Open Shell. I used Classic Shell back in Win 7. When I checked for a new version right after getting started with Win 11, , I found that the developer had given up on it. Whilst looking for something else, I ran across it on GitHub as the Open Shell project and then completely forgot about it as I was working on a lot of other initial Win 11 tweaks. Got it installed and my very marginal day is significantly marginally better! Thanks.
 
Last edited:

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Pro 24H2Intel Ultra 7 155H16gbIntel Arc integrated
OS
Windows 11 Pro 24H2
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
HP
CPU
Intel Ultra 7 155H
Memory
16gb
Graphics Card(s)
Intel Arc integrated
Hard Drives
SSD
For anyone using Open Shell:


- What folder(s) do I need to give myself access to in order to stop the endless "You need Admin permission to do this" prompts when creating new menu folders and moving items into them

- Is there a place I can go with File Explorer and just move entries around to create the folders and options in them a la Win 7? I know that's difficult in Win 11. Does Open Shell make it possible to sort and organize things with File Explorer? My initial load of options here is leading to a long day trying to drag-n-drop within the created Start Menu main folders.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Pro 24H2Intel Ultra 7 155H16gbIntel Arc integrated
OS
Windows 11 Pro 24H2
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
HP
CPU
Intel Ultra 7 155H
Memory
16gb
Graphics Card(s)
Intel Arc integrated
Hard Drives
SSD

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