Issue with restoring Windows 7 command bar for Windows 11

So there are currently two ways to restore the compact Windows 7 command bar for Windows 11: ExplorerPatcher or StartAllBack.


I have been using StartAllBack (and StartIsBack + OldNewExplorer back in Windows 10) and usually I can access the menu in the command bar (example image attached, the File -> Help row) by clicking "Alt". However, I have now found myself unable to do that, leaving me unable to access settings such as "Folder Options" unless I switch back to Windows 10 or 11 command bars. Have anyone ran into a similar behaviour? I jumped over to ExplorerPatcher to see if it is specifically a StartAllBack problem but could not access the menu with "Alt" either.

Hopefully a user who uses such tools can give you an answer. I do not.
When 11 first came out, we saw so many issues caused by 3rd party tools that altered the GUI, I chose to never use such a tool. The options are still there so it was just a slight learning curve to adjust to using them the new way. About the only thing I never could adjust to was is the new right click context menu, so I used Brink's tutorial to convert back to the old right click menu natively using the registry..

Titanonectes said:

... unable to access settings such as "Folder Options"

Click to expand...

You can access Folder Options from the Organize▼ drop down menu...,
most other options are accessible through their respective right click context menus...



To get the full menu back, I've had to use a combination of StartAllBack and QTTabBar..., it's hit-n-miss though depending on the Windows version, software versions, etc...

If you prefer the Classic Explorer Bar (see below) of Open Shell, install Open Shell instead. Since build 8117 the usual Vive Tool commands cannot make it work again. So you have to modify the Registry fix, see link below, which I confirm it works in all recent build including 8737.





PS: In the screenshot you see the Aero Lite theme (red close button), Windows 10 style File Explorer (Explorer Patcher) and Windows 7 system icons (Customizer God, see relevant threads). The default Windows 11 system icons are flatter and not that nice.

glasskuter said:

Hopefully a user who uses such tools can give you an answer. I do not.
When 11 first came out, we saw so many issues caused by 3rd party tools that altered the GUI, I chose to never use such a tool. The options are still there so it was just a slight learning curve to adjust to using them the new way. About the only thing I never could adjust to was is the new right click context menu, so I used Brink's tutorial to convert back to the old right click menu natively using the registry..

Click to expand...

No worries. I saw in some other threads that there seems to be a healthy number of people using the tool in this forum, hence why I posted my question here. This endeavor is just purely for taste - I can adapt to any GUI just fine, but I preferred Win7 style since they can be completely out of my way when I don't need them.

Edwin said:

You can access Folder Options from the Organize▼ drop down menu...,
most other options are accessible through their respective right click context menus...

View attachment 176066

To get the full menu back, I've had to use a combination of StartAllBack and QTTabBar..., it's hit-n-miss though depending on the Windows version, software versions, etc...

Click to expand...

Interesting. I have used QTTabBar on one device that lacks other tools. How does it mesh with SAB and what was your desired result when you decided to attempt such a thing?

spapakons said:

If you prefer the Classic Explorer Bar (see below) of Open Shell, install Open Shell instead. Since build 8117 the usual Vive Tool commands cannot make it work again. So you have to modify the Registry fix, see link below, which I confirm it works in all recent build including 8737.

View attachment 176073

Release 4.4.198 · Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu

What's Changed Fix search auto-selecting wrong item before programs finish loading by @nnyj in #2451 Update font face names in Japanese localization by @coolvitto in #2409 Fix open/save file dialo...

github.com

Alternative Windows 11 start menus

I think you misunderstood. Open Shell classic start button and start menu are still working fine. There is one component, a "legacy" toolbar called Classic Explorer Bar which shows cut/copy/paste and other icons (can be customized) top left of a File Explorer window. See my screenshot in post...

www.elevenforum.com

PS: In the screenshot you see the Aero Lite theme (red close button), Windows 10 style File Explorer (Explorer Patcher) and Windows 7 system icons (Customizer God, see relevant threads). The default Windows 11 system icons are flatter and not that nice.

Click to expand...

I have heard of OpenShell but never used it - is the command bar collapsible?

I have tried Explorer Patcher to similar results to SAB - the "Alt" toggle key for the command bar does not work in either implementation.

Does CustomizerGod still work in Windows 11? I have tried it for other purposes but it keeps returning a lot of error messages. I chalked these up to the fact that the program seems old and might not have been maintained enough for modern use.

Titanonectes said:

How does it mesh with SAB

Click to expand...

They play nicely together.

Titanonectes said:

what was your desired result when you decided to attempt such a thing?

Click to expand...

Exactly what you see in Post #3.

Edwin said:

They play nicely together.

Exactly what you see in Post #3.

Click to expand...

Do I need to mind any specific settings? Or this is very much a simple plug-and-play thing?

Titanonectes said:

No worries. I saw in some other threads that there seems to be a healthy number of people using the tool in this forum, hence why I posted my question here. This endeavor is just purely for taste - I can adapt to any GUI just fine, but I preferred Win7 style since they can be completely out of my way when I don't need them.


Interesting. I have used QTTabBar on one device that lacks other tools. How does it mesh with SAB and what was your desired result when you decided to attempt such a thing?


I have heard of OpenShell but never used it - is the command bar collapsible?

I have tried Explorer Patcher to similar results to SAB - the "Alt" toggle key for the command bar does not work in either implementation.

Does CustomizerGod still work in Windows 11? I have tried it for other purposes but it keeps returning a lot of error messages. I chalked these up to the fact that the program seems old and might not have been maintained enough for modern use.

Click to expand...

Latest version of Customizer God tries to open certain system files automatically and because they have changed since Windows 10 v1903 it throws an error. I use an older version where I manually open each file using CTRL+O. No, Open Shell Classic Explorer Bar is not collapsible, it's always on.

PS: Like I write on the relevant threads, you cannot modify the files C:\Windows\SystemResources\*.dll.mun directly. You must copy to another folder, modify it and then take ownership of the folder C:\Windows\SystemResources and all its files. Then change access rights from read-only to Full for the Administrators group for the folder and the specific file you want to modify. Since these files are in use by File Explorer, you must terminate the explorer.exe task from Task Manager, details section and use a third-party file manager or Command Prompt to replace the original file with the modified one.

For your reference: These system files are:

C:\Windows\SystemResources\batmeter.mun.dll for the power and battery icons
C:\Windows\SystemResources\imageres.mun.dll for most system icons icons (folders, devices etc)
C:\Windows\SystemResources\SndVolSSO.mun.dll for the sound icons
C:\Windows\SystemResources\Stobject.mun.dll for the USB safe removal icon
C:\Program Files\ExplorerPatcher\pnidui.dll for the network icons, assuming you have installed Explorer Patcher and have set Windows 10 style taskbar.

Titanonectes said:

Do I need to mind any specific settings? Or this is very much a simple plug-and-play thing?

Click to expand...

Lots of settings!
Between SAB and QT, I probably have over 100 customizations going on!
You need patience.