New Version of ExplorerPatcher

Wynona · Mar 27, 2022

valinet said:
@Wynona Man, I hardly understand anything from your replies, honestly. What menu do you expect? Right clicking the Start button or pressing Win-X opens the power user menu (or Win-X menu). It’s been like that since Windows 8. I don’t understand what else you expect, maybe update yourself on how Windows worked for the past 10 years.

Where it doesn’t work, it has to be investigated, either a problem regarding symbols, either they changed something else.

And the menu when using the Windows 11 taskbar has nothing to do with ExplorerPatcher, that’s provided by Windows itself and ofc works 100% of the times.

OK, let me try to make myself a little clearer:

I have been using Microsoft Operating Systems since DOS and Windows 3.0.
I have always been able to right click on the Start Button (when it became available) to get a drop-down menu.
I was using DEV Channel Builds when I first installed Explorer Patcher.
Also, I was struggling to figure out how to understand Explorer Patcher so I could do what I needed.
Sometime around the middle of March I found this thread and you gave me the URL to the Explorer Patcher wiki.
I don’t recall exactly which version of Windows DEV Build, or Explorer Patcher I had when I discovered right clicking on the Start Button ceased to give me a drop-down menu.
I uninstalled and reinstalled Explorer Patcher, hoping that right clicking on the Start Button would now give me a drop-down menu, but it didn’t.
I clean installed Windows 11 Build 22000.588, then installed Explorer Patcher. Right clicking the Start button would not give me a drop-down menu with Explorer Patcher installed. If I uninstalled Explorer Patcher, right clicking on the Start Button worked as it should.
I clean installed Windows 11 Build 22000.466, then installed Explorer Patcher. Right clicking the Start button finally gave me a drop-down menu with Explorer Patcher installed.
I updated to Windows 11 Build 22000.556, then installed Explorer Patcher. Right clicking the Start button gives me a drop-down menu with Explorer Patcher installed.

In summation, Explorer Patcher installed on the currently released version(s) of Windows 11 (Build 22000.466 & Build 22000.556) are working as far as I have been able to test.

I have Quick Launch (a bonus) working and my taskbar is at the top of my screen, both of which are how I want my user interface.

For the foreseeable future, I will only use currently released versions of Windows 11 for reasons other than testing. Which at the moment, works well for using Explorer Patcher.

The-Hive · Mar 27, 2022

@Wynona mine is the same, it is not tested on dev builds, I use OpenShell start menu and that all works fine with EP

Edwin · Mar 27, 2022

Wynona said:
... but not the way I would expect it to. It gives the same options as if I had right clicked the Start Button.

@Wynona
I think @valinet was referring to your assumption of Win-X and right clicking Start supposing to offer different results.
WinKey+X and right clicking Start are one and the same.

Unless EP changes things in a way I'm unaware of!

hdmi · Mar 27, 2022

The-Hive said:
BBC weather

BBC = Left rubbish. Just kidding...

valinet · Mar 28, 2022

@Wynona The Start button context menu (aka Win-X) doesn't work in build 22000.588 because Microsoft hasn't published symbol files for `twinui.pcshell.dll` from this build. That's usually the case with some Windows builds. The Win-X menu relies on functionality still available in `twinui.pcshell.dll`, i.e. it hasn't been reimplemented in ExplorerPatcher (yet). The required addresses could be extracted manually from the DLL, but yeah, since it's not a mainstream build so to say, I am not going to do it.

Read more about symbols and what they mean for ExplorerPatcher here: Symbols · valinet/ExplorerPatcher Wiki

Wynona · Mar 29, 2022

valinet said:
@Wynona The Start button context menu (aka Win-X) doesn't work in build 22000.588 because Microsoft hasn't published symbol files for `twinui.pcshell.dll` from this build. That's usually the case with some Windows builds. The Win-X menu relies on functionality still available in `twinui.pcshell.dll`, i.e. it hasn't been reimplemented in ExplorerPatcher (yet). The required addresses could be extracted manually from the DLL, but yeah, since it's not a mainstream build so to say, I am not going to do it.

Read more about symbols and what they mean for ExplorerPatcher here: Symbols · valinet/ExplorerPatcher Wiki

That's fine because I'm not going back to anything Windows 11 Preview.

SkyDrifter · Mar 29, 2022

@Wynona after I opted out of the windows preview 22000.588 they released updated version 22000.593, then I decide to testing the EP version 22000.556.43.4 it has the Win-X or say right click start menu working again.

stevemagruder · Mar 29, 2022

Win-X with EP 43.4 and Win11 22000.593 is working for me as well. So maybe that's a sign Microsoft didn't intend to break this going forward.

Wynona · Mar 29, 2022

SkyDrifter said:
@Wynona after I opted out of the windows preview 22000.588 they released updated version 22000.593, then I decide to testing the EP version 22000.556.43.4 it has the Win-X or say right click start menu working again.

Thanks, but I'm going to stay on the released public version, since that's what my students will be using when we start our Windows 11 studies.

It's good to know right click is working again in the previews, though.

I will continue to test EP, though.

NoDoze · Mar 29, 2022

Windows 11 Pro Dev 22581.100
ExplorerPatcher V Dev 22000.556.43.4

Well, in review of this thread, I read someone trying to run EP and StartAllBack at the same time with some success. I decided to give this a try...

I disabled the Windows 10 taskbar in EP, then installed StartAllBack. BINGO! I currently have the start menu of EP, but the taskbar of StartAllBack. All the fly out menus like the sound change menu, and the Windows keys shortcuts like Win+Tab for virtual desktops, all work!

However, the taskbar/right click/properties menu is now StartAllBack's menu, the EP Properties menu is nowhere to be found

So I ask, is there another way to get to the EP Properties Menu?

Otherwise, everything is working again...so I'll leave it as is. When EP gets fixed/updated I'll just uninstall StartAllBack.

Thank you!

Dch48 · Mar 29, 2022

I just installed EP. The only part I'm using is removing the Recommended area in the Start Menu. That was really my only gripe about Win 11. I'm fine with the taskbar and have learned to live with the context menus.

The-Hive · Mar 29, 2022

I use EP and OpenShell, win 10 style taskbar and context menu along with explorer ribbon and everything works as it should be it left click or right click

fragtion · Mar 30, 2022

Anyone having issues with WIN+TAB working, or getting the Task View menu to open at all, while Windows 10 taskbar is enabled?
Also, if I try to invoke either of those, then my ALT+TAB also stops working altogether until I restart explorer process again.
Task View & WIN+TAB starts working again if I switch back to Windows 11 taskbar, but I really want the expanded icons so I prefer 10 taskbar.
I'm on Dev build 22581.200, EP v22000.556.43.4
I recall having Windows 10 taskbar + Task View / WIN+TAB working previously with ExplorerPatcher, so I'm not sure if this stopped working due to a recent EP update, or if it's because I'm running a recent Dev build which broke the functionality

P.S. Right click Start button / WIN+X is also not working for me with this combination (Dev build 22581.200, EP v22000.556.43.4) so it seems Microsoft broke that again in recent Dev builds ? Again, this only happens when Windows 10 taskbar is enabled. It works fine with 11 taskbar.

(Special thanks to the developer for fixing the transparent taskbar issue affecting latest Dev builds. This project is really awesome please keep up the good work!!)

Hope I'm posting this in the right place as I see issues & community discussions are disabled on the github project page. Thx !

stevemagruder · Mar 30, 2022

fragtion said:
Anyone having issues with WIN+TAB working, or getting the Task View menu to open at all, while Windows 10 taskbar is enabled?
Also, if I try to invoke either of those, then my ALT+TAB also stops working altogether until I restart explorer process again.
Task View & WIN+TAB starts working again if I switch back to Windows 11 taskbar, but I really want the expanded icons so I prefer 10 taskbar.
I'm on Dev build 22581.200, EP v22000.556.43.4
I recall having Windows 10 taskbar + Task View / WIN+TAB working previously with ExplorerPatcher, so I'm not sure if this stopped working due to a recent EP update, or if it's because I'm running a recent Dev build which broke the functionality

P.S. Right click Start button / WIN+X is also not working for me with this combination (Dev build 22581.200, EP v22000.556.43.4) so it seems Microsoft broke that again in recent Dev builds ? Again, this only happens when Windows 10 taskbar is enabled. It works fine with 11 taskbar.

Neither WIN+TAB nor WIN+X are working with that combination (Win11 Beta + EP 43.4 + Win10 taskbar) currently. If you back off the Win11 beta to the latest Win11 release preview (21H2 22000.593), they will work again. I think the developer valinet is aware of these issues.

AndreTen · Mar 30, 2022

stevemagruder said:
Neither WIN+TAB nor WIN+X are working with that combination (Win11 Beta + EP 43.4 + Win10 taskbar) currently. If you back off the Win11 beta to the latest Win11 release preview (21H2 22000.593), they will work again. I think the developer valinet is aware of these issues.

Same here, so I've switched to Win 11 Taskbar. Still most of the functionality I wanted (Win+C gives me Calendar with Agenda and some other stuff)

The-Hive · Mar 31, 2022

The-Hive said:
Nothing wrong with EP but I am noticed the weather app says snow on Thursday really, like that will happen

How wrong I was... It snowed albeit just a few flakes but snow. Sorry I doubted the weather app

cbiweb · Apr 3, 2022

I've just set up the default Win11 taskbar with folders that will have to suffice in place of the wonderful and efficient Win10 taskbar. So...

If I install ExplorerPatcher to get the old functionality back, if/when the day comes that EP no longer works, will my Win11 taskbar setup return, or will I need to set it up again?

oldschool · Apr 3, 2022

cbiweb said:
If I install ExplorerPatcher to get the old functionality back, if/when the day comes that EP no longer works, will my Win11 taskbar setup return, or will I need to set it up again?

Yes, when you uninstall EP your W11 takbar setup will return. The whole process should be easy.

The-Hive · Apr 4, 2022

It will be fine and preserved. A while back the symbol files were behind the windows update and the taskbar would go back to win 11 until thet were available, now it is really good and seems to cater for every release channel build

NoDoze · Apr 5, 2022

Hello. I recently updated to EP 22000.556.43.4 and I lost the: right click taskbar/Properties Menu. I've uninstalled/reinstalled, rebooted multiple times, nothing new. I only get the Windows 11 Taskbar Settings. Anyone know how to get the EP Menu to appear? Thank you