No start menu or taskbar shortcuts menu


Tweakfiend

Well-known member
Local time
3:28 PM
Posts
44
OS
Windows 11 Pro 64 bit / Windows 3.11 Emulator
Hi
I have been running Windows 11 Pro on Surface Go for 2 months and is ok in a limited sense.

I have now tried same on main PC but cannot overcome the problem of running start menu program ( such as Open shell ) and taskbar shortcuts program (such as Truelaunchbar etc ) which I have been using since XP.

To get these to work requires a taskbar registry entry to re enable drag and drop.

This taskbar entry removes the "widget" icon and also disables "search" on taskbar in Windows 11.

Without this one cannot see any programs or shortcuts on the system, so I have reverted back to Windows 10 !
Alternative suggestions would be much appreciated .
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 64 bit / Windows 3.11 Emulator
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self build Dec 2023
    CPU
    Pentium I9 14900K
    Motherboard
    Asus Rog Z 790 / E Wifi 7
    Memory
    64 GB Corsair Dominator DDR5
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD RX 590 8GB Special
    Sound Card
    Creative Soundblaster X3 External
    Monitor(s) Displays
    32" Toshiba TV / PC
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    2 x Corsair MP 600 Pro 500GB M2 drives ( Main ), + 1 Samsung M2 + Hitachi Sata Drive
    PSU
    1000 w
    Case
    NZXT Phantom 240 , 5 fans built in system
    Cooling
    Silentium PC Spartan 5 Max
    Keyboard
    Seenda Luminous
    Mouse
    1) Aston Martin DB9 Car ,2) McLaren Yellow P2 car , 3) Seenda Wireless
    Internet Speed
    385 mbps
    Browser
    6 Main ones, inter changeable
    Antivirus
    Norton 360 , 10 User
    Other Info
    Pertelian X2040 ,
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface Go
    Memory
    8GB
    Hard Drives
    128 GB and 256 GB Micro SD
For the start menu, there are a few threads right here in personalization section that will get oyu going:



As for pinned items on the taskbar, we have a very comprehensive tutorial written by our MVP Brink that should cover about every aspect of it that you can currently do in Windows 11:


As for moving the taskbar - yeah, Microsoft has limited it to center and left at the bottom only. But there are some interesting hacks on the taskbar itself for various purposes that you can check out in this thread:


HTH
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 23H2 Current build
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HomeBrew
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
    Motherboard
    MSI MEG X570 GODLIKE
    Memory
    4 * 32 GB - Corsair Vengeance 3600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti XC3 ULTRA GAMING (12G-P5-3955-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC1220 Codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2x Eve Spectrum ES07D03 4K Gaming Monitor (Matte) | Eve Spectrum ES07DC9 4K Gaming Monitor (Glossy)
    Screen Resolution
    3x 3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    3x Samsung 980 Pro NVMe PCIe 4 M.2 2 TB SSD (MZ-V8P2T0B/AM) } 3x Sabrent Rocket NVMe 4.0 1 TB SSD (USB)
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling’s Silencer Series 1050 Watt, 80 Plus Platinum
    Case
    Fractal Design Define 7 XL Dark ATX Full Tower Case
    Cooling
    NZXT KRAKEN Z73 73.11 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (3x 120 mm push top) + Air 3x 140mm case fans (pull front) + 1x 120 mm (push back) and 1 x 120 mm (pull bottom)
    Keyboard
    SteelSeries Apex Pro Wired Gaming Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S | MX Master 3 for Business
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex Ftth
    Browser
    Nightly (default) + Firefox (stable), Chrome, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender + MB 5 Beta
  • Operating System
    ChromeOS Flex Dev Channel (current)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E5470
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-6300U CPU @ 2.40GHz, 2501 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel(R) HD Graphics 520
    Sound Card
    Intel(R) HD Graphics 520 + RealTek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell laptop display 15"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 * 1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 128GB M.2 22300 drive
    INTEL Cherryville 520 Series SSDSC2CW180A 180 GB SATA III SSD
    PSU
    Dell
    Case
    Dell
    Cooling
    Dell
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S (shared w. Sys 1) | Dell TouchPad
    Keyboard
    Dell
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex Ftth
Thanks JLG

Had not seen Stardock Start menu 11, although I have used their programs for years !
Works well.

Open Shell is a bit better although is outdated and does not seem to load without taskbar problem hack .

Will keep trying , but toolbar loaders on taskbar such as Truelaunchbar dont seem to work based on Shawns file and folder loading suggestions.

Perhaps new ideas will arrive soon .

Maybe its me !
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 64 bit / Windows 3.11 Emulator
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self build Dec 2023
    CPU
    Pentium I9 14900K
    Motherboard
    Asus Rog Z 790 / E Wifi 7
    Memory
    64 GB Corsair Dominator DDR5
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD RX 590 8GB Special
    Sound Card
    Creative Soundblaster X3 External
    Monitor(s) Displays
    32" Toshiba TV / PC
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    2 x Corsair MP 600 Pro 500GB M2 drives ( Main ), + 1 Samsung M2 + Hitachi Sata Drive
    PSU
    1000 w
    Case
    NZXT Phantom 240 , 5 fans built in system
    Cooling
    Silentium PC Spartan 5 Max
    Keyboard
    Seenda Luminous
    Mouse
    1) Aston Martin DB9 Car ,2) McLaren Yellow P2 car , 3) Seenda Wireless
    Internet Speed
    385 mbps
    Browser
    6 Main ones, inter changeable
    Antivirus
    Norton 360 , 10 User
    Other Info
    Pertelian X2040 ,
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface Go
    Memory
    8GB
    Hard Drives
    128 GB and 256 GB Micro SD
More likely it's Windows 11 - they restructured a lot of the coding that went into the taskbar in and of itself when compared to Windows 10, and the stat menu as well, and those threads show that a lot of new hacks are only just now being developed to make things work more like some users want them to, not to mention new apps to restore old functionality.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 23H2 Current build
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HomeBrew
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
    Motherboard
    MSI MEG X570 GODLIKE
    Memory
    4 * 32 GB - Corsair Vengeance 3600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti XC3 ULTRA GAMING (12G-P5-3955-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC1220 Codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2x Eve Spectrum ES07D03 4K Gaming Monitor (Matte) | Eve Spectrum ES07DC9 4K Gaming Monitor (Glossy)
    Screen Resolution
    3x 3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    3x Samsung 980 Pro NVMe PCIe 4 M.2 2 TB SSD (MZ-V8P2T0B/AM) } 3x Sabrent Rocket NVMe 4.0 1 TB SSD (USB)
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling’s Silencer Series 1050 Watt, 80 Plus Platinum
    Case
    Fractal Design Define 7 XL Dark ATX Full Tower Case
    Cooling
    NZXT KRAKEN Z73 73.11 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (3x 120 mm push top) + Air 3x 140mm case fans (pull front) + 1x 120 mm (push back) and 1 x 120 mm (pull bottom)
    Keyboard
    SteelSeries Apex Pro Wired Gaming Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S | MX Master 3 for Business
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex Ftth
    Browser
    Nightly (default) + Firefox (stable), Chrome, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender + MB 5 Beta
  • Operating System
    ChromeOS Flex Dev Channel (current)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E5470
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-6300U CPU @ 2.40GHz, 2501 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel(R) HD Graphics 520
    Sound Card
    Intel(R) HD Graphics 520 + RealTek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell laptop display 15"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 * 1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 128GB M.2 22300 drive
    INTEL Cherryville 520 Series SSDSC2CW180A 180 GB SATA III SSD
    PSU
    Dell
    Case
    Dell
    Cooling
    Dell
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S (shared w. Sys 1) | Dell TouchPad
    Keyboard
    Dell
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex Ftth
More likely it's Windows 11 - they restructured a lot of the coding that went into the taskbar in and of itself when compared to Windows 10, and the stat menu as well, and those threads show that a lot of new hacks are only just now being developed to make things work more like some users want them to, not to mention new apps to restore old functionality.
I wonder when those hacks will no longer work? Yes.. they can keep changing them to keep up with 11 but is there a chance that MS will lock them out?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home(Beta) - 23H2 - 22635.3350
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Banana Junior 5600- G Series
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 5600G
    Motherboard
    Asus ROG Strix B550-F
    Memory
    G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 64GB 4x16
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN X
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Viotek 32", 28" ASUS VP28U
    Screen Resolution
    1080p
    Hard Drives
    Primary SAMSUNG 970 EVO Plus
    PSU
    EVGA BQ 700w 80+ Bronze
    Case
    Zalman i3 NEO
    Cooling
    ARCTIC Freezer 7 X
    Keyboard
    Corsair
    Mouse
    Amazon Generic with Cord
    Internet Speed
    Download: 295.11 mbps Upload: 65.35 mbps T-Mobile Internet
    Browser
    Firefox and Edge
    Antivirus
    MS - Defender
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch ProMedia 2.1
Probably not. I mean look at all the hacks for Windows 10 that still work.

As long as it's not a major security issue, it shouldn't really be a problem. People have been hacking the Windows interface since Windows 95, and sometimes Microsoft has even adopted a hack or three in the next version of an OS.

One of my faves was a beautiful glass look for XP. Sure enough, Microsoft started toying with Glassy Aero on Win 7. Still not as nice as what you could achieve with 3rd party hacks, but it was a step in the right direction IMO.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 23H2 Current build
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HomeBrew
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
    Motherboard
    MSI MEG X570 GODLIKE
    Memory
    4 * 32 GB - Corsair Vengeance 3600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti XC3 ULTRA GAMING (12G-P5-3955-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC1220 Codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2x Eve Spectrum ES07D03 4K Gaming Monitor (Matte) | Eve Spectrum ES07DC9 4K Gaming Monitor (Glossy)
    Screen Resolution
    3x 3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    3x Samsung 980 Pro NVMe PCIe 4 M.2 2 TB SSD (MZ-V8P2T0B/AM) } 3x Sabrent Rocket NVMe 4.0 1 TB SSD (USB)
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling’s Silencer Series 1050 Watt, 80 Plus Platinum
    Case
    Fractal Design Define 7 XL Dark ATX Full Tower Case
    Cooling
    NZXT KRAKEN Z73 73.11 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (3x 120 mm push top) + Air 3x 140mm case fans (pull front) + 1x 120 mm (push back) and 1 x 120 mm (pull bottom)
    Keyboard
    SteelSeries Apex Pro Wired Gaming Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S | MX Master 3 for Business
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex Ftth
    Browser
    Nightly (default) + Firefox (stable), Chrome, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender + MB 5 Beta
  • Operating System
    ChromeOS Flex Dev Channel (current)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E5470
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-6300U CPU @ 2.40GHz, 2501 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel(R) HD Graphics 520
    Sound Card
    Intel(R) HD Graphics 520 + RealTek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell laptop display 15"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 * 1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 128GB M.2 22300 drive
    INTEL Cherryville 520 Series SSDSC2CW180A 180 GB SATA III SSD
    PSU
    Dell
    Case
    Dell
    Cooling
    Dell
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S (shared w. Sys 1) | Dell TouchPad
    Keyboard
    Dell
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex Ftth

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