Windows 10: What a PROPER start menu should look like

Hi there

IMO a DECENT functioning start menu should be totally user customiseable with a SEARCH at the TOP rather than at the bottom of the screen.

Here's an example from Linux KDE desktop --totally customiseable. You can switch it too to a "classic cascadable Menu" like XP had if you want - no re-boots needed can do ir at any time. I prefer the version shown. Cascadable version also shown.

Cheers
jimbo

:)

 

Start Menu Error

What it looks like to me is that you drug a tile from the All apps list to the Start menu.

This is not proper. You should right click on the app and then Pin to Start.

 

What windows 10 desktop should look like. Free the tiles!

Simply put, my windows 10 "desktop" should work like my android tablet.

Get rid of that damn "ribbon" and let me put the tiles where ever I like.

The taskbar and "all apps" list are fine, just free the tiles! (And let me make the all apps list much smaller, like the win 7 start menu)

I would actually use the "live" tiles if I they weren't stuck on the ribbon. Instead I've installed the old gadgets, like many many others have.

 

Ditto.

I'm just in the process of downloading the new Windows 10 build but don't hold out too many hopes for a proper Start Menu given what was shown at last weeks Windows 10 presentation.

 

Not really an appropriate response from an Administrator!

 

It`s windows, what did you expect *Sad

 

Hi there

It's customiseable so you can make it look anyway you want - there's zillions of themes etc you can choose --I prefer just plain and simple - others prefer different things.

The whole point was that I think the SEARCH should be at the TOP and not at the BOTTOM. The NEW W10 menu is very inflexible especially if you have a LOT of applications on your PC. The previous (build 9879) version of the start menu was a lot more customiseable and IMO useable even with the Search at the bottom. !!

The previous version (build 9879) was more useable IMO. Dave44 has posted a fix so you can use the Old version on build 9926 but you will lose the ability to expand directly to the start screen (not important for me - i'd rather have a functioning search facility).

In any case there's nothing wrong with people saying they don't like stuff whether an admin or not.

Cheers
jimbo

 

Windows has never been that customizable, you always had to install a 3rd party software.

I always installed Tuneup Utilities on XP.

 

Not really an appropriate response from an Administrator! Watch your mouth young man/woman! lol

 

Just telling it like it is *Tongue

 

Here we go again with that BS about the great and wonder Linux. . .Please this is a windows forum not Linux.

 

Hi there

Was just suggesting that the logical place for a search function is surely at the TOP of a list - as W10 is still in "Design phase" I can't see anything wrong in making suggestions that could be popular. The fact that I was showing a Linux start menu was irrelevant -- just giving an example where the search is at the logical place at the TOP of a list.

Surely when an OS is still in some sort of design stage this is the time to suggest what I would imagine to be a sensible logical improvement.

Cheers
jimbo

 

The current Windows 10 builds are interesting with regards to the Start-menu... It's implemented as a 'Modern' Application called "ShellExperienceHost" with the UI mostly coded as XAML:
C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft.Windows.ShellExperienceHost_1.0.0.2_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe\startui\

Having done some XAML development... Anyone can use a an XBF decompiler to extract and rewrite the UI template with Visual Studio or Expression Blend and completely redesign the entire Start-menu (including other windows such as the Action Center)... I've only just started looking at the implementation so I'm not sure how customizable it could be or if the current XBF decompilers need to be updated but it should be relatively easy... (the EnableXamlStartMenu key listed on this Tutorial is also closely related: https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/3...dows-10-a.html)

Hopefully Microsoft will leave the start-menu as a separate Modern Application coded in XAML so we're able to completely customize the design after RTM *Smile

 

The current Windows 10 builds are interesting with regards to the Start-menu... It's implemented as a 'Modern' Application called "ShellExperienceHost" with the UI mostly coded as XAML:
C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft.Windows.ShellExperienceHost_1.0.0.2_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe\startui\

Having done some XAML development... Anyone can use a an XBF decompiler to extract and rewrite the UI template with Visual Studio or Expression Blend and completely redesign the entire Start-menu (including other windows such as the Action Center)... I've only just started looking at the implementation so I'm not sure how customizable it could be or if the current XBF decompilers need to be updated but it should be relatively easy... (the EnableXamlStartMenu key listed on this Tutorial is also closely related: https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/3...dows-10-a.html)

Hopefully Microsoft will leave the start-menu as a separate Modern Application coded in XAML so we're able to completely customize the design after RTM *Smile Hi there.

That was the point of the thread - I haven't a single clue about XAML or anything else like that - but the wretched thing should be decently customiseable and if it can be done without a major re-code of the windows GUI then why not -- this is the time to make those sorts of changes - BEFORE RTM. Everybody uses computers in quite different ways with a lot of totally different types of programs so why not give as much flexibility to the user (without obviously going totally overboard of course) as possible.

Cheers
jimbo

 

XAML is more or less very similar to HTML... If you can code even the most basic website then you're already able to code XAML *Wink

You get to see XAML changes in real-time using things like Visual Studio or Expression Blend... Open file > rewrite some text > save file = Instant new startmenu design without any "major re-code".

For example:

The problem is that I think Microsoft is going to be moving away from the "ShellExperienceHost" application powering the Start-menu (It also has a bunch of testing related junk in the application folder) and it requires the EnableXamlStartMenu registry key to load and use some XAML resources - Personally, I wouldn't be reversing it until RTM as to not waste a heap of time on something that might disappear in the next update *Sad