I am back after saying goodbye

jimjoh

Member
Member
Messages
14
After receiving nice replies after I said goodbye convinced me that I should not give up so I am back to windows 8. I don't mind eating crow. I am now using thunderbird for email & classic shell for start menu & bypassing the metro on start up. Very seldom will I have a reason to open the metro. I am also back to 15 secs start up & 5 secs shutdown. jimjoh
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Winows 8
After receiving nice replies after I said goodbye convinced me that I should not give up so I am back to windows 8. I don't mind eating crow. I am now using thunderbird for email & classic shell for start menu & bypassing the metro on start up. Very seldom will I have a reason to open the metro. I am also back to 15 secs start up & 5 secs shutdown. jimjoh

Don't worry about it - I come and go all the time :)

Classic Shell is the only way to go for those of us who only use the Desktop and don't have touchy/mobile stuff.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Compac Presario SR5518F
    CPU
    Dual Pentium E2180 (2 GHz)
    Motherboard
    MS-7525 (Boston)
    Memory
    4 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce 8500 GT
Classic Shell is the only way to go for those of us who only use the Desktop and don't have touchy/mobile stuff.
Have to disagree on that one. Ex7ForW8 is free and imports Explorer 7 from W7 installation disc, and provides a fully functional, original Win7 Orb Start Menu, plus aero. Win7 full suite of games can also be downloded free from here.

It provides two modes of use.

1. Explorer 7 mode with direct boot to desktop with Orb Start Menu, aero, etc; and Metro totally gone. Makes boot up even quicker as no Metro data to boot on start up.

2. Explorer 8 mode with native Metro and Windows 8 start screen and Orb Start Menu gone.

There is a toggle swtich in jump start menu, and one in Metro start screen, to swap from one mode to the other. It logs user off/on again each time the switch is made.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 Ult Reatil & Win 8 Pro OEM
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Built as DIY
    CPU
    6 core 12 thread & 4 core
    Motherboard
    Inel Extreme & Intel standard
    Memory
    12GB & 8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    3 top end SLI linked & onboard
    Sound Card
    In built in graphics card & onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24 & 23 inch Samsung LED backlit
    Screen Resolution
    High def
    Hard Drives
    Corsair Force 128GB SATA3 SSDs in each machine. Plus several external USB3 and eSATA spinner HDs
Classic Shell is the only way to go for those of us who only use the Desktop and don't have touchy/mobile stuff.
Have to disagree on that one. Ex7ForW8 is free and imports Explorer 7 from W7 installation disc, and provides a fully functional, original Win7 Orb Start Menu, plus aero. Win7 full suite of games can also be downloded free from here.

It provides two modes of use.

1. Explorer 7 mode with direct boot to desktop with Orb Start Menu, aero, etc; and Metro totally gone. Makes boot up even quicker as no Metro data to boot on start up.

2. Explorer 8 mode with native Metro and Windows 8 start screen and Orb Start Menu gone.

There is a toggle swtich in jump start menu, and one in Metro start screen, to swap from one mode to the other. It logs user off/on again each time the switch is made.

Wow, never heard of Ex7ForW8 - it may be a little more drastic than what I need, but I will surely look into it. Thanks for the pointer!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Compac Presario SR5518F
    CPU
    Dual Pentium E2180 (2 GHz)
    Motherboard
    MS-7525 (Boston)
    Memory
    4 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce 8500 GT
Classic Shell is the only way to go for those of us who only use the Desktop and don't have touchy/mobile stuff.
Have to disagree on that one. Ex7ForW8 is free and imports Explorer 7 from W7 installation disc, and provides a fully functional, original Win7 Orb Start Menu, plus aero. Win7 full suite of games can also be downloded free from here.

It provides two modes of use.

1. Explorer 7 mode with direct boot to desktop with Orb Start Menu, aero, etc; and Metro totally gone. Makes boot up even quicker as no Metro data to boot on start up.

2. Explorer 8 mode with native Metro and Windows 8 start screen and Orb Start Menu gone.

There is a toggle swtich in jump start menu, and one in Metro start screen, to swap from one mode to the other. It logs user off/on again each time the switch is made.

Well, Ex7ForW8 is pretty nice. Metro gone and all. But I'm not seeing the "plus Aero". How does one go about getting that to work?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Compac Presario SR5518F
    CPU
    Dual Pentium E2180 (2 GHz)
    Motherboard
    MS-7525 (Boston)
    Memory
    4 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce 8500 GT
It is possible with a bit of effort and searching around to get rid of many of the Win 8 annoyances.

Silly really, putting back what MS has taken out - and removing the new crap they have put in.

I found removing the apps. bloatware helped.

I removed them from the image before installing.

If you have the install.wim - you can improve the installation media noticeably. If you have the install.esd - you can't.


You can sort of do it after installing - but in that case, it just uninstalls the crapware for that user. The junk remains on your HD.

The way to get rid of the crapware (sort of ) after install and log in is like this:


Code:
DISM /Online /Remove-Provisionedappxpackage /PackageName:Microsoft.Bing_1.2.0.137_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe

DISM /Online /Remove-Provisionedappxpackage /PackageName:Microsoft.BingFinance_1.2.0.135_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe

DISM /Online /Remove-Provisionedappxpackage /PackageName:Microsoft.BingMaps_1.2.0.136_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe

DISM /Online /Remove-Provisionedappxpackage /PackageName:Microsoft.BingNews_1.2.0.135_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe

DISM /Online /Remove-Provisionedappxpackage /PackageName:Microsoft.BingSports_1.2.0.135_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe

DISM /Online /Remove-Provisionedappxpackage /PackageName:Microsoft.BingTravel_1.2.0.145_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe

DISM /Online /Remove-Provisionedappxpackage /PackageName:Microsoft.BingWeather_1.2.0.135_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe

DISM /Online /Remove-Provisionedappxpackage /PackageName:microsoft.windowscommunicationsapps_16.4.4206.722_x64__8wekyb3d8bb

DISM /Online /Remove-Provisionedappxpackage /PackageName:Microsoft.Reader_6.2.8516.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe

DISM /Online /Remove-Provisionedappxpackage /PackageName:microsoft.microsoftskydrive_16.4.4204.712_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe

DISM /Online /Remove-Provisionedappxpackage /PackageName:microsoft.windowsphotos_16.4.4204.712_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe

DISM /Online /Remove-Provisionedappxpackage /PackageName:Microsoft.ZuneMusic_1.0.927.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe

DISM /Online /Remove-Provisionedappxpackage /PackageName:Microsoft.ZuneVideo_1.0.927.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe

DISM /Online /Remove-Provisionedappxpackage /PackageName:Microsoft.XboxLIVEGames_1.0.927.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe

You can put that in a batch file and run it.

You will still have the store app, metro ie and mail.

Then you can use whatever you like e.g. ext7for8 etc, to try and make the os behave vaguely sensibly.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
I don't care about any of that. Ex7ForW8 goes 80% of the way to where I want to be. If I could get a proper engine for Aero/Glass theming, I'd be a happy camper.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Compac Presario SR5518F
    CPU
    Dual Pentium E2180 (2 GHz)
    Motherboard
    MS-7525 (Boston)
    Memory
    4 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce 8500 GT
I like Classic Shell because it lets me use the Start orb AND the Start screen at the same time.

I like having both.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Enterprise 64-bit (7 Ult, Vista & XP in V-Box)
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire Ethos AS8951G 'Super-Laptop'.
    CPU
    Intel Sandy-Bridge i7-2670QM quad-core
    Motherboard
    Acer
    Memory
    8GB DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel 3000HD / Ge-Force GT555M 2 gigs
    Sound Card
    Realtek/5.1 Dolby built-in including speakers.
    Monitor(s) Displays
    18.4" full-HD
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1024
    Hard Drives
    2x750GB Toshiba internal, 1x500GB Seagate external, 1x2TB Seagate external, 1x640GB Toshiba pocket-drive, 1x640GB Samsung pocket drive.
    PSU
    Stock
    Case
    Laptop
    Cooling
    Air-cooled
    Mouse
    I/R cordless.
    Internet Speed
    Borderline pathetic.
After receiving nice replies after I said goodbye convinced me that I should not give up so I am back to windows 8. I don't mind eating crow. I am now using thunderbird for email & classic shell for start menu & bypassing the metro on start up. Very seldom will I have a reason to open the metro. I am also back to 15 secs start up & 5 secs shutdown. jimjoh
Welcome back--glad to hear it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion g7-120us Notebook
    Memory
    8 GIG
I just tried Ex7ForW8, no AERO support. Not even mentioned in the readme.txt file.
Back to Stardock's Start8 for me ($4.99).
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro X64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo IdeaCenter K450
    CPU
    Intel Quad Core i7-4770 @ 3.4Ghz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    16.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Integrated HD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP h2207
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050@59Hz
    Hard Drives
    250GB Samsung EVO SATA-3 SSD;
    2TB Seagate ST2000DM001 SATA-2;
    1.5TB Seagate ST3150041AS SATA
    PSU
    500W
    Keyboard
    Wired USB
    Mouse
    Wired USB
    Internet Speed
    3GB Up, 30GB Down
    Browser
    SeaMonkey
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender; MBAM Pro
    Other Info
    UEFI/GPT
    PLDS DVD-RW DH16AERSH
I just tried Ex7ForW8, no AERO support. Not even mentioned in the readme.txt file.
Back to Stardock's Start8 for me ($4.99).

Does Start8 provide Aero/Glass on the desktop? I don't think so, but I could be wrong...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Compac Presario SR5518F
    CPU
    Dual Pentium E2180 (2 GHz)
    Motherboard
    MS-7525 (Boston)
    Memory
    4 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce 8500 GT
Does Start8 provide Aero/Glass on the desktop? I don't think so, but I could be wrong...

No. Nothing brings Aero Glass back yet.

I am needing my time to get used to this new flat windows, but I think I won't go back. I am also going back and forth with Windows 8, but it just runs significantly better than Windows 7 in my laptop and I prefer to have it. I found a combination of colors and rotating wallpapers in gray/black and white that I like enough. Now it looks more "artistic" than the lively and colorful Aero Glass. It's ok for me. Macs are also grey and they are nice, it's not the end of the world.

Imagen 000.png Imagen 001.png Imagen 002.png
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus X501A
    CPU
    Pentium 2020M 2.4GHz Ivy Bridge
    Motherboard
    ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. X501A1 (SOCKET 0)
    Memory
    4 GB RAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1366x768 Generic PnP Monitor on Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    298GB Western Digital WDC WD3200BPVT-80JJ5T0 (SATA)
    Mouse
    Always touchpad with Asus' Smart Gestures
    Browser
    7star
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
No, Start8 does not give you Aero, but it doesn't replace Windows Explorer and so far I prefer to stay with the Windows 8 version which is why I switched back.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro X64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo IdeaCenter K450
    CPU
    Intel Quad Core i7-4770 @ 3.4Ghz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    16.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Integrated HD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP h2207
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050@59Hz
    Hard Drives
    250GB Samsung EVO SATA-3 SSD;
    2TB Seagate ST2000DM001 SATA-2;
    1.5TB Seagate ST3150041AS SATA
    PSU
    500W
    Keyboard
    Wired USB
    Mouse
    Wired USB
    Internet Speed
    3GB Up, 30GB Down
    Browser
    SeaMonkey
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender; MBAM Pro
    Other Info
    UEFI/GPT
    PLDS DVD-RW DH16AERSH
Hooray! :dinesh:

I have to disagree on classic shell, the Start Screen can literally be used as the start menu. The user needs to use it to take advantage of it. No need for the metro apps? Great, uninstall them. Only need Desktop apps and locations, awesome! Right click on folders, hard drives, Control Panel items, .exes, or Libraries and hit Pin to Start when you're on the Desktop. Arrange tiles accordingly. I personally keep my Libraries to the far left of the screen as I have a tendency (I wonder why ;)) of clicking on the bottom left corner of the Taskbar and getting to Start, then hitting Computer or some other Library location. I find that there really isn't a valid reason to putting "things" back that were "taken out" when things have morphed into something newer and better, one just needs to use it. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
Well, Ex7ForW8 is pretty nice. Metro gone and all. But I'm not seeing the "plus Aero". How does one go about getting that to work?
Aero was working auotmatically after running Ex7ForW8 on W8 OEM Pro loaded from retail installation disc.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 Ult Reatil & Win 8 Pro OEM
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Built as DIY
    CPU
    6 core 12 thread & 4 core
    Motherboard
    Inel Extreme & Intel standard
    Memory
    12GB & 8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    3 top end SLI linked & onboard
    Sound Card
    In built in graphics card & onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24 & 23 inch Samsung LED backlit
    Screen Resolution
    High def
    Hard Drives
    Corsair Force 128GB SATA3 SSDs in each machine. Plus several external USB3 and eSATA spinner HDs
As I said in my previous post, there was no AERO when I installed Ex7ForW8.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro X64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo IdeaCenter K450
    CPU
    Intel Quad Core i7-4770 @ 3.4Ghz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    16.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Integrated HD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP h2207
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050@59Hz
    Hard Drives
    250GB Samsung EVO SATA-3 SSD;
    2TB Seagate ST2000DM001 SATA-2;
    1.5TB Seagate ST3150041AS SATA
    PSU
    500W
    Keyboard
    Wired USB
    Mouse
    Wired USB
    Internet Speed
    3GB Up, 30GB Down
    Browser
    SeaMonkey
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender; MBAM Pro
    Other Info
    UEFI/GPT
    PLDS DVD-RW DH16AERSH
You should have some transparency on the start menu itself, and the taskbar.

Not anywhere else as far as I can see.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Well, Ex7ForW8 is pretty nice. Metro gone and all. But I'm not seeing the "plus Aero". How does one go about getting that to work?
Aero was working auotmatically after running Ex7ForW8 on W8 OEM Pro loaded from retail installation disc.

Aero involves Desktop Window Manager (DWM) instead of Windows Explorer.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Y520
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 7300HQ
    Motherboard
    OEM Lenovo
    Memory
    4GB DDR4-2400
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1 (2)
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Seagate 1TB 5400 RPM
    Keyboard
    OEM Lenovo
    Mouse
    Logitech G502 Proteus Core
    Internet Speed
    100 Mbps
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Other Info
    PC:

    AMD Athlon X4 760K
    8GB DDR3-1866
    AMD Radeon RX 460
    Seagate 500 GB 7200 RPM
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