Classic Shell

Each Windows edition comes with its own Start menu styles and computer users may prefer a certain style over the other. Furthermore, Windows 8 doesn't have a Start menu at all, which may not be a popular move for certain users. To solve these appearance issues, you can use Classic Shell, a lightweight application, with numerous features. It allows you to choose between classic, Windows 7 or XP-style menus, change the start button and decide what should appear in the menu or how it should behave.

Classic Shell is absolutely free and it can be used on Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8, as well as various Server editions. It can be installed in a matter of seconds and it has an insignificant effect on a computer's performance.

Once installed, the application will launch automatically and it will apply the classic style on your Start menu. You can run the software's executable to bring up a tabbed user interface, on which you can modify the Start menu's looks and behavior. By default, the interface is set to basic mode, so you will find only three tabs.

The first navigation tab displays a home screen, on which you can choose a general style for the Start menu, like Windows Classic, Windows XP or Windows Vista/7. The next tabs display options for customizing the Start menu's contents and for selecting and customizing different skins. You can choose what should happen when left clicking or right clicking the Start button, when hitting the Windows key and so on. You can also decide to hide certain icons or to display them as links or sub-menus.

Clicking a radio button, located in the lower region of the interface, will display everything that Classic Shell has to offer. You will find two rows of navigation tabs, which display numerous options, for configuring special items, setting up sounds, customizing a separate skin for the All Programs sub-menu and much more. Behavior settings can be made as well. For example, you can increase or decrease menu delays, set the main menu's animation to fade or slide, enable drag and drop and so on.

The Classic Shell package includes a customization module for Windows Explorer as well. It can be launched with a different executable, but it displays a similar interface. You can set it to basic or advanced mode, just like the Start menu settings panel. This module can be used to enable top menus on explorer windows, Copy, Cut Paste and Up buttons and much more.