Open-Shell-Menu VS Windows10Debloater

I've been very happy happy with https://github.com/Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu as a Start Menu replacement. If ads have rolled out to my Windows install, I wouldn't even notice.

Whenever I set up a new computer for older family members, despite it being windows 11, I always install open shell[1] and retro bar[2]. Between the two, I've made the operating system look very close to Windows XP visually, and they always appreciate it.

[1] https://github.com/Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu

[2] https://github.com/dremin/RetroBar

There's Open-Shell but it's not exactly a full WM replacement.

Hi yall, I used Open-Shell to change the icon.

There is also Open Shell, a free and open source tool which performs a similar function.

I wish so bad there is a port (a fork) of the Legacy Kickoff start menu for Windows: https://github.com/Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu/issues/1083

Classic Start Menu

I use Open Shell (fork of Classic Shell) as a replacement to original Start Menu. This gives me full control over what appears in start menu - no results from internet, animated tiles, etc (I am on Win 10 though, from what I read the Win 11 is supported, but not yet officially [1]). It could be a solution to the ads appearing in start menu.

[1] https://github.com/Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu/issues/1564

Looks like you're going for an XP theme. May I suggest using open-shell to skin the taskbar, start menu, and start button if you wanna take that extra step? You can also find the taskbar skin and start button here. Also, I would remove the search bar, task view button, and news & interest area of the taskbar just to bring things together. This is all just a suggestion, you don't have to if you don't want to.

Stuff has been uninstalled from Settings and Control Panel and CTT's Utility (to enable some settings I would've enabled through Terminal commands already) and Sycnex's Debloater (to uninstall some apps) have been used. It's nothing major as I only uninstalled apps I could download from the store if necessary and made sure not to delete any major system components except Edge maybe. I have read through every menu and setting any of these utilities has brought up thoroughly to ensure I didn't do so. I believe I did my research before enabling/disabling a setting.

I've used this script for every new install of Windows and it makes the experience quite a bit better: https://github.com/Sycnex/Windows10Debloater .

17k stars on GitHub so lots of people agree.

if you wanna go even further in getting the most out of your laptop you can use this debloating tool to get rid of the extra stuff Microsoft puts into windows that youll never use.