Make Windows 10 look like Windows 7/Vista (Also show us your Windows desktop customizations)

[Mr. Fox]

26 minutes ago, Ishatix said:

I've temporarily hidden my desktop items since they're overdue a tidy up!

I don't like desktop icons being visible. I use a desktop toolbar menu next to the System Tray (right-click, toolbars, check "Desktop") and hide the icons. Unzip the attached file and drop the executable anywhere you like. Put a shortcut on your Taskbar. Instant hide/unhide in one mouse click. HideDesktopIcons.zip

 

On...

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[Azther]

2 hours ago, Mr. Fox said:

I don't like desktop icons being visible. I use a desktop toolbar menu next to the System Tray (right-click, toolbars, check "Desktop") and hide the icons. Unzip the attached file and drop the executable anywhere you like. Put a shortcut on your Taskbar. Instant hide/unhide in one mouse click. HideDesktopIcons.zip

 

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this looks rather interesting, might have to try it out myself. I usually arrange my icons around the outer edge to try and make it at least look somewhat even but this is certainly a cleaner solution. Did you make the exe yourself or is it some other program available online?

[Mr. Fox]

8 hours ago, Azther said:

this looks rather interesting, might have to try it out myself. I usually arrange my icons around the outer edge to try and make it at least look somewhat even but this is certainly a cleaner solution. Did you make the exe yourself or is it some other program available online?

No, I did not make it and I don't remember now who the creator is. I have been using it on all of my computers for maybe 10 or 12 years.

[Ishayin]

 

16 hours ago, Mr. Fox said:

I don't like desktop icons being visible. I use a desktop toolbar menu next to the System Tray (right-click, toolbars, check "Desktop") and hide the icons. Unzip the attached file and drop the executable anywhere you like. Put a shortcut on your Taskbar. Instant hide/unhide in one mouse click. HideDesktopIcons.zip

 

That's nifty! I like having my old quick launch menu for some things, but I think if I hid away my desktop into a toolbar I would just lose track completely of what I've left there purposefully to catch up with XD

 

13 hours ago, Azther said:

this looks rather interesting, might have to try it out myself. I usually arrange my icons around the outer edge to try and make it at least look somewhat even but this is certainly a cleaner solution. 

 

Yeah, this is what I do too. I have different groups of things on the left and right sides respectively.

 

5 hours ago, Mr. Fox said:

No, I did not make it and I don't remember now who the creator is. I have been using it on all of my computers for maybe 10 or 12 years.

 

You can achieve the same thing once the desktop is in focus (Win-D) using the keyboard shortcut MenuKey-V-D. This gave me the idea of making a little AutoHotkey shortcut for it which after a bit of testing I've finalised as:

 

^AppsKey::
SetKeyDelay, 50
WinActivate, Program Manager ; Set focus to the Desktop
Send {AppsKey}
Send v
Send d
Return

 

The first line sets the key combo you want to use. Here I've gone with CTRL-MenuKey, but you could change it to whatever you like.

The second line just sets the delay between keystrokes to 50 ms. The default is apparently 10ms if this is not defined and wouldn't work for me. So if it doesn't work for you you could try increasing it further to say 100 or 200.

The third line allows it to work no matter what is in focus (everything after ; is a comment).

The rest should be obvious enough I guess.

 

It is simple to compile an AutoHotkey into an .exe if desired, but I would recommend to instead install AutoHotkey and have your own .ahk script run at start-up. This way you can easily modify and add other desired hotkeys all in the same script, and have it all run under a single AutoHotkey.exe.

 

[Azther]

Another update for those who are interested, seems 22h2 introduced mica into apps and titlebars and with MicaForEveryone you can also enable acrylic effects. Heres a screenshot of it in action with DirectoryOpus combined with StartAllBack enabling transparency on the taskbar and start menu.

 

[Raiderman]

Here is my custom dark theme on Windows 10 LTSC 21H2

I am using stardock curtains for frame and  transparency

 

 

[Azther]

On 11/24/2022 at 4:30 AM, Raiderman said:

Here is my custom dark theme on Windows 10 LTSC 21H2

I am using stardock curtains for frame and  transparency

 

 

looks awesome, which theme is it? i would of gone with curtains if the win7/vista themes were compatible with it

[Raiderman]

10 hours ago, Azther said:

looks awesome, which theme is it? i would of gone with curtains if the win7/vista themes were compatible with it

The theme started out as steelflash, a windows 7 theme. I've modified it heavily to make it mine. If you go to virtual customs, there are many themes that have been ported to work on windows 10.

 

[Azther]

7 hours ago, Raiderman said:

The theme started out as steelflash, a windows 7 theme. I've modified it heavily to make it mine. If you go to virtual customs, there are many themes that have been ported to work on windows 10.

 

ah i see, its more the case that the themes i originally posted here were wba themes, so i assume they wont work or load into curtains. Your looks pretty amazing tho

 

edit: just realized ur only using curtains for transparency rather then for the entire theme, so i guess yours is an msstyles theme

[Raiderman]

30 minutes ago, Azther said:

ah i see, its more the case that the themes i originally posted here were wba themes, so i assume they wont work or load into curtains. Your looks pretty amazing tho

 

edit: just realized ur only using curtains for transparency rather then for the entire theme, so i guess yours is an msstyles theme

Exactly, I've edited it using windows style builder. Only use curtains for the frames, then import my custom frame images. Pretty easy to do. I preferred aeroglass 8 by big muscle, but he disappeared 2 years ago.

[Azther]

6 hours ago, Raiderman said:

Exactly, I've edited it using windows style builder. Only use curtains for the frames, then import my custom frame images. Pretty easy to do. I preferred aeroglass 8 by big muscle, but he disappeared 2 years ago.

yeah aeroglass was pretty awesome, shame it doesnt work on the latest LTSC.

[Papusan]

Open-Shell Menu 4.4.181 / 4.4.183 supports Windows 11 Start button and more

 good Morning December 14, 2022 5:02 p.m 

The Open-Shell Menu for Windows 10 or rather Windows 11 offers a selection of the start menus from Windows 7, 8.1 or 10. In case you don't like the new Windows 11 start menu that much. Now there were two updates shortly...

 

Download link for newest version in the link above.

 

Edit: https://github.com/Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu/releases/tag/v4.4.183

[Ashtrix]

Windows 7 is coming to and end to all those who love Windows 7 and still do.

Long Live Windows 7 (2009-2023)

 

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/november-8-2022-kb5020000-monthly-rollup-e0044ab3-5798-4622-973f-149e662d8b6e

 

Quote

NOTE After January 10, 2023, Microsoft will no longer provide security updates or technical support for Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1. We recommend that you upgrade to a later version of Windows.

 

The end of an Era my friends. Microsoft is not providing any news on the ESU extension so the initial 3 year ESU extension is the final because if they wanted to extent to 2026 they would have already released a guideline for newer ESU 3 year extension plan. Since they have a new Windows 11 the chances are none.  So the best OS that Microsoft ever has produced and ever will be produced the OS is seeing it's sunset soon. Windows 7 Embedded can run upto Oct 2023 but we cannot integrate those updates onto Retail OEM RTM releases likes of Windows 7 Professional / Ultimate. So it is going down lads.

 

VSCode July 2022 is the last version that supports it.

Chrome v109.x is the last (not that I care about this garbage browser but that's what it is, not sure how Chromium based ones will work and with manifest v3 it will become cancer)

Nvidia, Ampere RTX 30 series is last to have Windows 7 support. 472.12 driver is the last and RTX 3090Ti has same branch driver for the latest 474.11, more notes below.
NVIDIA has released a software security update display driver for GeForce GPUs to be used with Windows 7/8.x which is no longer supported by Game Ready Drivers. Effective October 2021, Game Ready Driver upgrades, including performance enhancements, new features, and bug fixes, are exclusively available for systems utilizing Windows 10 and Window 11 as their operating system. Critical security updates will be available on systems utilizing Windows 7 through September 2024.

G-Sync, you need a G-Sync Ultimate Panel else the feature won't work because it needs WDDM2.0 (Windows 10+) and any panel that has G-Sync Compatible it won't work because it needs the driver handshake, Ultimate ones have the Nvidia chip on the PCB which needs no driver.

AMD, RDNA2 Radeon RX 6000 series is the last to have Windows 7 support, AMD Software Adrenalin for Radeon™ RX 6950 XT, Radeon™ RX 6750 XT and Radeon™ RX 6650 XT Driver Version 21.09.12.01 for Windows 7 (Windows Driver Store Version 27.20.20912.1002).

Discord will also yank the support in the near future, and so will all Electron based applications.

Qt6 already is having no version that supports Windows 7 so all Qt apps which will use v6 will not work on 7 anymore. So expect qBittorent, RPCS3 to drop support soon. Dolphin already abandoned Windows 7, PCSX2 as well

Thunderbolt 4 will not work on Windows 7, so all those new boards on X670 / Z790 with TB4 Maple Ridge controllers will not work even on CSM forget 7.

x86 processors, AMD and Intel still seem to work from Win-raid Canonkong magic, but if your NIC is not Intel 225V and running something very newer versions or Marvell's 10G LANs which are newer they do not have .inf, and probably many other low level drivers and such esp with AMD having a lot of AGESA incoming for AM5. And with Intel 14th gen having Tile based processor fabric and lot of changes, I suspect even more challenges to fully utilize it, Alder Lake and Raptor Lake 12-13th gens see the E cores as a totally new Socket, 2P system. Not sure how good it will work anymore. iGPU for 11th gen up doesn't have drivers anymore for Windows 7 either.

Soundcards, niche but Creative AE series still has support but newer ones do not have from other vendors like EVGA or any. other USB DAC / AMPs from Topping, and other Chi-Fi or similar HiFi Audio gear has drivers that can work on Windows 7 Topping does offer v4.86 which works but soon the newer products will stop working because they use USB Class 2.0 https://www.thesycon.de/eng/usb_audiodriver.shtml#platforms which Windows 7 doesn't support. So grab the ones which you like asap. RME Audio does provide high quality audio and has Windows 7 driver too to those interested. Schiit Audio does provide drivers for Windows 7 too in case if you are interested.

 

 

There are ofc a ton of more software / hardware that won't work and will still work regardless like many do not care about the OS but simply offer MSI installer package with Win32 support.

 

Now will all these make me not to run Windows 7 ? Absolutely not. The best OS will never leave.

 

I hope Windows 10 LTSC 1809 / LTSC 21H2 will let us survive this onslaught of absolute worst Desktop regression in the Personal Computer landscape. Windows 11 is not fit to be on my of my computers even if they release LTS branch.

 

That said Merry Christmas to everyone and Wish you all Happy Holidays !!

 

 

Edit Jan 12, 2023 - Some info from MDL on the last good Updatepack7R2 for the best stable Windows 7 updated installation onto your machine. Good bye Windows 7.

 

Also I would like to mention Office 2007 is best for that OS or Office 2010 as they suit the design language more and look beautiful like the OS itself. You know about the usual drill on the KMS and etc.

[Papusan]

Microsoft really don't like that you change how their new touch friendly OS disaster should looks like. They thighen the screws more and more. 

 

Windows 11 22H2: Microsoft recommends uninstalling third-party tools before installing KB5023774 / KB5022913

 good Morning March 29, 2023

 

[Update March 29, 2023]: As with the previous optional update in February, Microsoft has renewed the notice that third-party applications such as Explorerpatcher, TranslucentTB or similar tools can cause problems with the current KB5023774 or for Windows 11 22H2 the KB5022913 may come.

 

[Original 03/01/2023]: Yesterday Microsoft released the KB5022913 and with it the “big” Moment 2 update . Due to the changes, especially in the area of the taskbar and the user interface, installed tools such as ExplorerPatcher, Openshell, TranslucentTB and StartAllBack can cause (start) problems.

[ryan]

tired of updates?

tired of tweaking?

tired of lowering performance?

 

get a fricken chromebook, what the heck are you doing on your pc thats so important

 

This applies to the younger generation only all they do is watch YouTube and play Roblox. Never understood people spending 3 grand then only using basic apps

[Papusan]

On 6/2/2022 at 1:23 PM, Mr. Fox said:

Good morning!! Here is the screenshot.  HUGE aesthetic improvement for LTSC 21H2.

 

 

I still prefer LTSC 1809 with only AeroGlass and OldExplorer, but AeroGlass doesn't work on newer versions of Windoze 10.

 

What software do you use to make Win11 better than the Trash it is? I see OpenShell is up in 4.4.189 with support for Win 11. Not sure if it works properly with Win 11 22H2. Even for a very few benchmark this new OS is darn disgusting (look and feels). And yep, with every new change it will only be worse. 

 

[Sandy Bridge]

I prefer to go a bit more old-school than Vista or 7.  Never really embraced the Aero Glass, perhaps because it got too associated with Vista RTM in my mind.  Instead I stuck with XP's themes, either Luna (including the Zune, Silver, Olive, and Royale Noir variants), or the Classic theme a la Windows 95/98/2000.

 

So, after 6 months of having my laptop follow a fairly standard Windows 10 theme, I'm back to using Curtains's XP theme, along with a few vintage applications for a blissful Windows eXPerience:

 

 

Curtains doesn't get the icon spacing at the top of the application quite right, but combined with period-accurate (and better than current-day) versions of Minesweeper and co., it captures the right feeling.  Meanwhile I can still keep using my full-screen Start screen; while I prefer XP's to Vista/7's, I still think 8.1 was the best in that category.

 

I want to set some XP-era icons as well, and maybe sounds and cursors.  I probably won't have them set that way all the time, but the XP era was my favorite time for computing, and notebooks in particular.  Everything was still progressing quickly, there was optimism so long as you weren't doing battle with Microsoft, you weren't being pitched online subscriptions to everything, and things were finally at a stage where they were both pretty stable and pretty secure, at least once SP2 released.

[Papusan]

Here's several options. Can also be used with Win 10.

 

 

[Papusan]

Microsoft have always let you tweak how you want your Windows OS. Not so much anymore. They speed up so you can't change how your OS should looks like. Soon there is no difference between Apple OS and Windows. The future looks grim bro @Mr. Fox. Expect they will make changes in the core OS or kernel so you can't do much than accept how Microsoft want how their OS should looks like. Disgusting? Microsoft is the new Apple!

 

 

[Mr. Fox]

48 minutes ago, Papusan said:

Microsoft have always let you tweak how you want your Windows OS. Not so much anymore. They speed up so you can't change how your OS should looks like. Soon there is no difference between Apple OS and Windows. The future looks grim bro @Mr. Fox. Expect they will make changes in the core OS or kernel so you can't do much than accept how Microsoft want how their OS should looks like. Disgusting? Microsoft is the new Apple!

 

 

They haven't cared what their customers users want for nearly 10 years. How many businesses can get away with operating in such an unrespectable manner? They (Micro$lop and crApple) do not deserve to remain solvent based on how they operate as corporations. I am not sure why so many people willingly tolerate it. There should be serious and dire consequences for each of them as a company.

[raptorddd]

On 4/17/2024 at 11:00 AM, Papusan said:

Microsoft have always let you tweak how you want your Windows OS. Not so much anymore. They speed up so you can't change how your OS should looks like. Soon there is no difference between Apple OS and Windows. The future looks grim bro @Mr. Fox. Expect they will make changes in the core OS or kernel so you can't do much than accept how Microsoft want how their OS should looks like. Disgusting? Microsoft is the new Apple!

 

 

its already happening on 23H2 for the past 2 months or so. programs that i usually installed before  wont install. like bit torrent web. now i cant install it. 

i tend to clean install few times a month and i have noticed this. i hope they fail.

 

[Papusan]

On 4/19/2024 at 4:05 AM, raptorddd said:

its already happening on 23H2 for the past 2 months or so. programs that i usually installed before  wont install. like bit torrent web. now i cant install it. 

i tend to clean install few times a month and i have noticed this. i hope they fail.

 

 

Yup, Microsoft works hard to stop you all from customizing their new baby. Darn disgusting! 

 

 

[raptorddd]

On 5/14/2024 at 5:48 PM, Papusan said:

 

Yup, Microsoft works hard to stop you all from customizing their new baby. Darn disgusting! 

 

 

started watchign videos of linux theres kubuntu and manjaro.  changing seems tempting. 

[crz]

On 5/17/2024 at 8:54 PM, raptorddd said:

started watchign videos of linux theres kubuntu and manjaro.  changing seems tempting. 

And I began to recall my wonderful memories while using Ubuntu in 2012, with such kind of changes, it is not surprising if Microsoft will soon lose some of its long-time users.

[Mr. Fox]

Seems like a fitting place to share this.

 

There is also a Vista GUI option.

 

https://r8p.teknixstuff.com/

 

Besides low system resources, it seems like this GUI correction actually improved performance. This is much closer to Windows 7 wprime 32m performance than Windows 10/11 can do. Windows 10/11 wPrime 32m performance is normally horribly sluggish.