Classic Shell

Description

Classic Shell is a free, Open-Source application that allows you to restore a set of features (such as the classic start menu, start button, toolbar for Windows Explorer, etc.) that were removed from the newer versions of Microsoft Windows OS.

Although the primary purpose is to offer you access to missing features (available on older Windows versions) through its interface, this program is not an Explorer replacement: it adds some UI elements to the standard Windows Explorer.

Classic Shell Features

Here you can check the main features (check release history here):

Classic Start Menu main features

• Choose between “Classic style” (or classic with two columns) and “Windows 7” styles
• Drag and drop to organize your applications
• Show "Favorites," expand Control Panel, etc.
• Show recently used documents; you can customize the number of documents that you want to display
• The program is available in 40 languages
• The original start menu in Windows is not disabled; you can launch it using "Shift+Click" on the start button
• Support for both 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems
• Support for 3rd party skins (you can customize your skin)
• You can show, search and launch Windows Store apps in Windows 8
• Customize the start button etc.

Classic Explorer main features

• Add a customizable toolbar to Explorer for common operations (cut, copy, paste, delete, properties, etc.)
• Replace the copy UI in Windows 7 with a more user-friendly “classic” version similar to Windows XP
• Options to customize the folder panel to look like the Windows XP version
• Show the free disk space and the total size of selected files in the status bar
• Ability to disable the breadcrumbs in the address bar
• Fixes a list of features broken in Windows: missing icon overlay for shared folders, jumping folders in the navigation pane, missing sorting headers in list view, etc.

Classic IE main features

Note: this plugin supports Internet Explorer 9 and all later versions.

• A caption has been added to the title bar so you can see the full title of the page
• View the security zone and also the loading progress in the status bar

Classic Shell Review

Installation: Download Classic Shell and launch the setup file.

Configuration: The first time you click the Windows start button after installing, the settings window appears so you can choose the style for the menu and the start button. You can choose between a "Classic style," "Classic with two columns" or the "Windows 7 style".

You can even replace or customize the Windows start button. Other tabs, such as "Customize Start Menu", allow you to customize the menu even more.

Conclusion: Everything is intuitive, and the software fulfills its promises (eliminates frustration for people coming from an older version of Windows): adds some missing features to Microsoft Windows (once again, a life saver).