Start 11 with Explorer Patcher

Integrating ExplorerPatcher with Start 11

from Stardock Forums

So I've been a Start 10 users since Windows 10 was released and love it... on Windows 10.  I recently built a Windows 11 machine and discovered that there are things Start 11 can't do that remain annoying.  I did find another tool, "Explorer Patcheer" that solved several of these, but there are issues with explorer patcher, and with combining it with Start 11.

Here are the main features I want to keep (which go back to Windows 7):

  1. Enable the Windows 7 style Quicklaunch bar in the Task bar (not as a flyout menu as is the default)
  2. Allow sections of the task bar to to be sized.  This makes grouping icons in the quick launch bar and system tray much nicer)
  3. Move the start button to the left side of the screen
  4. Force all system tray icons to be visible
  5. Windows 7 style start menu (Start 10/11 does a good job of this)

Unfortunately, Start 11 cannot do items 1 or 2...

The only way to get those features is to "revert" the task bar which is what ExplorerPatcher does.  So with the combination of both Start 11 and ExplorerPatcher, I get pretty much what I want.

However, I've seen instability when running both of these utilities together.  

Also, when running ExplorerPatcher, it leaves a window in the system tray.  If I try to close that window, it resets explorer.  Not very clean.  And I can't find a way to hide that window when running ExplorerPatcher...

Does anyone have any tips for using both of these tools more reliably and hiding the ExporerPatcher window?

Left side of taskbar:

Here is the right side of the taskbar:

quicklaunch taskbar stardock software start menu products
14,349 views 10 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top

Hello,
Sorry to hear you are having issues. I will not recommend to use any application that could cause conflict with Start11. ExplorerPatcher is one of them. However, I understand your need to be as close as possible with previous Windows version environment. With that said, hopefully someone that share your setup would come in and share some tips on it.

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

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Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top

Thanks Basj,

Maybe Stardock could investigate incorporating the functions implemented by ExplorerPatcher into Start 11!  

That would solve the problem and make Start 11 better.. 

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Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting btmacdou, reply 2

Thanks Basj,

Maybe Stardock could investigate incorporating the functions implemented by ExplorerPatcher into Start 11!  

That would solve the problem and make Start 11 better.. 

With every change in Windows, EP seems to break. Seems to me to be more work than it's worth especially when you consider that 24H2 comes with a lockout for more (non Stardock) customizing software: https://www.techradar.com/computing/windows/windows-11-24h2-blanket-bans-some-desktop-customization-apps-in-test-builds-and-a-lot-of-folks-arent-happy

Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top

Most Start11v2 users were using EP to get the Windows 10 taskbar back, especially the Taskbar toolbars. The latest version of EP will no longer offers the Windows 10 taskbar for Windows 24H2.

From the EP web site:

Taskbar10: The Windows 10 taskbar option is now no longer available on 26002+. (#3053, e57a6b0) This is to comply with Microsoft's removal of the stock Windows 10 taskbar in explorer.exe of said builds.

Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top

Even in the early days of using EP, I believe I heard the developer stating that his solution was not the best one long term. Even he seemed to advocate that the best solution was to build an actual taskbar and EP always was meant to be kind of a bridge until that happened. Knowing that I put in a lot of requests with stardock on how I wanted things built and a lot of those requests did in fact get implemented. Unfortunately, building things from the ground up is a much longer process so things can take time and this is why EP was so valuable. Probably now that Microsoft is making things more difficult, the developer of EP felt it was the right time to close that bridge. I believe that programs like startallback, which may be compatible with start 11, are still trying to keep their program working for 24h2. But again, that could only be considered a bridge. Things that you will always want to have on Windows 11 should be requested to the start 11 dev team as they do listen to requests.

Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top

Well, I finally got back to building my Windows 11 machine after putting it off for months.  

At this point, I am still running Start11 and Explorer Patcher (latest versions of each).   

Update: forgot to mention that I'm running Windows 11 23H2 Build 22631.4317

And I have managed to configure the start menu and the Taskbar the way I want (like Windows 7/10).  

So it's working for now and seems more stable than it did earlier in 2024.  I know the next milestone is when Microsoft releases 24H2 to the general public and I'm not looking forward to that.   I also still wish I could hide the annoying Explorer Patcher windows that pop up every time I access a feature.  😒

I'm continuing to build and have a lot more software to install.  I even got Outlook Classic Standalone installed but I hear even that will be discontinued at the end of the year.

As a retired engineer who spent my entire career with Windows, It's very sad to see that after decades of "fixing" windows to ADD features demanded by users, that Microsoft is (once again) taking a step backwards and removing those features.  I guess the cycle will continue until AI takes over and we become moot.

Another fallback is to go back to Windows 10 and hope that Microsoft will extend support (even at a cost).

Anyway, I still have hope that Stardock will update Start 11 to include the features that Explorer Patcher manages to include.  

Here is a snapshot of my current taskbar.  Very functional.  Works well on a large monitor.

Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top

It does appear that explorerpatcher will survive 24h2 after all. What happened is that Microsoft has closed the ability to hack in a windows 10 taskbar on 24h2. So it is still not possible to use a windows 10 taskbar on a 24h2 part. What explorerpatcher now does is they install 22h2 parts in place of the 24h2 parts. Basically, this means explorerpatcher will have to hack in 22h2 parts onto 24h2 in order to hack in a windows 10 taskbar. It works for now, but it is hard to say if the loophole will still be around come 25h2.

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Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting PhoenixRising1, reply 7

It does appear that explorerpatcher will survive 24h2 after all. What happened is that Microsoft has closed the ability to hack in a windows 10 taskbar on 24h2. So it is still not possible to use a windows 10 taskbar on a 24h2 part. What explorerpatcher now does is they install 22h2 parts in place of the 24h2 parts. Basically, this means explorerpatcher will have to hack in 22h2 parts onto 24h2 in order to hack in a windows 10 taskbar. It works for now, but it is hard to say if the loophole will still be around come 25h2.

That sounds like a support nightmare.

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Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top

Of course. But any "hybrid" solution has the same issue.  All of these solutions including Stardock Start 11, are work arounds to Microsoft's drive forward without serious user input.

Reply #10 from Stardock Forums Top

10/9/24

FYI - I uninstalled and re-installed Explorer Patcher from my Windows 11 machine with Start 11 installed.  I did this to try and solve an issue with One-Drive where photo thumbnails were not showing up.  The results were positive in several ways:

  1. Uninstalling and reinstalling Explorer Patcher seems to have solved the missing thumbnails in OneDrive
  2. Explorer Patcher remembered all the settings I had before the un-install! (see screenshot above).  Yay!
  3. Start 11 is still working.

Note that I am still using  Windows 11 23H2 Build 22631.4317 And Start 11 V2.11