SORTED :) Windows After XP Sux big time.

[FranceBB]

Upgraded today from Fedora 33 stable to Fedora 34 stable.
Everything looks good and I LOVE GNOME 40.
The most important thing is that I upgraded and everything worked out just fine at the very first boot!!
I got chills, guys, absolute chills...!

Img1 - Img2 - Img3

[StainlessS]

Have not used Fedora for a long time, I used to like it.
Not sure if I used it before or after Mandrake [which became Mandriva due to some legal dispute over the Mandrake name, I think].

[StainlessS]

Maybe you tried this one FaBB [ LinuxFX / WindowsFX ]:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPv9oRwV6io

[Ghitulescu]

Originally Posted by StainlessS

With Sinclair ZX81, never had any compulsary auto update nonsense.

Also a full-features text editor (Tasword) took less space than an empty Microsoft Word document

[StainlessS]

To be fair though, most W10 machines dont suffer from RAM Pack wobble that can be fixed by a great big lump o' Blue Tack.

[Katie Boundary]

Originally Posted by StainlessS

I dont have 2019 installed at the moment, so far as I remember its just a classic style interface, something like
W2K maybe [with most w2k fancy rubbish switched off], no nonsense metro or anything like it on a server install.

Silly GUI stuff is just for the clients. [Server is a non-nonsense serious work horse, not a play thing for kids]

EDIT: 2019 option 1 install is for CLI based server control only. [you probably dont want this, unless you want to use as a server with command line expert remote admin of it]
Option 2 setup, is for install of GUI. Probably more to my taste than W10, W8.0/8.1/ W7 or Vista clients.
EDIT: And so far as I could see, no mosterous telemetry octopus to wrestle with [as there is with W10 client].

So Windows Server 2019 does, in fact, come with a Classic Win95 kind of look? If that's the case, then I might not need to permanently move to a 100% Linux system in the future.

Do you know where I could... ahem... "try" Server 2019 before deciding whether to buy it or not?

[manolito]

Originally Posted by Katie Boundary

Do you know where I could... ahem... "try" Server 2019 before deciding whether to buy it or not?

Feisty can help you out...
https://forum.doom9.org/showthread.p...54#post1930554

[Katie Boundary]

Cool.

Unfortunately, according to Wikipedia, Server 2019 still uses the Metro theme...




So I guess I'll have to try it to know for sure.

[StainlessS]

I dont remember seeing anything like that.
Although, I may have installed Open-Shell-Menu [fork of old Classic Shell]:- https://open-shell.github.io/Open-Shell-Menu/
Open-Shell-Menu can make it behave much like you might want.

[StainlessS]

Katie,
From here:- https://forum.doom9.org/showthread.p...71#post1932771
Here is Windows 10 with Open-Shell-Menu, installation on Server 2019 should look pretty good. [click on it]
That is how I like mine [well wallpaper would usually be W95 RedTile or Pure Black] , there are MANY ways to configure the 'look'.

EDIT: I've also added back QuickLaunch bar [howto elsewhere in this thread]. OS name on desktop [bot RHS above clock],
Seconds shown in taskbar clock, and added NetSpeedMeter showing WiFi download/upload speed.
Also "This PC" and Recycle bin on desktop, and Control Panel, Administrator tools and GodMode folder on top RHS.
[GodMode, W7+ secret/special folder type with lots of OS quick config options in one place, see earlier in the thread]

For anybody wantin' Pure Black Wallpaper on Android [I use it all the time, battery saver]:-
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...paper&hl=en_GB
Can apparently uninstall the app and wallparer stays, without ads. It says that it is ad supported, but cant say I've ever noticed any. [I dont uninstall]
EDIT: Maybe it shows a single ad when installing the wallpaer. Is [I think] small app, and easy to click and re-install black very quickly.

Anybody wantin' to kill off ShellBags,
[we mentioned ShellBags Analyzer & Cleaner somewhere in thread:- https://privazer.com/en/download-she...ag-cleaner.php ]
but once cleaned, will fill up with rubbish again tracking what apps you've run, and folders visited. (why does windows store up all this crap?)].

About ShellBags and removal,
https://ericmathison.com/blog/remove...ws-for-privacy
https://www.ghacks.net/2014/06/09/re...ndows-privacy/

For ShellBags removal [permanently empty]

[Win7 and Win10]

x86_Remove_ShellBags.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

;;; DELETE KEYS

[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU]

[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\Bags]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\BagMRU]

[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU]



;;; Afterwards = Re-create the following keys

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags]
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU]


;;; Make Single Entry for Shellbags
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell]
"BagMRU Size"=dword:00000001

x64_Remove_ShellBags.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

;;; DELETE KEYS

[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU]

[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\Bags]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\BagMRU]

[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU]


; x64 Only, DELETE KEYS
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Wow6432Node\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Wow6432Node\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU]



;;; Afterwards = Re-create the following keys

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags]
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU]

; x64 Only, Re-Create
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Wow6432Node\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags]
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Wow6432Node\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU]


;;; Make Single Entry for Shellbags
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell]
"BagMRU Size"=dword:00000001

I dont think I've posted above .reg files here before.



Here, for WIN 10 ONLY - Show Seconds on Taskbar Clock [I like this, dont know why]
[EDIT: Below .reg files need Re-Boot afterwards]

ENABLE_ShowSecondsInSystemClock.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
"ShowSecondsInSystemClock"=dword:00000001

DISABLE_ShowSecondsInSystemClock.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
"ShowSecondsInSystemClock"=dword:00000000

EDIT: And another Android App to show current UK postcode, tiny 21KB in size and NO ADS. [I always install if only because of size].
[EDIT: Does NOTHING else]
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...hl=en_GB&gl=US

EDIT: And one of the only 2 android apps I've paid for,
London Bus Checker:-
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...hl=en_GB&gl=US
If you click on the devs name [Urbanthings at top of page] then there are more bus checkers, one for entire UK,
and for NYC, and a Transantiago Bus Checker, whatever that is [same devs].
[The other paid for app I use is MX Player (Pro), which probably everybody else uses anyway].
EDIT: The bus checker app devs seem to have gone on holiday or something during covid, no updates to this normally
frequently updated app, for about 1 year+.
There are a few reviews saying "used to be good app, times are wrong" or similar, but I think that is more to do with
covid affecting the official bus service data feed rather than the app.

[Katie Boundary]

Stainless, I'm quite familiar with ClassicShell. I've been using it for years. The Start menu is not the entirety of the theme/skin/GUI. A full Classic theme has title bars that fade from deep blue on the left to sky-blue on the right. A full Classic theme has gray boxes around the minimize, maximize, and close buttons.

[StainlessS]

[True] Full classic for me would be W95 style. [blue fade thing sounds too fancy nancy to me].

[Katie Boundary]

Originally Posted by StainlessS

[True] Full classic for me would be W95 style. [blue fade thing sounds too fancy nancy to me].

Ummm the fading goes all the way back to...

(looks up screenshots on DuckDuckGo)

...damn, I thought that had always been a thing.

[manolito]

Originally Posted by Katie Boundary

A full Classic theme has title bars that fade from deep blue on the left to sky-blue on the right.

Under Win XP as well as under Win 7 the user can easily make this adjustment. Use the Win Classic theme and then under advanced you can define 2 colors for the active title bar. No problem to pick a deep blue as the first color and a pale blue as the second color.

Under Win7 there is no need to install the Classic Start Menu to achieve this, it is there out of the box. No idea about Win 10, though...

[StainlessS]

Actually, here on Win7 I do have the dark blue -> light blue thingy, had not even noticed it,
if I had noticed it and knew how to switch it off, I probably would have.
I dont usually spend more than 5 mins playing with anything like that, if it sticks out, I switch it off.
Worst offender, them horrible blue translucent sliding fading menu, emetics, urhhh.

[Katie Boundary]

Originally Posted by manolito

Under Win XP as well as under Win 7 the user can easily make this adjustment.

Ummm wot? There's no adjustment that needs to be made. That's the default setting for the Classic theme in both XP and Win7.

[manolito]

Sorry, I screwed up...

I thought I had selected the Classic Theme in Win7, but I didn't

[StainlessS]

Two days ago, W10 was more or less behaving, but yesterday a few things went haywire.

Subtitle Edit, video player used to work just fine, and now nothing, just black with audio.
Changing settings Video Engine, from DirectShow [quartz.dll in system32] to MPC-HC
and it works ok again.

DvdShrink Preview [when DVD loaded and playing a title], used to work fine on default System Default Renderer,
now just get white box with audio. Change settings to
Select DirectX Video Renderer, VMR-9, and Builtin Software Renderer work ok.
VMR-7, and Overlay Mixer, dont work.

I'm sort of aware that W10 has some kind of codec-ish type problem where [I think] Win7DSFilterTweaker might
be the suggested fix [or might not be].
Is this thing that is currently causing me upset, the same as the known W10 codec-ish type problem,
or something more exotic.

And, is there a way to set/change the Default System Renderer ?

Tanks.

[wonkey_monkey]

Maybe a silly question, but have you done a restart, or you have just shut down and then started again later and still had the same problems?

This has caught me out before. Windows 10 doesn't do a proper shut down when you shut down (it saves the current kernel state, which may be faulty, for faster loading next time you start up), but it does do a proper restart if you tell it to restart.

It's a useful thing to know anyway.

[clsid]

That is a common issue with the default video renderer. The NVIDIA drivers on Windows 10 no longer supports legacy overlay.

If you open a second instance of one of the affected apps, then you will notice that the second one does show video. That is because only first instance tries to use overlay.

You can change the system default renderer (VMR7) to VMR9 by adjusting the merit of VMR9 to 0x00800002.