Windows 7 Classic Shell - Why was I not told of this earlier?

I posted links to the Mavis Up button before, but I didn't think it was worth $5 for a shell extension with a few UI bugs.

However today I found something that cures practically all of my Windows 7 explorer-related ills:

Classic Shell.

• Adds an 'Up' button
• Brings back the icon and folder name to the window's title
• Restores the "Size" field functionality of the statusbar and also shows disk free space
• Runs as a ~300KB shell extension rather than a separate process

Along with a TLB installation I can safely say that I'm satisfied with my Windows 7 installation. I now see no need to shell out for DOpus, though I don't know how well this runs under classic mode.

"now see no need to shell out for DOpus"

groan.

Addon looks nice. Might have to give it a try.

Post removed at user's request.

Why the UP arrow? You can just click on the folder names to jump to any point on the tree...

I still get size in the status bar on folders and files, and Computer shows free space -- so I'm a little confused in regard to that.

ManipUni said:

Why the UP arrow? You can just click on the folder names to jump to any point on the tree...

 

I still get size in the status bar on folders and files, and Computer shows free space -- so I'm a little confused in regard to that.

Agreed.

I also do not understand the need for a Classic Start Menu (which comes with the Classic Shell), especially when it doesn't include the search box. Why go back to something worse just for the sake of familiarity?

mawcc said:

ManipUni said:

*snip*

Agreed.

 

I also do not understand the need for a Classic Start Menu (which comes with the Classic Shell), especially when it doesn't include the search box. Why go back to something worse just for the sake of familiarity?

During ClassicShell installation you can choose whether or not you want the classic start menu. I chose not to install it as I'm (largely) fine with the Windows 7 default.

As for the up button: I'm actually finding that I'm not using it all that often, but it is useful for when you're in the Control Panel and other top-level directories and want to get up to the desktop because the breadcrumb bar doesn't show the root.

W3bbo said:

mawcc said:

*snip*

During ClassicShell installation you can choose whether or not you want the classic start menu. I chose not to install it as I'm (largely) fine with the Windows 7 default.

 

As for the up button: I'm actually finding that I'm not using it all that often, but it is useful for when you're in the Control Panel and other top-level directories and want to get up to the desktop because the breadcrumb bar doesn't show the root.

If you go to the top level arrow and click it then it shows you additional jump options, the top of which being Desktop.

ManipUni said:

W3bbo said:

*snip*

If you go to the top level arrow and click it then it shows you additional jump options, the top of which being Desktop.

 

Yeah this up arrow business is the equivalent of someone complaining about the 7 startmenu saying there is no dedicated "Search..." button to launch the search window...

I installed it (on Vista) and can't seem to get the toolbar to show. It shows the "Classic Explorer Bar" choice when you right-click the menu bar, and the item is not disabled (grayed out), but clicking it doesn't do anything visible. None of the stuff suggested in the FAQ seemed to work.

Still, I left it installed because I like the option to turn on the titlebar caption and icon in Explorer windows. No more Glass Whale Head.

I didn't install the Start Menu thing. I love the new Start Menu.

Other things you didn't know about similar in 'crapness' to this:

- Mail order cancer

- Trade your lcd for a 90's CRT (now for only £13.99)

stevo_ said:

Other things you didn't know about similar in 'crapness' to this:

 

- Mail order cancer

- Trade your lcd for a 90's CRT (now for only £13.99)

Eh?

IRT CRTs: I'll agree that now, finally, modern LCD panels finally win over CRTs in pretty much every category now, but only if you have an LED-backlit one with a good DPI and panel tech, and those ones are still expensive (if not impossible to find: no-one really makes >96dpi displays for desktops anymore).

But there are certain qualities to CRTs that I'm just not seeing in LCDs, there's that per-pixel luminance you get (which I don't think we'll see again until OLED makes it big). CRTs also tend to have glass screens which you can actually touch without fear of getting unremovable fingerprint grease everywhere or ruining the liquid crystals. They also don't suffer from backlight non-uniformity which still plagues CCFL and edge-LED backlit displays, and it's unfortunate that backlight non-uniformity affects monitors more as they age, making a 3-year old LCD look worse than a 3-year old CRT.

stevo_ said:

Other things you didn't know about similar in 'crapness' to this:

 

- Mail order cancer

- Trade your lcd for a 90's CRT (now for only £13.99)

Don't forget the ever popular Mauled-By-A-Bear-Gram

ManipUni said:

Why the UP arrow? You can just click on the folder names to jump to any point on the tree...

 

I still get size in the status bar on folders and files, and Computer shows free space -- so I'm a little confused in regard to that.

Why the UP arrow? You can just click on the folder names to jump to any point on the tree...

Because if you already have a mental model of your file system (the intermediate - advanced users out there), all you need to navigate up is a constant button that's always at the same place.

Contrast that with the breadcurm bar which has the "previous folder" at an undetermine place and you're forced to scan the folder names to find the previous folder.

Like W3bbo pointed out... if I opened a folder on my desktop, and want to navigate TO the desktop, all of a sudden, the nomenclature to do that task changes. From clicking on a breadcrum, to a drop-down menu.... sigh...

There's a reason, Apple is ahead. The basic Windows Explorer experience (and the default Windows UI experience) has not changed  in 20 years.

I will try this add-on... but the last Explorer add-on written in .Net has horrible performance.

Minh said:

ManipUni said:

*snip*

Why the UP arrow? You can just click on the folder names to jump to any point on the tree...

 

Because if you already have a mental model of your file system (the intermediate - advanced users out there), all you need to navigate up is a constant button that's always at the same place.

 

Contrast that with the breadcurm bar which has the "previous folder" at an undetermine place and you're forced to scan the folder names to find the previous folder.

 

Like W3bbo pointed out... if I opened a folder on my desktop, and want to navigate TO the desktop, all of a sudden, the nomenclature to do that task changes. From clicking on a breadcrum, to a drop-down menu.... sigh...

 

There's a reason, Apple is ahead. The basic Windows Explorer experience (and the default Windows UI experience) has not changed  in 20 years.

 

I will try this add-on... but the last Explorer add-on written in .Net has horrible performance.

Fear not, this add-on is written in C++.

W3bbo said:

Minh said:

*snip*

Fear not, this add-on is written in C++.

Ah, yes, so it is... I installed it and it seems to be doing good. The author said he's pondering putting tab into Win Explorer... I will BUY that