The only thing keeps Windows 11 usable for me are these two mods..
https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher
https://github.com/open-shell/open-shell-menu/
They bring back the context menu and the old task bar, as well as the old start menu. It's like I never left Windows 10.
And I've switched to Linux Mint for all my systems except my laptop, which still has some hardware limitations under Linux.
In 2025 was a disaster for Windows 11Open-Shell
Open-Shell-Menu
C++2018–2026
Open-Shell / Open-Shell-Menu
Open-Shell-Menu
Classic Shell Reborn.
44Distinct people
49Mentions
0Explicit recommenders
9.5KGitHub stars
What to know before exploring
What it is
Classic Shell Reborn.
GitHub
Where it is used
No documented product use was verified in the last source check.
What people are saying
No recommendation phrase was found in the indexed comments.
No classified warning is attached to this page. Read the discussions before treating silence as approval.
Also in these discussions
- valinet/explorerpatcher · linked in 4 of the same discussions
Mentioned in the same Hacker News threads. That is not proof they are substitutes.
This week on Hacker News
Nov 7–Nov 14 UTC · Direct repository links and separately labeled related project stories. Indexed through 11/14/2026, 7:56:55 PM UTC.
No direct repository links were found in the indexed HN discussions over the past seven days. Older discussions are available below.
Mentions over time
HN mentions by year49 dated mentions
Observed mentions: 2018-09-11 20:11:43 UTC to 2026-10-24 05:01:17 UTC.
* An incomplete calendar period is marked with an outlined bar. Its count is not directly comparable with a full period.
Counts come from the repository’s dated source evidence. Index cutoff: 2026-11-02 08:16:59 UTC.
View mention counts and date ranges
| Period | Start (UTC) | End (exclusive, UTC) | Mentions | Submissions | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 2018-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2019-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 2019 | 2019-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2020-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| 2020 | 2020-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2021-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| 2021 | 2021-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2022-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2022 | 2022-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2023-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| 2023 | 2023-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2024-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| 2024 | 2024-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| 2025 | 2025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2026-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 2026 (partial) | 2026-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2027-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 5 | 0 | 5 |
From the project README
An excerpt from the repository, fetched Nov 13, 2026.
Read the project’s introduction
Open-Shell
A collection of utilities bringing back classic features to Windows.
Originally Classic Shell by Ivo Beltchev
Open-Shell Homepage
Features
Classic style Start menu for Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10, and 11
Toolbar for Windows Explorer
Explorer status bar with file size and disk space
Classic copy UI (Windows 7 only)
Title bar and status bar for Internet Explorer
Download
You can find the latest stable version here:
Important
Windows for ARM compatibility
Open-Shell is compatible with Windows for ARM since version 4.4.196.
If you install older one on a Windows for ARM installation (ex. using Parallels Desktop on an Apple Silicon Mac), you will no longer be able to log into your account the next time you reboot. Please refrain from installing Open-Shell on Windows for ARM.
Code signing
Free code signing provided by SignPath.io, certificate by SignPath Foundation
Temporary Translation/Language Solution
Download language DLL
Place it either in the Open-Shell's install folder or in the %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\OpenShell\Languages folder
For archival reasons, we have a mirror of www.classicshell.net here.
How To Skin a Start Menu
Classic Shell: Custom Start Buttons
Questions? Ask on the Discussions section or on Discord
Submit a bug report/feature request
Read the full README on GitHubWhat Hacker News says
3 sourcesI use a few utilities to tame Windows 11 and make it work more like Windows 7, 8, and 10. It should get rid of that "Remind me again" thing, I haven't seen it in a long, long time. No ads, no crap from Microsoft.
https://pxc-coding.com/donotspy11/
https://github.com/Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu/releases
https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher/releases
In Windows 7 marketshare jumps to nearly 10% as Windows 10 support is about to endThe "bad copy of your competition" is probably in relation to the Windows 11 program launcher that resembles the centered design of the MacOS launcher.
But that can be easily removed using tools like Explorer Patcher and Open Shell.
https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher
https://github.com/Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu
The thing that made me switch to Linux is Microsoft's pushing AI into everything. I do not want their AI constantly looking over my shoulder.
In Microsoft extends free Windows 10 security updates into 2026