XPost: alt.comp.os.windows-11, alt.comp.microsoft.windows

In Windows 10 you could create a folder of folders containing shortcuts to
use as a menu which in Windows 10 was called a "toolbar."

Rightclick in the taskbar
Toolbars
New toolbar
Select Folder

In Windows up to 10 at least, that always put a pullout menu on the taskbar (which is very useful given how bad Microsoft's own pullout menus are).

So it's a necessary feature that I need to find where they moved it to.

In Windows 11, where has that taskbar "Toolbars" option disappeared to?
--
Cheers, Rob

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On 24 Apr 2023 at 4:58:59 PM, Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:

In Windows 11, where has that taskbar "Toolbars" option disappeared to?

gone ... you'll need one of the "Start" replacemnts to do that

Gone? Why? It was the only thing that made Windows menus useful.

You create your own "start menu" hierarchy of folders and shortcuts.
And then you put it on the taskbar as a toolbar - which was fantastic.

You had the classic WinXP start menu in Win10 in all its original glory.

The best part was it was organized exactly the way you wanted it to be.
And no other program knew about it so nobody messed it up on you.

When you suggest "Start replacements", do you mean an extra program
like the "Classic" crap that came out after Windows 8 debued?

I never did like the "Classic" crap that came out after Windows 8.
Mainly because it was too much overhead for a simple pinned folder menu.

There's nothing simpler than pinning a folder (toolbar) to the taskbar.
Is there ANY way of doing that now with Windows 11?

Or am I stuck with looking around for the kind of "Classic" crap that came
out after Windows 8 "removed" the start menu from the Windows taskbar?

Or did Microsoft just move the Taskbar Toolbars to a different location?
--
Cheers, Rob

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XPost: alt.comp.os.windows-11, alt.comp.microsoft.windows

RJH wrote:

In Windows 11, where has that taskbar "Toolbars" option disappeared to?

gone ... you'll need one of the "Start" replacemnts to do that

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RJH wrote:

There's nothing simpler than pinning a folder (toolbar) to the taskbar.
Is there ANY way of doing that now with Windows 11?

you can create folders within the start menu by dragging one icon on top
of another ... quite smartphone-like

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On 24 Apr 2023 at 11:21:38 AM, Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:

There's nothing simpler than pinning a folder (toolbar) to the taskbar.
Is there ANY way of doing that now with Windows 11?

you can create folders within the start menu by dragging one icon on top
of another ... quite smartphone-like

I'm not sure why Microsoft abandoned the WinXP start menu but it does everything I need which is you can create a pullout set of menus.

The main problem with the smartphone method is that it's only one folder
deep so you can't create a hierarchy. All you can create is two levels.

Can Win11 at least create a multi-level (more than two) as you described?
--
Cheers, Rob

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RJH wrote:

When you suggest "Start replacements", do you mean an extra program
like the "Classic" crap that came out after Windows 8 debued?

Yes Start11, classic-shell is abandoned now, but there's open-shell instead

<https://github.com/Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu/releases/tag/v4.4.170>

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RJH wrote:

Can Win11 at least create a multi-level (more than two) as you described?

No, you have to click on the extra level to activate anything within it,
but you can't nest anything deeper within it once it's showing.

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RJH <patchmoney@gmx.com> wrote:

When you suggest "Start replacements", do you mean an extra program
like the "Classic" crap that came out after Windows 8 debued?

ClassicShell got abandoned in 2017. Another group picked it up (2018),
renamed to OpenShell, fixed some bugs, but continue to resolve, fix, and discover bugs in the new product.

I, too, use several Taskbar toolbars. Since Microsoft stole them away
in Windows 11 is one of the reasons I don't move to Windows 11, and I
don't like having to use patch tools trying to supplant what Microsoft
took away. I help others, and I don't want to become engrained with one desktop GUI replacement tool only for it not used on other computers.
If I don't use the standard GUI from Microsoft, I'm just as lost as a
newbie when helping others (since shell replacements are rarely used,
and they are dissimilar to each other).

Apparently there was a means of reverting Windows 11 into using the
Windows 10 style Start menu. See:

https://pureinfotech.com/restore-taskbar-location-windows-11/

Microsoft provided a registry hack to revert to the Win10 Start Menu.
Then they stole that away, too. ExplorerPatcher seems just another
shell replacement, like OpenShell, Start11, etc. Some of the 'bugs'
occur after a Microsoft update, and the shell replacements have to
update to accomodate the change. Microsoft keeps the target moving.

In the history of Windows versions, it seems you need to wait for the alternating version to get something desirable.

Windows NT - Mostly corporate use: workstations to NT domain servers. Windows XP - Popular.
Windows Vista - Few cared. Most users stuck with computer bundling.
Windows 7 - Okay.
Windows 8 - Panned by users and corporations.
Windows 10 - Okay.
Windows 11 - Nah. Maybe 12 will be the next usable version.

With Microsoft bouncing in popularity (XP, 7, 10: yes; Vista, 8, 11: no)
seems prudent to wait to see what Windows 12 looks like; i.e., pan Win11
as what happened with Win8 and Vista.

Microsoft has been touting "Windows as a service" for a long time.
Dumbing down the desktop GUI is their next step. Eventually your
computer will get degraded into a workstation reminiscent of the
client-server setups pre-dating the 80's, but nowadays the marketspeak
is "cloud computing". Many enterprise-class companies have moved to
virtual machines with Azure Virtual Desktop via RDP although hosted
virtual desktop services have been for quite a while (e.g., Citrix, RDP servers, etc).

https://www.computerworld.com/article/3652612/windows-11-the-end-of-the-old-school-windows-desktop.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azure_Virtual_Desktop

For me, I'm still guessing that by 2035 Microsoft will dump its kernel,
move to Linux, and paste on a familiar (at that time) Windows style
desktop GUI. They'll be in full WaaS (Windows as a Service) mode, so it
won't matter what OS is actually running as the kernel. They'll use
emulation, similar to WOW (Windows on Windows), to support Linux and
Win32 system calls. They've been inching towards *NIX for a long time.
Once they're in full WaaS mode, they won't care what OS runs on your workstation.

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On Mon, 24 Apr 2023 13:11:18 -0500, VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> wrote:

I help others, and I don't want to become engrained with one
desktop GUI replacement tool only for it not used on other computers.

I certainly understand that, but...

If I don't use the standard GUI from Microsoft, I'm just as lost as a
newbie when helping others (since shell replacements are rarely used,
and they are dissimilar to each other).

...yes, but, using a shell replacement doesn't make you anywhere near
as lost as a newbie. Yes, there will be some things you don't know and
can't help them with, but there are still many others you can help
them with.

I use Start10, and am still often able to help others.

But yes, it's clear that you want to be able to help with everything. Personally, I'm more concerned with having things the way I like them.
If I can't help with everything, that's the way it is. Even if I
didn't use Start 11, I wouldn't be able to help with everything, since
I don't know everything about Windows. You, and a couple of others
here know much more than I do.

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XPost: alt.comp.os.windows-11, alt.comp.microsoft.windows

Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:

RJH wrote:

Can Win11 at least create a multi-level (more than two) as you described?

No, you have to click on the extra level to activate anything within it,
but you can't nest anything deeper within it once it's showing.

I got the impression that Winston has/uses more than two levels, but
perhaps (probably? :-)) I misunderstood.

(I use Open-Shell Menu, so I can have as many levels as I bloody well
like! :-))

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Frank Slootweg wrote:

I got the impression that Winston has/uses more than two levels, but
perhaps (probably? :-)) I misunderstood.

I can't see a way ... tried dropping a folder of two onto a folder of
three, but it just "squirms" out of the way like a slippery bar of soap.

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XPost: alt.comp.os.windows-11, alt.comp.microsoft.windows

RJH wrote on 4/24/2023 8:57 AM:

In Windows 10 you could create a folder of folders containing shortcuts to use as a menu which in Windows 10 was called a "toolbar."

Rightclick in the taskbar
Toolbars
New toolbar
Select Folder

In Windows up to 10 at least, that always put a pullout menu on the taskbar (which is very useful given how bad Microsoft's own pullout menus are).

So it's a necessary feature that I need to find where they moved it to.

In Windows 11, where has that taskbar "Toolbars" option disappeared to?

No longer an option is Win11 as released.

Adding a toolbar(including the earlier Windows supported Quick Launch
Toolbar) requires 'extra effort' using 3rd party software or manually via step-by-step approach.

One 3rd party open source tool called Tray Patcher(availalbe on Github) is: <https://www.thewindowsclub.com/how-to-use-quick-launch-toolbar-in-windows-11>
- iirc, it works, but hasn't been updated in some time

Another 3rd party tool is called Explorer Patcher which replaces the
Toolbar with a Win10 type toolbar.
This works, slightly later version.

In either case, both tweak for a desired end result instead of overriding
the entire Start Menu with other changes.


Another option(not for Toolbar but for adding a folder[e,g. Quick
Launch[1]] the Start Menu)) is to create a shortcut to a folder
containing program shortcuts in
C:\Users\<your windows logon user profile>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
Ensure you use open that folder and use the File Explorer 'New' option to create a shortcut(browse to the folder level, select the folder and
create the shortcut)
Once the shortcut is created in the \..\Start Menu\Programs folder,
right click and pin that shortcut to the Start Menu
Note: Not as elegant, but quick accces to the folder via the Start Menu.

[1] Quick Launch was an Internet Explorer type feature.
IE no longer supported in Win11 but the underlying code remains as well
as the Quick Launch folder
<C:\Users\<your windows logon profile folder>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch





--
...w¡ñ§±¤ñ

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...w¡ñ§±¤ñ wrote on 4/24/2023 12:21 PM:

RJH wrote on 4/24/2023 8:57 AM:

In Windows 10 you could create a folder of folders containing shortcuts to >> use as a menu which in Windows 10 was called a "toolbar."

  Rightclick in the taskbar
  Toolbars
  New toolbar
  Select Folder

In Windows up to 10 at least, that always put a pullout menu on the
taskbar
(which is very useful given how bad Microsoft's own pullout menus are).

So it's a necessary feature that I need to find where they moved it to.

In Windows 11, where has that taskbar "Toolbars" option disappeared to?

No longer an option is Win11 as released.

Adding a toolbar(including the earlier Windows supported Quick Launch Toolbar) requires 'extra effort' using 3rd party software or manually via step-by-step approach.

One 3rd party open source tool called Tray Patcher(availalbe on Github) is: <https://www.thewindowsclub.com/how-to-use-quick-launch-toolbar-in-windows-11>

 - iirc, it works, but hasn't been updated in some time

Another 3rd party tool is called Explorer Patcher which replaces the
Toolbar with a Win10 type toolbar.
 This works, slightly later version.

In either case, both tweak for a desired end result instead of overriding
the entire Start Menu with other changes.

Another option(not for Toolbar but for adding a folder[e,g. Quick
Launch[1]] the Start Menu)) is to create a shortcut to a folder
containing program shortcuts in
  C:\Users\<your windows logon user profile>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
Ensure you use open that folder and use the File Explorer 'New' option to create a shortcut(browse to the folder level, select the folder and
create the shortcut)
 Once the shortcut is created in the \..\Start Menu\Programs folder,
right click and pin that shortcut to the Start Menu
 Note: Not as elegant, but quick accces to the folder via the Start Menu.

[1] Quick Launch was an Internet Explorer type feature.
IE no longer supported in Win11 but the underlying code remains as well
as the Quick Launch folder
 <C:\Users\<your windows logon profile folder>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch

Sent prematurely. Sorry.
Intended to include the following article(Step by step approach for
different purposes) <https://www.elevenforum.com/t/pin-to-taskbar-an-app-drive-file-folder-or-site-in-windows-11.1092/>
Option 9 for adding a folder to the Taskbar
Again, not a new toolbar but a pinnable icon to a folder on the Taskbar

--
...w¡ñ§±¤ñ

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On 4/24/2023 11:57 AM, RJH wrote:

In Windows 10 you could create a folder of folders containing shortcuts to use as a menu which in Windows 10 was called a "toolbar."

Rightclick in the taskbar
Toolbars
New toolbar
Select Folder

In Windows up to 10 at least, that always put a pullout menu on the taskbar (which is very useful given how bad Microsoft's own pullout menus are).

So it's a necessary feature that I need to find where they moved it to.

In Windows 11, where has that taskbar "Toolbars" option disappeared to?

This is not quite what you asked but, what for me started out as a work
around for folders on the Taskbar, has turned in to something very
convenient.

I have placed the File Explorer on the task bar along with other
programs that I use. In conjunction I also have the Jumplist activated.

With this arrangement I can pin frequently used folders to the File
Explorer Jumplist. Those folders I am currently using are on the
Jumplist, but only available until I turn off the computer.

The jumplist also make it very convenient to access files, as in the
program icon, all of the recently use files are available. Like the
File Explorer icon you can also pin files to each jumplist.

What this does is place all of the frequently use image files in the
jumplist of the image process, the WordPerfect files in WordPerfect
jumplist.

I also recently learned the the Jumplist are available for all program
icons, regardless of where they are at. Taskbar, Start Menu, etc

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In article <u26qe9$fvgc$1@dont-email.me>, knuttle wrote...

On 4/24/2023 11:57 AM, RJH wrote:

In Windows 10 you could create a folder of folders containing shortcuts to use as a menu which in Windows 10 was called a "toolbar."

Rightclick in the taskbar
Toolbars
New toolbar
Select Folder

In Windows up to 10 at least, that always put a pullout menu on the taskbar (which is very useful given how bad Microsoft's own pullout menus are).

So it's a necessary feature that I need to find where they moved it to.

In Windows 11, where has that taskbar "Toolbars" option disappeared to?

This is not quite what you asked but, what for me started out as a work around for folders on the Taskbar, has turned in to something very convenient.

I have placed the File Explorer on the task bar along with other
programs that I use. In conjunction I also have the Jumplist activated.

With this arrangement I can pin frequently used folders to the File
Explorer Jumplist. Those folders I am currently using are on the
Jumplist, but only available until I turn off the computer.

The jumplist also make it very convenient to access files, as in the
program icon, all of the recently use files are available. Like the
File Explorer icon you can also pin files to each jumplist.

What this does is place all of the frequently use image files in the
jumplist of the image process, the WordPerfect files in WordPerfect
jumplist.

I also recently learned the the Jumplist are available for all program
icons, regardless of where they are at. Taskbar, Start Menu, etc

Interested, I tried this. The setting is enabled, but no jump-lists appear. I've tried clearing the "Automatic Destinations" and "Custom Destinations" folder suggested by some commentators, but it just doesn't seem to work. Windows 10, fully up-to-date.

--

Phil, London

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