If your third party customization apps stop working don't blame Winstep.

Microsoft has hard-blocked the installation of StartAllBack and ExplorerPatcher on Windows 11 24H2 RTM.

https://www.tomshardware.com/software/operating-systems/microsoft-stifles-third-party-interface-customization-apps-in-windows-11-version-24h2/

So far there is an easy workaround, simply rename the exe file.

I guess we need to start saying nice things about Microsoft in the forums. It would be a sad day if Winstep applications were added to the list.

I ♥ Microshite.

Worrying shit! A step towards using the TPM - which Win 11 requires - to control what software you're allowed to run perhaps and thus only permitting MS shop apps giving MS a huge percentage of the price to swell their coffers?

Doesn't bear thinking about how any of those shenanigans could affect Winstep apps (or for that matter, Rainmeter).

Very big stink, though!

Makes me wish more than ever that the Linux world would get its act together and the major distros got together and commissioned proprietary printer and scanner drivers and software and stop being so precious about the purity of the free and open source software thing. I'm a huge supporter of the free and open source principle, but hell, I'd be more than happy with proprietary drivers and software to extend the hardware compatibility of Linux so that I could be 100% Linux instead of having to run Win 10 at times to do the few things I can't do under Linux!

Linux should long have been the most widely used OS on the desktop, but hardware compatibility is still holding it back, along with far too many different distros and desktop environments.

I was surprised a few weeks ago when I installed the DuckDuckGo browser. It installed as a Microsoft App. Maybe that is the future.

I have been testing Windows 11 on a second drive since Windows 10 End of Life is next fall (2025). I have had two old games on DVDs that would not install with the error "This App Has Been Blocked For Your Protection", and another two old games on CDs that Windows 11 said contained a virus (on the CD) and would not install. One program (Resource Hacker or something like that) would not install because Windows said the program could be used for hacking purposes. All of these programs install and work just fine on Windows 10. Fortunately it was easy to find the solution to all of these problems.



Amen to that. 98% of the problems that I have had with Linux in the past have been driver related, and sometimes there wasn't an answer available.

My main OS is Windows 10, and I am very happy with it now that they have stopped trying to improve it. I like some features that Windows 11 has, but the problems and privacy questions make me want to avoid it if possible. I also hate the Windows 11 Start Menu and locked taskbar. I may just keep Windows 10 for games and dual boot with Linux for everything else.

What are your feelings about Microsoft's current relationship with Canonical. It might help move things in the direction you mentioned. It might also be a case of "the fox in the hen house".

Didn't Williamsson mention NTLite for installing a stripped down version of Windows 11 in another post? I'd love to hear his input. Besides I miss the pictures of his family . I'll have to search for that post.

Ouch, that's nasty. If that remains the case, even when/if they do a Linux version, it will definitely remain off the menu, alas. Even so, I can see where this is coming from. DDG have an agreement with Microshite whereby they get payment-less access to Bing/Bing's cache (which DDG strip of advertising, 'sponsored' links, and trackers etc.) in return for some discreet MS ads and ads based on the keywords of a search which earns DDG its bread and perhaps butter/margarine.

Well, I am more determined than ever that there's just no way I'll go beyond Win 10. When it come to its EoL I shall simply run it entirely offline if necessary, when or if I need it. Or I might even go back to 7 or even just XP! All the things I need in Win will run in XP. OK, no support for USB3.x, but not a major problem. Bummer though would be that my encryption app - Veracrypt - probably wouldn't support it so that would throw a spanner in the works. No Proton of course, but as it would be completely offline wouldn't matter.

Yes, drivers (and associated software e.g. for scanners), as well as dedicated digital camera support and more, are still holding the spread of Linux back to some extent. Hell, by now the 4-5 biggest distros should have at least 40-50% of the desktop market if not more between them! And if they did things right, then 5-10 years down the road they could practically marginalise Windblows and macOS!

Sounds like a reasonable compromise.

My feelings are, only slightly mind, ambiguous. On the one hand I can understand that it brings some additional revenue to Canonical, but on the other hand, yes, 'the fox in the hen house' comes to mind - sleeping with the enemy perhaps? I think the sooner those ties are severed the better... Unless it could lead to better hardware support for Ubuntu or even Linux generally perhaps, but that looks somewhat far-fetched.

LOLOL! Quite an illustrious 'family'! Would be nice to see more of them, esp. any raider (viking) ancestry!

Yes, he did indeed mention NT Lite - for creating a cut-down Win 10/11 install DVD. The post is HERE. I might use it myself for my next re-install of Win 10.

But he also mentioned Chris Titus' excellent open source and free inc. of cost Windows Utility. It runs off Powershell (with Admin privilege) but is simplicity itself to use, in spite of Powershell's pathetic crappiness. Highly recommended - got rid of Edge and a host of other shite with ease.

They won't. Reason is, AFAIK, StartAllBack and ExplorerPatcher actually modify/patch OS files - which later causes trouble with Windows updates, I guess the reasoning for the block - while Winstep applications are actually more like "vanilla" applications, in that they do not change the native OS in any way, shape or form.

For instance, NextSTART does not change Windows taskbar/Explorer behavior, it simply hides the Windows taskbar and displays its own version instead.

This said, it is already bad enough that Microsoft is changing core critical stuff such as the system tray for cosmetic reasons only, which prevents the Winstep application from accessing tray icon data as it did before.

Yep, it's absolutely terrible about the system tray. And I wouldn't at all be surprised if they f**k up more things that might impact Winstep. Feck knows what nasty surprises MS will yet spring with Win 12!

Sorry we went a tad off topic there, but I think this might be of general interest here, rather than moving to 'Off Topic' forum. Although, that still remains an option of course.

And further to the above in re: Chris Titus' Windows Utility, a brief summary of what the results of my first session with the app were some months ago may be in order. All the tweaking etc. had some really rather - pleasantly - surprising, even spectacular, results!

The ghastly Edge was gone. As were the equally ghastly MS Store apps. A lot of other junk too. Memory use went down by about 35%! Everything ran a good bit faster. Active tasks have come down 30-40%! Shutting down now is almost instantaneous, starting up much, much quicker, reboot very fast, overall resource use down substantially. All this based on just Windows, Proton VPN, and ESET running. I'm a very happy camper with Windows Utility!


:Edit: Checked my list and noticed a couple of minor omissions here. Inserted now. :/Edit:

Thanks for your input. I wish Microsoft would realize that people are not happy with the limitations that Windows has, and start working with, rather than fighting the people that are creating programs that actually enhance the Windows experience.



Thanks for finding the link to Williamsson's post and the reminder about "The Ultimate Windows Utility". I totally forgot about that. It almost makes we want to screw up my Windows 11 setup so I can reinstall.

Fat chance! Hell freezing over comes to mind....

My pleasure. Actually, I missed a couple of things from my list there re: using Windows Utility - inserted them/edited.
No need to screw it up first - just use WinUtil with a little common sense and you can get a much better, cleaner Windblows, with a whole lot of crap thrown out.

I think of it as a digital gesture to Microshite.

Today Windows Security on my Windows 11 install claimed one of my Winstep themes contained a virus. Now Them's Fightin' Words . Of course Virus Total said the file was clean. I don't even want to use Windows 11 for testing anymore.

"Worrying shit!" Indeed!!!

A big heap of it!

I'd get rid of Windows Security. A great big heap of very stinky Microshite.

I can definitely see them eventually using the TPM and only allowing MS Store apps to run. Bound to happen.

Damn you're good. I woke up this morning and thought "I should get Nexter's opinion on getting rid of Windows Security".

For now I installed the free version of Bitdefender (Yes I did read the post on Bitdefender). Hopefully they have fixed the problem by now. If it causes a problem I'll switch to something else. For now free is the only option in my budget.

Are you still recommending ESET? If so what version?

I did check the file that Windows Security had a problem with, and Bitdefender says it is clean. Bye-Bye Windows Security.

Lol! Yeah, out with the dirty bugger! Pity that removing it isn't part of Chris Titus' WinUtil (yet?). I had something else that did it last install, but forget what it was.

Absolutely, until something better comes along. 'ESET Internet PRotection' is what I use, and as and when you're ready to go for it have a good long look around for price. There are discounted deals from independent sellers. I get my renewal for less than half ESET's but they only sell within the UK and EU. Also, to be safe to connect to VPN, you need to disable a certain setting which was changed in a recent update - I'll look it up again and PM you. (There's a hell of a lot to configure generally but it's well worth the effort, rather than accepting the rather lame default config.)

Good riddance to bad rubbish.