Classic Shell: Forum

Hey,

So I was having some issues with my start menu and bar, so I thought I'd reinstall/update to the latest version.
I followed the instructions on how to uninstall, exited Classic start and started the Uninstall.
It brought up the standard dialogue box with the message "Preparing to Remove".
It stayed that way for twenty minutes.

I shut down, started up, repeated the process and it's still sitting there, "Preparing to Remove".

I can't even uninstall the program in order to update it!

Any ideas?

Which version of Windows are you on? You don't have to uninstall the earlier version of Classic Shell to update to a newer version of Classic Shell. The newer installer replaces your files and keeps your settings.

Instead of shutting down, try restarting Windows (this is because newer Windows releases do a hybrid shutdown). Restarting does a full boot again. Then see if Classic Shell can be updated by downloading the installer of the latest version from http://classicshell.net/downloads/latest. If not, then try to uninstall (after restarting Windows) from Control Panel -> Programs and Features. If it still gets stuck, follow the steps below:

Start Registry Editor (regedit.exe) and export this Registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\IvoSoft to a REG file. This is to backup your Classic Shell Settings. Then download the Classic Shell Utility from here: http://www.classicshell.net/downloads/ and remove Classic Shell. After removing it, merge the REG file and download and install the latest version from here: http://classicshell.net/downloads/latest. Your older Classic Shell settings should be preserved.

_________________
Links to some general topics:

● Compare Start Menus

● Read the Search box usage guide.

I am a Windows enthusiast and helped a little with Classic Shell's testing and usability/UX feedback.

There is no need to back up the registry key. By default the removal process in the Classic Shell Utility doesn't touch the settings. It is an option you can enable if you wish.

Ah that's right. Then you can directly run the utility and choose to not remove the settings.

_________________
Links to some general topics:

● Compare Start Menus

● Read the Search box usage guide.

I am a Windows enthusiast and helped a little with Classic Shell's testing and usability/UX feedback.