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PostPosted: Sun Aug 09, 2015 11:21 am 
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On Windows 10, the Classic Start menu color does not exactly match the taskbar color. This is similar to how the Windows 10 Start menu behaves whose color also does not match the taskbar color. But if you want a menu skin that matches taskbar color, you can get it in this thread.
If you are using an opaque Taskbar, I modded this Metro-colors based skin for the Classic Start Menu with the following changes:

- Menu is opaque, left column is also colored like the Metro skin but now matches color of opaque taskbar
- Scrollbars are colored
- Glyph for All Programs and Shutdown button
- Main menu arrow similar to taskbar arrow
- Circular/round user picture are slightly bigger and partially outside the menu
- Skin uses dark colors on Windows 10, but same skin works well enough on Windows 8.1 too (IMHO)
- Light colors and Black text option for both Windows 10 and Windows 8.1
- Font is changed to Segoe UI Semibold for greater clarity
- Color scheme tweaked to use different colors for submenus
- There is a bug in the Windows 10 OS Color engine which sometimes, although very rarely, causes it to set the value of the $StartBackground color entirely different from your chosen $SystemAccent color. For this reason, this skin avoids the use of $StartBackground color on Windows 10.

Download and screenshot attached to this post:

To install a skin, download it to Desktop. Then cut-paste it from Desktop to C:\Program Files\Classic Shell\Skins. Then open Classic Start Menu Settings and switch to the same style that the skin is from "Start Menu Style" tab. For this skin, it is "Windows 7 style". Then go to the "Skin" tab and pick the skin from the dropdown, and click OK.

Any feedback, suggestions or questions are welcome. :P

EDIT: Another light/pastel colors Start Menu skin for Windows 7 style available below. Scroll down to download it.

Note that any skin mods such as this one which are based on the Metro skin and depend on the Windows 8/Windows 10 color engine will not work on Windows 7.


There are also other Start menu skins that look great on Windows 10:

If you are using a glass taskbar or transparent taskbar without glass, the built-in "Windows Aero" skin looks great too. Or use the Winaero Skin: http://winaero.com/download.php?view.69 (It was designed for Windows 8.1 but works well on Windows 10 too with a transparent or glass taskbar). Adjust the taskbar opacity as you want from the "Windows 10 Settings" tab - whether you want to use glass or transparent (without glass). Then switch to the appropriate skin from the Skin tab. You can adjust the Start Menu glass opacity from the "Menu Look" tab or disable glass for the Winaero skin by unchecking "Enable menu glass" option so it uses plain transparency.


Attachments:
Metro Color Variations.skin7 [166.46 KiB]
Downloaded 12779 times
Metro Color Variations.png
Metro Color Variations.png [ 259.2 KiB | Viewed 224377 times ]
Metro Color Variations2.png
Metro Color Variations2.png [ 181.57 KiB | Viewed 224377 times ]

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PostPosted: Tue Sep 08, 2015 3:32 pm 
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How would I make the default metro skin transparent?


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PostPosted: Tue Sep 08, 2015 9:11 pm 
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Version 4.2.4 does not support making the Metro skin in Windows 7 style transparent. A future version might support this. In "Classic with two columns" style, you can make it transparent. Go to the Skin tab and uncheck "Disable glass transparency". If on Windows 10, you don't want glass but just transparency, go to the Menu Look tab and uncheck "Enable menu glass".

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PostPosted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 4:41 am 
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Gaurav how did you manage to edit the left column of a windows 7 style start menu?


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PostPosted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 10:48 am 
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I simply modified the "Metro.skin7" file.

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PostPosted: Tue Oct 27, 2015 12:12 pm 
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I am new to the forum but have enjoyed Classic Shell since W8 (Windows 8 - shudder). I would like to ask something that may not be possible. I am using the two panel start menu with cascading sub menus. Very nice. However, no matter what skin I have tried, the colors are too deep, too strong, and too dark. In other words I like pastels. Is it possible to pick and choose the color of each component of the start menu? One of the skins had orange for only some of the selections. Not my color! I am using Windows 10.


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PostPosted: Wed Oct 28, 2015 1:56 am 
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@soahs, which style of two column menu are using? Classic style or Windows 7 syle? For Windows 7 style, I quickly modded the above skin to add pastel colors. One variation is with slightly darker pastel colors and another with very faint pastel colors.

Note that any skin mods such as this one which are based on the Metro skin and depend on the Windows 8/Windows 10 color engine will not work on Windows 7.


Attachments:
Pastel Colors.png
Pastel Colors.png [ 324.44 KiB | Viewed 220505 times ]
Metro Color Variations (Faint Pastel Colors).skin7 [167.05 KiB]
Downloaded 7093 times
Metro Color Variations (Pastel Colors).skin7 [167.05 KiB]
Downloaded 6850 times

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PostPosted: Tue Nov 17, 2015 4:21 am 
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Starting with Classic Shell 4.2.5, the Metro and Midnight skins support transparency in both columns in Windows 7 style. I will update the above skins whenever I find the time to add transparency.

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PostPosted: Mon Nov 30, 2015 1:42 pm 
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This is it? Two skins??


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PostPosted: Mon Nov 30, 2015 9:30 pm 
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There are 3 actually. Metro Color Variations in the main post, and two pastel color variations. What other type of skins do you want? :) These are only the mods of the Metro skin. All other Classic Start Menu skins work on Windows 10. The built-in Smoked Glass skin and glyph icons suit the look of Windows 10 too. See this thread: viewtopic.php?f=17&t=5220

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PostPosted: Tue Dec 01, 2015 7:15 am 
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Gaurav wrote:
There are 3 actually. Metro Color Variations in the main post, and two pastel color variations. What other type of skins do you want? :) These are only the mods of the Metro skin. All other Classic Start Menu skins work on Windows 10. The built-in Smoked Glass skin and glyph icons suit the look of Windows 10 too. See this thread: viewtopic.php?f=17&t=5220


There should be a section that lists all of the skins available. Also the Metro skin may support some transparency but not Full. I have my taskbar fully transparent but the menu is not.



If I could get the menu 100% transparent as the TaskBar is I would be happy. This is the Metro Color Variation Skin.


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 12, 2016 8:36 pm 
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@GTK48, you might like this skin: viewtopic.php?f=17&t=5538&p=24277

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PostPosted: Tue Feb 16, 2016 1:03 am 
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Gaurav wrote:
On Windows 10, Classic Shell can set the Taskbar to be opaque, transparent without any blur, or glass. It can also adjust the Taskbar opacity from 0 to 100.

You can also make the Start Menu skin you are using - opaque, transparent or glass.

The default Metro skin is great. If you want to use a different skin, here are my recommended Classic Start Menu skins to use on Windows 10:

If you are using a glass taskbar or transparent taskbar without glass, the built-in "Windows Aero" skin looks great too. Or use the Winaero Skin: http://winaero.com/download.php?view.69 (It was designed for Windows 8.1 but works well on Windows 10 too with a transparent or glass taskbar). Adjust the taskbar opacity as you want from the "Windows 10 Settings" tab - whether you want to use glass or transparent (without glass). Then switch to the appropriate skin from the Skin tab. You can adjust the Start Menu glass opacity from the "Menu Look" tab or disable glass for the Winaero skin by unchecking "Enable menu glass" option so it uses plain transparency.

If you are using an opaque Taskbar, I modded this Metro-colors based skin for the Classic Start Menu with the following changes:

- Menu is opaque, left column is also colored like the Metro skin but now matches color of opaque taskbar
- Scrollbars are colored
- Glyph for All Programs and Shutdown button
- Main menu arrow similar to taskbar arrow
- Circular/round user picture are slightly bigger and partially outside the menu
- Skin uses dark colors on Windows 10, but same skin works well enough on Windows 8.1 too (IMHO)
- Light colors and Black text option for both Windows 10 and Windows 8.1
- Font is changed to Segoe UI Semibold for greater clarity
- Color scheme tweaked to use different colors for submenus
- There is a bug in the Windows 10 OS Color engine which sometimes, although very rarely, causes it to set the value of the $StartBackground color entirely different from your chosen $SystemAccent color. For this reason, this skin avoids the use of $StartBackground color on Windows 10.

Download and screenshot attached to this post:

Any feedback, suggestions or questions are welcome. :P

EDIT: Another light/pastel colors Start Menu skin for Windows 7 style available below. Scroll down to download it.

Note that any skin mods such as this one which are based on the Metro skin and depend on the Windows 8/Windows 10 color engine will not work on Windows 7.


beautiful skin , would love to have it transparent for windows8.1
can i download the blue one?


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PostPosted: Tue Feb 16, 2016 1:19 am 
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SuperGiulia wrote:
beautiful skin , would love to have it transparent for windows8.1
can i download the blue one?



The download links are just above or below the screenshots. Click the link that says "Metro Color Variations.skin7" to download it. The color is not hard coded but rather it follows your system Metro color that you set in the Settings app.

I haven't updated them yet for transparency after the Windows 7 style supported transparency. Anyone else who wants to add that, go ahead and modify it.

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PostPosted: Tue Feb 16, 2016 2:04 am 
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Gaurav wrote:
SuperGiulia wrote:
beautiful skin , would love to have it transparent for windows8.1
can i download the blue one?



The download links are just above or below the screenshots. Click the link that says "Metro Color Variations.skin7" to download it. The color is not hard coded but rather it follows your system Metro color that you set in the Settings app.

I haven't updated them yet for transparency after the Windows 7 style supported transparency. Anyone else who wants to add that, go ahead and modify it.

thanks Gaurav


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PostPosted: Thu May 23, 2019 4:59 am 
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Just remember, Classic Shell got it first - both the "Light skin" and the "Dark skin (Midnight) before MS got "inspired": :lol:


Attachments:
Dark skin.png
Dark skin.png [ 201.49 KiB | Viewed 161144 times ]
Light theme.png
Light theme.png [ 324.44 KiB | Viewed 161144 times ]

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