Windows 7 explorer for Windows 8

[Tihiy]

Any chance we'll be able to use this Win7 shell alongside Win8 Metro? As in, use this shell as the Windows 8 desktop view, and still retain metro functionality/look if we choose to switch out to that on the fly?

It won't be possible to reinstate Metro in win7 explorer since it doesn't have trusted signature, and circumventing it would require patching kernel.

Now i'm busy trying to restore pin list / mfu start menu functionality. It's hard work (CP->RP cut 200KB code off shell32.dll which i need to recreate). Metro bits require circumventing WinRT trust levels and i haven't succeeded yet.

Edited August 24, 2012 by Tihiy

[kala]

So CP had working these things?

Cannot wait for full functionality, would be awesome with WES8 (once its released). So that everything I wanted Windows 7 to be is there. Well, almost.

Edited August 24, 2012 by kala

[hoak]

Now i'm busy trying to restore pin list / mfu start menu functionality. It's hard work (CP->RP cut 200KB code off shell32.dll which i need to recreate). Metro bits require circumventing WinRT trust levels and i haven't succeeded yet.

Succeed or not, it's very exiting news that you're looking into and working on it! If it's an impractical mess that can't be resolved, well that will be that, but cool cool you're up and at it Tihiy!

[MagicAndre1981]

Now i'm busy trying to restore pin list / mfu start menu functionality. It's hard work (CP->RP cut 200KB code off shell32.dll which i need to recreate).

wow, thanks, this would be awesome :thumbup :thumbup

Edited August 24, 2012 by MagicAndre1981

[imaginaryperson]

Win 8 RTM 9200 (x64), Multimonitor-Setup. Works, following this guide

This tool manages to change the second screens taskbar color, independent of the color settings (haven't bothered to look into it any further yet):

http://www.softpedia.com/get/Desktop-Enhancements/Other-Desktop-Enhancements/Windows-7-Taskbar-Color-Changer.shtml

It seems like Microsoft is using RGBA everywhere, I just can't get why those idiots disabled any customization aside for preselected choices.

Simple transparency would be possible but only with patching and replacing dlls. It 's just that blur seems gone and

an completely transparent alpha channel would cause display issues (reminds me of early OpenGL bugs).

Also, if anyone is disliking the RTM skin (like those ugly close buttons) you are able to just do a downgrade to RP without patching anything at all:

http://forums.mydigitallife.info/threads/35554-Windows-8-RP-Visual-Style-for-8-RTM-and-Server-2012-RTM

Edit:

Seems like this tool generates a copy of your current wallpaper with the selected taskbar color applied.

Clever idea, but only usable if you are able to completely disable the taskbars background-color first.

Edit 2:

Screenshot possibility with WIN + PRINT shortcut is gone when using Win 7 Explorer.

Edit 3:

This tool removes the empty show desktop button on the right side:

http://www.door2windows.com/windows-7-show-desktop-button-remover-remove-windows-7-show-desktop-button-with-one-click/

Edited August 24, 2012 by imaginaryperson

[xpclient]

Just want to say again Tihiy that you're doing excellent and genius work.

Edited August 24, 2012 by xpclient

[bigmuscle]

It seems like Microsoft is using RGBA everywhere, I just can't get why those idiots disabled any customization aside for preselected choices.

Simple transparency would be possible but only with patching and replacing dlls. It 's just that blur seems gone and

an completely transparent alpha channel would cause display issues (reminds me of early OpenGL bugs).

Do I understand correctly that it would be possible to return glass efect (without blur) by creating theme where windows border image has set non-opaque alpha channel?

I was trying to play with Desktop Windows Manager and tried using following files (+corresponding en-US/*.mui) from Release Preview in RTM version:

dcomp.dll

dwm.exe

dwmapi.dll

dwmcore.dll

dwmredir.dll

When default Windows 8 Shell is used then system ends up with black screen before login. When Windows 7 Shell (explorer from this topic) is used then system normally works but taskbar is black, Aero Lite theme is used and desktup customize settings says "Desktop Composition is disabled". So either I forgot some files or it will require some patching to return old DWM. I did just this simple test.

Edited August 26, 2012 by bigmuscle

[MagicAndre1981]

I was trying to play with Desktop Windows Manager and tried using following files (+corresponding en-US/*.mui) from Release Preview in RTM version:

dcomp.dll

dwm.exe

dwmapi.dll

dwmcore.dll

dwmredir.dll

When default Windows 8 Shell is used then system ends up with black screen before login

I had the same idea and the same result

[kala]

I was trying to play with Desktop Windows Manager and tried using following files (+corresponding en-US/*.mui) from Release Preview in RTM version:

dcomp.dll

dwm.exe

dwmapi.dll

dwmcore.dll

dwmredir.dll

When default Windows 8 Shell is used then system ends up with black screen before login

I had the same idea and the same result

Without blur? HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\DWM colorizationglassattribute : set to 2, but its kinda buggy...

[MagicAndre1981]

I've tested it with the Win8 UI, but because everything is black ,I can't restore it. I've already deleted that VM.

[imaginaryperson]

Well, don't just replace the dll 's with the old ones as they are not only used for colorization but for many other things as well.

Instead edit the current dll 's with a hex editor, search for the color 's hex values using a screen color picker (you might need a converter that converts rgba to hex like this one)

and after finding the correct values (i.E. for 100% black you 'd search for 00 00 00 FF - usually written 0x000000FF) , modify the last two bits which are used for the alpha channel. FF means that the opacity is set at 100% and 00 means the color is set at 0% opacity.

And remember to make a backup of the orginal files, as well a system restore point first.

Edit: I've successfully edited the metro look in uxtheme.dll to my likings this way.

Edited August 28, 2012 by imaginaryperson

[bigmuscle]

imaginaryperson: Now I admit that I really do not know what to do. I doubt that windows border color is hardcoded in any DLL. This color is stored in system registry and it has already set alpha channel (although it is not applied).

[imaginaryperson]

Well, at least for metro they are hardcoded (which sucks).

Borders might be different, but I'm not so sure after seeing this failed

attempt at a modern UI which technically smells like 1999.

Edit:

You might try to track back that registry setting that you 've found via IDA Pro (or simliar), that 's what you could do.

Maybe that 's a starting point for finding the correct offset.

Edited August 28, 2012 by imaginaryperson

[Tihiy]

Good news, Everyone!

Beta 4 landed - attached to first post

- Start menu pin list functionality reimplemented!

- Start menu MFU list functionality reimplemented (albeit inferior thus far).

When upgrading, you must first run patchex7 and select "8", then re-logon in order to be able to replace files. After replacing files, run patchex7 and select "7".

Note that patchex7.exe changed to utilize 7.reg/8.reg when used. You can examine what changes in registry.

[Shane]

You're making fantastic progress, keep up the great work!