DirectStart v3

This release includes many changes that i've made to DirectStart over the past months or so, but here are the most important ones:

• Error handling in various places
• Separate Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 versions to better adapt for each os
• Various styling refinements, as close to RT Update 3 menu as ever possible
• New tile animations, proper hover and focus highlight
• Completely new start button hook for Windows 8.1, that integrates the menu into twinui (you can even open it from the charms bar now!)
• Multi monitor support
• Fix "floating" menu bug
• Fix defender false positive completely
• Disable experimental metro apps loader by default
• Move settings into registry, automatic fix if settings are broken
• Improved code to be more robust

Note:

• There are separate versions for Windows 8.1 and other oses like Windows 10, please use the appropriate version for your os

For Windows 8.1:

• en-US language version is required (atleast for now)
• Before installing DirectStart, install Windhawk and .NET Framework 4.8
• After installation, paste the mod from desktop into windhawk
• To have start menu colorized from wallpaper, please use Winaero Colorsync, its attached here.
  Make sure to select in tray Aero -> Start Screen!
• To toggle between Start Screen, and the Start Menu, disable or enable the Windhawk mod

DirectStart 2.1

For some reason defender still detects false positive in this, so before installing please disable defender.

• Fix polish language being used for all locals
• Update AssemblyInfo.cs which still had 2023 copyright and old app name

DirectStart 2.0

DirectStart 2.0 is the first major release.
I've tried to add all missing features including tiles pinning, unpinning, and resizing.
Installer was also reworked, no more need to mess with some weird xmls and config files.
All settings are stored in registry now (HKCU\SOFTWARE\DirectStart).

Please completely remove the old version from control panel before installing the latest one.

This release will be removed, since some users reported false defender postives, and better be safe than sorry. Please use latest (2.1) release instead.

Alpha 2

This is a release which focuses on hotfixing some minor bugs and adding new stuff.
Again, much thanks to all of people that support me in one way or another, and for those interested 😊

Fixed:

• Broken scrollbar style
• Broken highlight on start menu links
• Broken styling elements
• Various installer quirks

New features:

• Variable tile sizes (Small, Normal, Wide, Large - to set the desired one for your tile, add "YourDesiredSizeHere" in the tiles config xml)
• Force tile colorization in the xml (Available colors: Blue, Teal, Pumpkin, LightGreen, PaleGreen, Gray, Purple, Pink, Red, Black - to use them, set YourDesiredColor in the tiles config xml)
• New theme - fluent, inspired by Windows 10 RTM's Start Menu. To enable it, change the "Theme=" value in the config.txt from "Metro" to "Fluent"
• Various improvements for Windows 10 users
• Added Windows Vista and Windows 7 (no service pack) support to the installer.
• User Profile Picture style changing (rounded, square - Change the "ProfilePictureShape" value in config.txt)
• Force the filling of start button on Windows builds other than 6.3.9600, for that set "ForceFillStartButton" to true in config.txt
• New method of configuring features - see the config.txt file at "%HOMEPATH%\DirectStart\Tiles\config.txt"

Features/fixes coming soon:

• DWM Blur for Fluent theme
• Windows Aero theme
• Metro apps support
• Improved start button hooking
• No icons for some tiles
• Fixes for other bugs
• more that i didn't determine yet

Screenshots of the new prototype "Fluent" theme:

Alpha 1

This is the first public release of B8taMenu.
Thanks to all of people that support me in one way or another, and for those interested 😊

Notes:

• The installer should create shortcuts on the desktop that will help you configure various features of B8taMenu.
• Theming, and customizing coming soon

Bugs:

• Some icons not appearing on the tiles.
• Tiles location and layout not saving after restart
• Positioning when using two screens with different resolutions
• Maybe more