Classic Shell

Overall Opinion: If you are a Windows user and you want to give your machine some of the functionality and aesthetics that it once had, you should certainly try Classic Shell. When it first became clear that Microsoft was no longer going to include the Start menu with Windows 8, several developers started working to create something that would replace it. Most of those developers failed because they tried to improve upon the functionality of the original Start menu, but that made those systems feel too distinct from Windows. Classic Shell took a different approach and tried to create a replication of the Start menu that would not only look but would feel and work just like the Start menu in Windows 7 or earlier. For those who don't want to learn a new system, Classic Shell is the clear choice. Another great aspect of the Classic Shell software is that it can be customized in almost any way imaginable. If you didn't like some aspect of the original Windows Start menu, you can tweak the experience of Classic Shell with a whopping 15 setting tabs, each filled with comprehensive controls for every facet you can imagine. The amount of customization allowed by Classic Shell is far more than what was allowed by Microsoft. To make it easier to keep track of the various settings you might use, you can save a file with all your standard settings, and you can load settings from any file you have already created. If you get lost in all the options, you can easily restore the software to the default settings. Perhaps the biggest appeal of Classic Shell is that it is both free and highly non-intrusive. The software is supported by donations that provide for all the development costs, and you'll never have to pay a dime to use the software. Not only that, but the software doesn't collect any data about you or your activities at all. This means the software isn't some sort of Trojan horse designed to collect your data in order to sell it to some third-party business. One of the only real downsides to the software is that it doesn't get a lot of support or updates anymore since Windows 10 was released. To be fair, the software doesn't really need to be updated since its functionality is superb, but a graphical update wouldn't be a bad idea since the backend of the software is a bit outdated from a visual standpoint.

Pros: Legitimate Start Menu Replacement Excellent Customization Options

Cons: Limited Support