This is a win11 post but I included win10 so readers there will see what
they are in for if they switch to 11. :-)
THE TASK BAR
So far, the biggest problem is the task bar. it seems one cannot make
it more than one line high. Is there any way around that?
I saw the 3 dots to look at more programs but they are so small. I know
it will lead to mistakes.
When the Task Bar was redesigned in win10 I didn't like it and preferred
the Quick Launch Bar, but I've gotten to like it. I see there is a complicated way to add the QL bar back, but that is only useful for
starting the program. The win10 task bar let you see each of multiple instances of the program, as with Chrome or Firefox, so you couuld click
on the one you wanted. I used 7+ Taskbar TWeaker to ungroup them when occasionally something would regroup them but 7+TT is not going to be
updated for win11.
STARTING WINDOWS WITHOUT A PASSWORD
There are lots of pages showing how to start windows without a password,
but they all say to use netplwiz, which they say will have a checkbox "Require password" and to uncheck that box, but when I use netplwiz,
there is no such check box. Is this method obsolete or is it me? Is
there a method that works?
This is a win11 post but I included win10 so readers there will see what
they are in for if they switch to 11. :-)
THE TASK BAR
So far, the biggest problem is the task bar. it seems one cannot make
it more than one line high. Is there any way around that?
I saw the 3 dots to look at more programs but they are so small. I know
it will lead to mistakes.
When the Task Bar was redesigned in win10 I didn't like it and preferred
the Quick Launch Bar, but I've gotten to like it. I see there is a complicated way to add the QL bar back, but that is only useful for
starting the program. The win10 task bar let you see each of multiple instances of the program, as with Chrome or Firefox, so you couuld click
on the one you wanted. I used 7+ Taskbar TWeaker to ungroup them when occasionally something would regroup them but 7+TT is not going to be
updated for win11.
STARTING WINDOWS WITHOUT A PASSWORD
There are lots of pages showing how to start windows without a password,
but they all say to use netplwiz, which they say will have a checkbox "Require password" and to uncheck that box, but when I use netplwiz,
there is no such check box. Is this method obsolete or is it me? Is
there a method that works?
Newyana2 wrote:
First, install Exporer Patcher.
https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher/releases
That seems to be a shell extension. It fixes the broken bits
Do you really want to run a chimera of a taskbar/start menu stitched
together from parts of Win11 and Win10?
First, install Exporer Patcher. https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher/releases
That seems to be a shell extension. It fixes the broken bits
On 2/3/2025 5:35 AM, Andy Burns wrote:
Newyana2 wrote:
First, install Exporer Patcher.
https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher/releases
That seems to be a shell extension. It fixes the broken bits
Do you really want to run a chimera of a taskbar/start menu stitched together from parts of Win11 and Win10?
Rather a strong opinion. :)
It's a bit ironic that you'd call normal functionality a chimera.
You think it's not a pasted-together monstrosity to have an irrelevant
Search bar half-covering the taskbar,
On 2/2/2025 7:07 PM, micky wrote:
This is a win11 post but I included win10 so readers there will see what
they are in for if they switch to 11. :-)
THE TASK BAR
So far, the biggest problem is the task bar. it seems one cannot make
it more than one line high. Is there any way around that?
I saw the 3 dots to look at more programs but they are so small. I know
it will lead to mistakes.
When the Task Bar was redesigned in win10 I didn't like it and preferred
the Quick Launch Bar, but I've gotten to like it. I see there is a
complicated way to add the QL bar back, but that is only useful for
starting the program. The win10 task bar let you see each of multiple
instances of the program, as with Chrome or Firefox, so you couuld click
on the one you wanted. I used 7+ Taskbar TWeaker to ungroup them when
occasionally something would regroup them but 7+TT is not going to be
updated for win11.
STARTING WINDOWS WITHOUT A PASSWORD
There are lots of pages showing how to start windows without a password,
but they all say to use netplwiz, which they say will have a checkbox
"Require password" and to uncheck that box, but when I use netplwiz,
there is no such check box. Is this method obsolete or is it me? Is
there a method that works?
First, install Exporer Patcher. >https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher/releases
That seems to be a shell extension. It fixes the broken bits and
provides a right-click menu. On that menu, select the taskbar
setting near the top. I don;t remember which item selection to choose.
Maybe the Windows 10 option. There are only 2 or 3 options,
anyway.
There are also some other options, but they're optionsavailab
elsewhere. Once you change the taskbar style you get the old
context menu with "Toolbars". Now you can add back Quick Launch.
To fix the messed up size, you can now use this setting:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\TaskbarSi
dword
0 minimum, 1 default, 2 large
But I think you need Explorer Patcher for it to work. I've also
found Win11 pretty much like 10, except for the taskbar mess.
On 2/3/2025 5:35 AM, Andy Burns wrote:
Newyana2 wrote:
First, install Exporer Patcher.
https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher/releases
That seems to be a shell extension. It fixes the broken bits
Do you really want to run a chimera of a taskbar/start menu stitched
together from parts of Win11 and Win10?
Rather a strong opinion. :)
Shell extensions are not monstrosities. And it's not stitched together.
The whole approach is designed by Microsoft as a way to customize
and enhance Windows. I've been using EP, and it works. Microsoft's
Win11 taskbar doesn't work properly. This fixes it. It fixes the problem
of the bar not fitting the icons. It fixes the problem of Quick Launch
not working. (QL provides a responsive, independent and closely packed
set of shortcuts, separate from the "badges" on the taskbar. To my mind, >integrating shortcut icons and badges is a confusing design flaw.)
It's a bit ironic that you'd call normal functionality a chimera.
You think it's not a pasted-together monstrosity to have an irrelevant
Search bar half-covering the taskbar, with a News and Interests
icon that pops up a tabloid news window if you accidentally pass the
mouse over it? To each their own. Granted, you can read about last
night's Grammy's costumes without having to even open a browser.
Maybe that's an improvement in your mind? Or, like Winston, do you
just feel that Microsoft should be accepted as your master and that
it's disrespectful to customize? For me, Windows is a tool. A platform
to host software. Whatever works for me makes sense. (Don't tell
anyone, but I also sometime alter recipes in cookbooks. I'm a wild
and crazy guy.)
The Start Menu is similar. Microsoft presents a confusing mess
of Metro/UWP advertising and complications where I expect
to just see a list of program links. Open Shell fixes that.
I use these products because they work dependably and they improve
Windows. Open Shell changes the Start Menu from a late night TV
commercial on acid to what works: Links to programs I use and
Control Panel.
Open Shell doesn't copy a Win10 Start Menu. More like 98/XP.
Or one can also have the initial infection if desired: Windows 7 with
the irrelevant extra panel. It can be as messy or as sane as you like.
I've written shell extensions myself. Property pages and an Explorer
Bar. I'd be using my Explorer Bar still, but it's 32-bit only. If you're
not familiar with shell extensions then you might look it up. There's
an extensive and perfectly kosher API for them.
To fix the messed up size, you can now use this setting:
Is this intended just to make a one-line task bar bigger, or would it
let me have 2 or 3 lines within it. That's what I most want.
Or is this just meant to get back the QL bar?
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\TaskbarSi
dword
0 minimum, 1 default, 2 large
But I think you need Explorer Patcher for it to work. I've also
found Win11 pretty much like 10, except for the taskbar mess.
On Sun, 2/2/2025 7:07 PM, micky wrote:
This is a win11 post but I included win10 so readers there will see what
they are in for if they switch to 11. :-)
THE TASK BAR
So far, the biggest problem is the task bar. it seems one cannot make
it more than one line high. Is there any way around that?
I saw the 3 dots to look at more programs but they are so small. I know
it will lead to mistakes.
When the Task Bar was redesigned in win10 I didn't like it and preferred
the Quick Launch Bar, but I've gotten to like it. I see there is a
complicated way to add the QL bar back, but that is only useful for
starting the program. The win10 task bar let you see each of multiple
instances of the program, as with Chrome or Firefox, so you couuld click
on the one you wanted. I used 7+ Taskbar TWeaker to ungroup them when
occasionally something would regroup them but 7+TT is not going to be
updated for win11.
STARTING WINDOWS WITHOUT A PASSWORD
There are lots of pages showing how to start windows without a password,
but they all say to use netplwiz, which they say will have a checkbox
"Require password" and to uncheck that box, but when I use netplwiz,
there is no such check box. Is this method obsolete or is it me? Is
there a method that works?
netplwiz stopped working some time ago. There is some registry setting for it. >And these sorts of recipes age rapidly, so there is no reason for
some of these things to still be working today.
1) https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/auto-sign-in-missing-from-netplwiz/1c06918b-04e0-4b2f-ab67-8b5bd7eee89b
2) net user username "" # As Administrator
3) https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/autologon
Note that some recipes that got broken, started working again,
implying a Patch Tuesday broke them and some later fix put
the methods back again. For example, I tried psexec and it
was working again.
Make a backup first. You don't want to try one of these crazy ideas
and end up locked out of your own OS :-)
And this stuff isn't particularly for MSA use. As far as I know
the easy ways are for local accounts. Where toying with the Registry is >sufficient to do the job.
You probably have a password flattener in your Hirens for
things like this. There are two kinds of password attacks.
"Cracking" a password, is so the victim does not know that
you know the password. "Flattening" the password, the victim
can tell that Micky has attacked the machine, and perhaps
Micky and the other party know what the plan is (a password reset).
Whereas an MSA is bound to have some differences in terms
of the implementation. Finding some notes for John the Ripper
on Kali, might tell you how the MSA info is stored (whatever part
of it is locally cached).
Enough recipes you can make a hobby out of this.
If you use File Sharing, it's quite possible the account
lacking the password, is not going to be treated favorably
if you attempt to log into a share protected that way.
Windows does have some visceral responses to blank passwords.
You should always have one account with Administrators capability.
If you lose that, some of the "breaking into the OS" recipes
no longer work. Like using Safe Mode so Windows Defender isn't
running and doing one of the recipes under those conditions.
The recipes are unlikely to work if Windows Defender is running.
And back up the OS, using a method that works. I know the scary
kids like to use broken methods, so they even have to hack
the restore to get it working again :-)
Paul
I had planned to continue using Open Shell also. Do you think I should install that after the Explorer Patch changes, or before?
Do the peoople here who have give Newyana a hard time think I can
actually hurt myself with ExplorerPatch, or any o fthe other
suggestions?
I had planned to continue using Open Shell also. Do you think I should install that after the Explorer Patch changes, or before?
Do the peoople here who have give Newyana a hard time think I can
actually hurt myself with ExplorerPatch, or any o fthe other
suggestions?
micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:
In alt.comp.os.windows-11, on Mon, 3 Feb 2025 10:30:22 +0100, Herbert
Kleebauer <klee@unibwm.de> wrote:
starting the program. The win10 task bar let you see each of multiple
instances of the program, as with Chrome or Firefox, so you couuld click >> >> on the one you wanted.
You can change this in the taskbar settings. But if the taskbar is full,
then this doesn't help.
Why does MS mess things up that work well?
Why is this even a problem? In Windows 10 (and 11 and perhaps even
earlier), you see little thumbnail-like windows of the multiple
instances if you hover over the icon on the Taskbar. So instead of tiny >instances on the Taskbar, you see much bigger/clearer instances above
the Taskbar.
For example, I have often multiple instances of the 'Command Prompt'
window open and I just hover
over the icon on the Taskbar to see which
instances I have and then click on the little window of the desired one.
In alt.comp.os.windows-11, on 6 Feb 2025 13:19:50 GMT, Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> wrote:
micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:
In alt.comp.os.windows-11, on Mon, 3 Feb 2025 10:30:22 +0100, Herbert
Kleebauer <klee@unibwm.de> wrote:
starting the program. The win10 task bar let you see each of multiple >> >> instances of the program, as with Chrome or Firefox, so you couuld click
on the one you wanted.
You can change this in the taskbar settings. But if the taskbar is full, >> >then this doesn't help.
Why does MS mess things up that work well?
Why is this even a problem? In Windows 10 (and 11 and perhaps even
earlier), you see little thumbnail-like windows of the multiple
instances if you hover over the icon on the Taskbar. So instead of tiny >instances on the Taskbar, you see much bigger/clearer instances above
the Taskbar.
For example, I have often multiple instances of the 'Command Prompt'
window open and I just hover over the icon on the Taskbar to see
which instances I have and then click on the little window of the
desired one.
You say "just" but imagine if there was room for only one item on the
task bar and to go to any of your programs, you had to hover over it,
wait for it to display all of them and then click on the one you want. I would find that delay very annoying. Maybe you would too.
In addition, I gradually moved everything from the ql bar to the task
bar, but there isn't room for all of the programs I use regularly**.
**On win10: Volume Mixer, Solitaire, File explorer, Free Alarm Clock, Notepad++, Notepads, Kindle, Forte Agent, Tunein, Task Manager,
RadioMaximus, Everything, Wordpad (also gone in win11), CMD, Settings, Chrome, MyPhoneExplorer, Firefox, AutoHotKey, Libreoffice Writer, Anvir
Task Manager
and on occasion Fastone Image Viewer, Ifranview, Ransack, XnView, Willmaker, Pandora, TccLe, Power Toys, Macrium Reflect, VLC
and on rare occasions Whatsapp, Thunderbird, Battery Viewer, Speccy, Zoom, Universal USB Installer, ExpressVPN, Minitool Data Recovery,
Skype,
These fit in three rows of the taskbar in win10, and I have 2 rows
showing with a scroll bar thoughtfully provided by MS on the right, but
they won't come close to fitting in win11.
In alt.comp.os.windows-11, on 6 Feb 2025 13:19:50 GMT, Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> wrote:
micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:
In alt.comp.os.windows-11, on Mon, 3 Feb 2025 10:30:22 +0100, Herbert
Kleebauer <klee@unibwm.de> wrote:
starting the program. The win10 task bar let you see each of multiple >>>>> instances of the program, as with Chrome or Firefox, so you couuld click >>>>> on the one you wanted.
You can change this in the taskbar settings. But if the taskbar is full, >>>> then this doesn't help.
Why does MS mess things up that work well?
Why is this even a problem? In Windows 10 (and 11 and perhaps even
earlier), you see little thumbnail-like windows of the multiple
instances if you hover over the icon on the Taskbar. So instead of tiny
instances on the Taskbar, you see much bigger/clearer instances above
the Taskbar.
For example, I have often multiple instances of the 'Command Prompt'
window open and I just hover
You say "just" but imagine if there was room for only one item on the
task bar and to go to any of your programs, you had to hover over it,
wait for it to display all of them and then click on the one you want. I would find that delay very annoying. Maybe you would too.
In addition, I gradually moved everything from the ql bar to the task
bar, but there isn't room for all of the programs I use regularly**.
**On win10: Volume Mixer, Solitaire, File explorer, Free Alarm Clock, Notepad++, Notepads, Kindle, Forte Agent, Tunein, Task Manager,
RadioMaximus, Everything, Wordpad (also gone in win11), CMD, Settings, Chrome, MyPhoneExplorer, Firefox, AutoHotKey, Libreoffice Writer, Anvir
Task Manager
and on occasion Fastone Image Viewer, Ifranview, Ransack, XnView, Willmaker, Pandora, TccLe, Power Toys, Macrium Reflect, VLC
and on rare occasions Whatsapp, Thunderbird, Battery Viewer, Speccy, Zoom, Universal USB Installer, ExpressVPN, Minitool Data Recovery,
Skype,
These fit in three rows of the taskbar in win10, and I have 2 rows
showing with a scroll bar thoughtfully provided by MS on the right, but
they won't come close to fitting in win11.
over the icon on the Taskbar to see which
instances I have and then click on the little window of the desired one.
Frank Slootweg wrote on 2/10/25 12:16 PM:
micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:
In addition, I gradually moved everything from the ql bar to the task
bar, but there isn't room for all of the programs I use regularly**.
**On win10: Volume Mixer, Solitaire, File explorer, Free Alarm Clock,
Notepad++, Notepads, Kindle, Forte Agent, Tunein, Task Manager,
RadioMaximus, Everything, Wordpad (also gone in win11), CMD, Settings,
Chrome, MyPhoneExplorer, Firefox, AutoHotKey, Libreoffice Writer, Anvir
Task Manager
If I count correctly, that's 22 icons. As I mentioned earlier, I have plenty of space in both unused areas of my Taskbar. I have currently 16 icons and can easily accomodate 6 more and that's *not* counting the
rather large space used by my System tray icons.
I've 21 on the Win11 Pro Taskbar, with room for more(though don't need more).
No waiting for icon to display. I know what each icon represents, thus
use is either mouse to or touch/tap the icon to open the program, app, or Windows/3rd party utility.
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