Emerge Desktop
Cairo Shell
VirtuaWin
bug.n
Shells
Dexpot
V2 Cloud
Virtual Dimension
Classic Shell
Open Shell
Start Menu X
StartIsBack
Start8
Start Menu Reviver
Start11
StartAllBack
Emerge Desktop Classic ShellBased on our record, Classic Shell seems to be a lot more popular than Emerge Desktop. While we know about 18 links to Classic Shell, we've tracked only 1 mention of Emerge Desktop. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.
Back when I was an edgy teenager I tried every Windows desktop shell replacement available. My favorites were LiteStep and Emerge Desktop. I was there when Cairo Shell first emerged but has never tried a working version since I moved to other OSes before any usable version was out. I am now using Windows for work and I think it’s time to revisit these options. Source: over 1 year ago
There's a great add-on called... ClassicShell http://classicshell.net/. - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
Windows Classic Shell is what I have used for over a decade. It brings back the old start menu and can be customized. Source: about 1 year ago
ClassicShell is no longer being developed. OpenShell succeeded it. (c.f., http://classicshell.net/). Source: over 1 year ago
Http://classicshell.net/This lets you pick UI goodness you want. Source: over 1 year ago
Other, non-rainmeter options that I'm aware of include TranslucentTB and Classic Shell (note: Open Shell is the newer version, but I'm unsure if it has the same features). Source: about 2 years ago
Cairo Shell - Cairo is a desktop environment for Windows.
Open Shell - Open Shell is a fork of the Classic Shell project for Windows that getting back the classic start...
VirtuaWin - VirtuaWin is a virtual desktop manager for the Windows operating system (Win9x/ME/NT/Win2K/XP/Win2003/Vista/Win7/Win10). A virtual desktop manager lets you organize applications over several virtual desktops (also called 'workspaces').
Start Menu X - Start Menu X with Start Button. Power users know how inconvenient and time-consuming it is to launch programs from the system menu.
bug.n - Provide views (i. e. virtual desktops) for showing only those windows, which you need to do your work..
StartIsBack - StartIsBack returns Windows 10 and Windows 8 a real fully featured start menu and start button, behaving exactly like the ones in Windows 7. It's totally awesome and easy solution for your new Windows woes.