Skinning the Windows 7 Start Menu

...is driving me crazy!

Wednesday, October 28, 2009 by Mirsguy | Discussion: Skinning

Okay, so I kinda like the Windows 7 start menu; after all, on the surface it looks a lot the same as the Vista start menu.

But so far, I hate skinning it.

I'm having some problems, and I thought I'd see if anyone knows any solutions.

Problem #1

The item mouseover on the right hand side gets clipped on the top line. Now, I have the user pic hidden, and it seems like WB wants to reserve space for it regardless. Below, the picture on the left shows the clipping, while the pic on the right shows what the menu item is supposed to look like.

I have played with every setting I can find. The only solution I have found is to adjust the context margins on the right side places list, but that has it's own set of problems. It tends to make the start panel larger (ick) and it obviously and disgustingly pushes the right hand text down so the top 2 lines no longer line up. See below.

Problem #2

Okay, so this isn't part of the start menu, but still: I can't get the mouseover glow (shown below in the Corporate WB) to work in my skin. I have tried to follow the tutorial by DanilloOC, but to no avail.

Problem #3

I can't seem to get the new (expanding) parts of the start panel to work. Ultimately, everything still looks and works good, but if it's supposed to expand, then I want it to.

 

Anybody have any solutions?

First Previous Page 2 of 3 Next Last
bk13GarbageMan
Reply #21 Thursday, October 29, 2009 9:36 AM

Holy Crap, Fred!..............That works!

Cool! I'm definitely going to try it! Thanks, "Fred"!

Cool!

 

This will, of course give you issues with a larger gap when using taskbar on top.

yep 

well, that sucks.......but, it's still one more option for You guys to work with at least. if any other ideas pop into My brain, I'll let You know.

 

bk13GarbageMan
Reply #22 Thursday, October 29, 2009 9:41 AM

you know the garbage man in the dilbert cartoon that mysteriously shows up and offers genius advice...

shhhhhh.......now they all know who I really am!

Mirsguy
Reply #23 Thursday, October 29, 2009 11:19 AM

shhhhhh.......now they all know who I really am!

Hmmm... so who's Wally? 

zakai1369
Reply #24 Thursday, October 29, 2009 11:28 AM

you know the garbage man in the dilbert cartoon that mysteriously shows up and offers genius advice...

BoXXi
Reply #25 Thursday, October 29, 2009 12:28 PM

Fred is really Treetog in disguise!!!  We caught you out buddy!!!

cplair
Reply #26 Thursday, October 29, 2009 12:49 PM

 Uh uh uh!  And people wonder why I'm still on XP!

Mirsguy
Reply #27 Thursday, October 29, 2009 1:07 PM

Hey cp, this may not be the super-short menu style you like, but you can reduce it some, anyway.

2of3
Reply #28 Thursday, October 29, 2009 1:21 PM

Brian, If you add a tiny bit of noise to the gradient on your startpanel, it will mask some of the banding that you are getting there. Just a suggestion

zakai1369
Reply #29 Thursday, October 29, 2009 1:22 PM

Hey cp, this may not be the super-short menu style you like, but you can reduce it some, anyway.

That's a plus.

That single logoff button setup kind of throws the look of the start menu off a bit though.

bk13GarbageMan
Reply #30 Thursday, October 29, 2009 2:07 PM

Fred is really Treetog in disguise!!! We caught you out buddy!!!

I wish I had His talent!

 

 

...........I actually never read Dilbert until M1 commented, just read a few......yep, that's ME!!!!

vStyler
Reply #31 Thursday, October 29, 2009 2:08 PM

That single logoff button setup kind of throws the look of the start menu off a bit though.

I hate it. perhaps the worst thing about 7 so far, really bad design choice by MS.

 

How does it look up top Brian? You can bet all the top taskbar users are going to come out of the woodwork and complain about gaps.

 

Another damned if you do..scenario, as if there weren't enough to deal with already for wb skinners.

 

Yay.. another reason for substyles.

Mirsguy
Reply #32 Thursday, October 29, 2009 2:32 PM

How does it look up top Brian?

I don't like it as much with the larger gap, but it doesn't really bother me.

Mirsguy
Reply #33 Thursday, October 29, 2009 2:35 PM

Brian, If you add a tiny bit of noise to the gradient on your startpanel, it will mask some of the banding that you are getting there. Just a suggestion

Thanks for that; I'll look into it! It's actually not banding, it's how it was designed. But you know how it goes. If people think it's banding, then it is banding.

vStyler
Reply #34 Thursday, October 29, 2009 2:45 PM

yeah, doesn't so much look bad as it does.. wrong.. i guess. Anyway, If enough people complain then it's a choice of s substyle or leaving the gap in the lower menu....I suppose... not much else we can do about it.

Neil, is there going to be a fix for this issue?

tI think by banding Tim means the stutter stepping in the horizontal gradient in the gloss layer in the start menu, I can't imagine that was by design was it ? Perhaps a misunderstanding there?

Edit - you know.. honestly my monitor is so bad, it could just be a problem with it, I cant actually say it looks bad at this point, I'm getting ghosting \ shadowing in most areas. It all looks pretty good to me actually if I take my monitor issues out of the mix.

One thing i do notice tho brian is the inner square inside your search box, thats usually a result of trasparency being used in the search \ url image.

Good news is im a day or so away from a new Samsung 26' LCD\ HDTV combo

2of3
Reply #35 Thursday, October 29, 2009 2:49 PM

think by banding Tim means the stutter stepped horizontal gradient in the gloss layer in the start menu, I can't imagine that was by design was it ? Perhaps a misunderstanding there?

that's it.

I don't actually see it in the screeny from reply #32, but I do see it on #27.

vStyler
Reply #36 Thursday, October 29, 2009 2:54 PM

I don't actually see it in the screeny from reply #32, but I do see it on #27.

 

haha, u know your right, I thought i was losing my mind in my last post...  , cos i looked at 27 then went back and had looked at 32, so yes, its definitely there. Was doubting myself due to monitor problems.. and looking at the wrong image! 

Basically the flatter, the less contrasted the wallpaper being used the more its going to be noticable, especially over grey or flat black. It's just less noticable, if at all over the wall in 32 and the stuff behind the start menu was helping hide it too. and yes a 'tad' of noise \ gaussian blur, perhaps .02% would go a long way to fixing that.

zakai1369
Reply #37 Thursday, October 29, 2009 3:42 PM

I hate it. perhaps the worst thing about 7 so far, really bad design choice by MS.

you'd think in the least they would have centered it between the edge of the search box and the right side of the menu to help it not look quite so lopsided.

 

I don't like it as much with the larger gap, but it doesn't really bother me.

Just tell the people that don't like the gap to start using the taskbar in the right place

cplair
Reply #38 Thursday, October 29, 2009 3:56 PM

Hey cp, this may not be the super-short menu style you like, but you can reduce it some, anyway

Don't get me wrong BB.  Guys like you, Tim, vStyles and our skinners, I totally trust.

I just feel in my heart that Mickeysoft went 4 steps backwards with their last two OS's.  And to me a major part of this failure is the design and operating function of the "new" start menu.

I can understand the WMP, I have 15,000 songs.  I can understand the Windows Explorer needing a file search.

But having to search my Start Menu as an aesthetic means of navigation is just plain rubbish.

I've had a Vista system for 3 years now, fully loaded with Stardock and I don't use it.

I've professionally supported every Windows platform made since 1990.  This is the first time I've ever personally passed on a chance to migrate my OS, because I really don't like the direction.

So it's you guys that keep me interested and in tuned, not the public bandwagon, opinions or commercials.

Thanks for all you do bro!  I mean it!

 

 

Mirsguy
Reply #39 Thursday, October 29, 2009 4:34 PM

gaussian blur, perhaps .02% would go a long way to fixing that.

That's ur motto, isn't it? I'll look at that tonight. Thanks guys!

Just tell the people that don't like the gap to start using the taskbar in the right place

Oh, and DanilloOC was able to get back to me. I had done the taskbar button mask correctly, I just had saved the .tga incorrectly. Didn't know that PS cs4 couldn't do it correctly.

I couldn't make up my mind whether I liked the new glow or not, so I just made a substyle for it.

danioc
Reply #40 Thursday, October 29, 2009 4:39 PM

 

issue # 2: I believe I e-mailed you a fix for that today.

 

Issue # 3: right now the setting for thta part on SkinStudio is not working, follow the Win7-WB7 doc Imade and add the code by hand, get the dock here: https://forums.wincustomize.com/359820

Please login to comment and/or vote for this skin.

Welcome Guest! Please take the time to register with us.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:

  • Richer content, access to many features that are disabled for guests like commenting on the forums and downloading skins.
  • Access to a great community, with a massive database of many, many areas of interest.
  • Access to contests & subscription offers like exclusive emails.
  • It's simple, and FREE!



web-wc01