Replacing the Start Menu

Question

I want to make my own Start Menu replacement and I am trying to figure out what approach to use. There are a number of ways the Start Menu is activated: click on it, hit windows key, hit Ctrl+Esc keys or tab until it gets focus and hit the space or enter key.

I know enough about win32 to do each one of these separately and I could figure it out with Spy++. I'd really like to know if there is an easier way through and I can't find any helpful articles.

I'd like to do this for XP and Vista/Windows 7.

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Sep 04 '09 at 01:24

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I guess that you would have to inject yourself into the explorer.exe process (There can be more than one, but you want the one that has the "Shell_TrayWnd" window) and subclass the taskbar or one of its children to catch/eat the message that brings up the startmenu and instead, show your own window.

answered Sep 04 '09 at 01:24

Anders

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Thanks. I'll accept this answer because it's probably a good start. – Wayne Bloss Apr 20 '10 at 15:13

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Sep 03 '09 at 22:44

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Take a look at http://bitbucket.org/wez/evildesk/src/755606d7935d/gdi.cpp , I think you could start your project by seing what they've done.

answered Sep 03 '09 at 22:44

woliveirajr

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That is a complete shell replacement, the question is about the start menu – Anders Sep 04 '09 at 02:09

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Sep 03 '09 at 22:26

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You can use WindowBlinds and design your own Start Menu as well.

answered Sep 03 '09 at 22:26

waqasahmed

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I think he's more interested in programming his own, and hooking into it himself, rather then using an off the shelf product. – Dominic Bou-Samra Sep 03 '09 at 23:54

Replacing the Start Menu

3 Answers3