Start Menu for Rainmeter v1.5.7

Build Information

Release: v1.5.7
Download: Click the download button to your right.
Development Status: Discontinued

I simply do not have to time to continue work on this project at any reasonable rate. If anyone else would like to pick up where I left off they are welcome to as long as they give credit where credit is due (not just to me but to all those whose works I used).

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System Requirements

Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, or 10 with Rainmeter 3.0.2 or later (rainmeter.net/cms/) installed.

Note: Internet Explorer sometimes renames .rmskin files to .zip files. If this happens you will need to go to the file location and rename it back to a .rmskin before running it.


Important: Using With a Portable Installation of Rainmeter
If you want to be able to launch the Start Menu from your windows taskbar using a portable installation of Rainmeter, a little tweaking is required.
1. In the Menu and MenuSmall folders there are subfolders called Link and LinkSmall. Contained in these are the .LNK shortcut files used to launch the menu from your taskbar.
2. Right click on the .LNK shortcut, select properties, and go to the shortcut tab
3. Replace the current folder paths for the Target and Start In parameters. Be sure not to delete the !ToggleConfig bang.

If you followed the steps correctly the taskbar Start Menu shortcuts should now run without problem on a portable installation of Rainmeter. If you have any further questions feel free to leave a comment below.

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Release Notes

1.5.7
- More bug fixes
- Added six new icon packs

1.5.5
- Various bug fixes including to the broken Rainmeter update checker
- Compatibility improved for portable Rainmeter installations
- Added ability to check for Rainmeter beta releases
- Added confirmation popups when pressing shutdown, log off, and restart buttons
- Performance and appearance have been optimized
- Added auto-update checker to start menus (can be disabled in settings menu)
- Added new icon pack

1.5.1
- Fixed a bug in the update checker incorrectly displaying a new version available.

1.5.0
- The overall UI has been refined and updated and should have a much more metro feel
- There are now arrows above the power buttons that allow you to view the weather and wifi status in addition to the app list.
- Settings menus have been polished and simplified
- The outdated small Classic start menu has been updated with the new features (Metro still not available)
- There is now a guide accessible from the settings menu that will step you through the process of importing old application tile settings
- You can now search directly into Windows Explorer
- You can now use Locate32 to search your computer. Locate32 creates a search database in its folder to allow for near instant searches of anything on your computer. When selected as search engine there will be a button by the search bar to refresh its database (it does not update automatically.)
And Much more!

1.3.0
- New Start Menu variant, the Metro Menu, which is only currently available in standard size.
- A separate settings menu has been added for the Metro Menu, including the abilities to change metro icons, the metro app background color, and the metro app icon tint.
- Several minor improvements to the Setup menu
- Improved flow of settings menus (not finished however)
- Fixed a text error in the setup section
- Moved part of the Change Log to a txt file in the ZIP folder
- File size reduced by deleting unused images


Please visit this Rainmeter forums thread for information about pre-v1.3.0 release builds (rainmeter.net/forum/viewtopic.…).

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Questions & Answers

What is this?
A skin for Rainmeter supported Operating Systems (excluding Win XP) to bring back the start menu and orb.

Do I have to have Rainmeter v3.0.2 or newer installed to use this?
Yes, you MUST have Rainmeter v3.0.2 or newer installed to use this Start Menu. It won't work with older versions, period.


How do I manually change one of my Apps icon, name, or path?
If you want to change that stuff manually, those variables (like the 7th app name) are in a file called VariablesApps.inc

Its location should be this:
Go to %USERPROFILE% then Documents then Rainmeter then Skins then Start Menu and finially resources


How do I access the settings menu?

For the Classic start menu, click the black settings icon in the lower right-hand corner of the start menu.

For the Metro start menu, click the title called "Settings".

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Credits

The credits section has grown too large and is now viewable as a popup from the Settings display of the skin.

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Questions, thoughts, and feedback are welcome and encouraged.