[Skin] Get Windows 10 Look-Like Start Menu in Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 and 8.1

We know that Start Menu has been added back into Microsoft’s upcoming OS Windows 10. After getting a huge demand for the good ol’ Start Menu, Microsoft has finally decided to put Start Menu back in Windows 10 operating system.

Microsoft has tried to make Windows 10 Start Menu a combination of both classic Start Menu as well as the new Windows 8 Start Screen. Windows 10 Start Menu shows the classic programs shortcuts along with live tiles of installed apps, programs and system shortcuts such as Control Panel, etc.

New_Start_Menu_with_Live_Tiles.png

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Since Windows 10 is under development and testing, many people are not using it but what to do if someone wants to stay with Windows XP, Windows 7 or Windows 8 but also wants to test and enjoy Windows 10 style Start Menu in his Windows version?

Don’t worry! Today in this article, we are going to share an excellent skin created by our friend PeterRollar which will try to bring Windows 10 style Start Menu in earlier Windows versions. It comes in 4 different colors: Blue, Brown, Green and Red.

After following this tutorial, you’ll be able to get Windows 10 look-like Start Menu in Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1.

So without wasting time lets start the tutorial:

1. To be able to enjoy this Windows 10 Start Menu skin, you’ll need to first install one of the best Start Menu alternatives for Windows i.e. ViStart tool.

You can download and install ViStart using following article:

Download ViStart for Windows

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2. Now its time to download and install ViStart skin to enjoy Windows 10 Start Menu in your Windows.

First download Windows 10 Start Menu skin for ViStart from following link:

Download Windows 10 Start Menu Skin for ViStart

3. After downloading the RAR file, extract it using 7-Zip, WinRAR or other file archive utility and you’ll get following files and folders:

  • Windows 10 Start menu Ferrari
  • Windows 10 Start menu green
  • Windows 10 Start menu brown
  • Windows 10 Start menu blue
  • English.xml

4. Now close ViStart by right-clicking on its system tray icon and selecting Exit option.

5. Now type %appdata%\ViStart\_skins in RUN dialog box and press Enter. It’ll open ViStart skins folder.

6. Copy all 4 skin folders from extracted from the RAR file in step 3 and paste them into %appdata%\ViStart\_skins folder.

7. Now go to parent folder “ViStart” using Up button (or ALT+Up hotkey) and then go to Languages folder. Here you’ll see a file English.xml.

Rename this file to some other name such as English_bak.xml and then copy English.xml file extracted from RAR file in step 3 and paste it into Languages folder.

8. That’s it. We have installed the required skins for ViStart. Now its time to apply these skins in ViStart.

Launch ViStart using ViStart.exe file present in the same ViStart folder and then open its Options window using system tray icon.

In the first Style tab, you’ll see the newly installed Windows 10 Start Menu skins present in Start Menu drop-down menu. Select any desired skin and it’ll immediately apply that skin in ViStart Start Menu.

That’s it. Now you are ready to enjoy Windows 10 look-like Start Menu in all previous Windows versions.

Also Check:

Published in: Themes and Wallpapers, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Vista, Windows XP

About the author: Vishal Gupta (also known as VG) has been awarded with Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) award. He holds Masters degree in Computer Applications (MCA). He has written several tech articles for popular newspapers and magazines and has also appeared in tech shows on various TV channels.

Comments

NOTE: Older comments have been removed to reduce database overhead.

  1. Hello Sir! I recently uninstalled windows 10 skin but there is one problem.
    ‘Start’ text has not been removed located at start button after uninstalling.
    How to remove it?
    Screenshot: s28.postimg.org/atj3nyzx7/paint.png

  2. ^^ Are you talking about the ViStart skin mentioned in this topic? If yes, did you try to uninstall ViStart? Please provide more details.

  3. @Dipak
    If you are talking about Vistart, this is no normal behaviour but also no problem. The only prob is that i don’t know the correct english word for it. Maybe you understand it anyways.Rightclick on your taskbar. You will see something like “Symbol bars” It’s the menu which shows”Adress, Links,Desktop and so on. You will find a entry named”Start”. Simply delete it.

  4. If you want to remove “Start” after uninstallation, it’s very easy. Right click in the taskbar>tools bar and uncheck “Start”. Good luck !

  5. Hello VG!! I tried to install vistart in my windows 8.1 pc but it is making a start button near the default start button of windows 8.1. Rest all works fine. Any solution to this problem? I want it to replace the default start button but it is not doing so….

  6. @Rahul
    Please uninstall Vistart and install it again. This happens very seldom and is a relic of Windows8 compatibility because it had no startbutton. A new version of Vistart with bugfixes is coming soon.
    And while the installation you have the choice how the startbutton shall be changed. Click on “Use old method”. This should do it for you.

  7. Have tried a couple of different flavors of Windows 10 tech Preview, and all had one significant negative–that to install and use, you had to almost sell your soul (and certainly access to your stuff) to Microsoft. But it was finally beginning to look endurable…until the latest half-***ed attempt at a start menu. A smaller version of the start page is not what I had in mind. Then a strange battery malfunction, which almost led to a fire in a computer brand I shall not name here, led me to buy a new Toshiba 17″ laptop,which include an App called “Pokki Start Menu”, which works perfectly as a Windows 8.1 Start Menu and *appears* to be what the Windows 10 one was maybe trying to do. If they want Win 10 to work, maybe Microsoft needs to buy Pokki’s code!

  8. In windows 10 iso i find in source > sxs a winrar file first i install .net using your .net offline instller but i unable to install .net then i extract the zip file in sxs and again try it but again it fali and show error how i fix it.

  9. Okay Vishal, but does it really work like Windows 10 start, where as you click on the corner and it changes to the METRO START SCREEN that covers the whole desktop?

  10. this didn;t answer my question at all.when i had upgraded to window 7 from vista it told me how to get windows 7 to look exactly like windows xp step by step and it worked out great..i was going to do the same thing to windows 10 and make it look like xp.i want the windows 10 platform with the complete look of xp.apparently if this isn’t doable i guess i’ll be sicking with my windows 7.this windows 10 looks like a big headache.i like real simple and user friendly and this appears to be anything but.

  11. ^^ Thats a false positive. You can ignore that alert. Just make sure to uncheck bundled software while installing ViStart.

  12. Hello,
    i am using Rainmeter as my UI and have the enigma theme installed.
    How can i integrate any one of the skins into Rainmeter?

    Or maybe i can use both Rainmeter & ViStart in parallel?

    Pls Advise. Thanks.

  13. hello.. can i take this tutorial please?? newinfinitepro.deviantart.com/art/Win10rtm-607534734
    i hope that you like it. thanks

  14. thanks for all useful information. one question, are there skins or msstyles for windows 7, the same as were worked, by you and other geniuses, to change menu, taskbars, etc…best regards

  15. I followed every step but in the end I didn’t see any Windows 10 start menu

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