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So, I have made a version of windows that looks like it isn't running windows (no logos or common windows tropes), so that it looks like it is only the software I choose that is running, sort of like a fake embedded program.
One of the things I changed to make it like this is the reg key "COMPUTER\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Shell" to equal the path to the program I want to run. This also takes away the taskbar and start menu (great at this point)
The issue I am having is I want to be able to reopen on my will "explorer.exe" so that the taskbar and start menu appears again. But when I create a new task "explorer.exe" via task manager, I only get an explorer window, not the taskbar and windows menu that normally comes with it!
Note - I don't want explorer.exe open all the time, I just want to be able to run it when I am changing settings etc
I've had a google and every result I can find is about when people have closed the process afterwards. Just running "Explorer.exe", doesn't work
Any help is much appreciated
Thanks
Alex Spicer
Posted 2015-06-09T11:34:37.630
Reputation: 25
If you've replaced the shell with another then you need to log off and log back on if you want to switch again. You can't separate the various components of explorer.exe and access only some and not the rest. – Karan – 2015-06-09T11:39:33.000
@Karan Thanks Karan, although I tried this, unfortunately didn't help. I log back in and it just opens the program configured. I don't wan't to separate the components, I just want all the components. – Alex Spicer – 2015-06-09T11:45:53.147
I don't think you understood my comment properly. I didn't mean that logging off and logging back in would help you. What I meant was that to access all components of explorer you need to set it back as the shell again by editing that registry key. – Karan – 2015-06-09T11:51:46.707
@Karan Ohhhhhhhh, Is there not any other way? – Alex Spicer – 2015-06-09T11:53:24.000
Not that I know of, but you should wait for others to respond. – Karan – 2015-06-09T11:54:07.770
At least in earlier versions of Windows, the task bar has been provided by Explorer (the same Explorer that puts the icons on your desktop, etc.). I don't know if it's still that way in Windows 7, but I see no reason why it wouldn't be. You can't get "just the taskbar", you get the whole Windows shell. Compare Windows Server Core which runs a command line window as the primary user interface, inside the normal Windows GUI framework, and completely lacks the taskbar. E.g., second screenshot here.
– a CVn – 2015-06-09T11:54:54.377@MichaelKjörling Hi, Thanks for the response, but I think you're misunderstanding me. I don't want to get just the task bar. I'm fine with opening up the entire explorer.exe program, as long as I get the task bar and start menu with it. – Alex Spicer – 2015-06-09T12:04:25.847