Win711

Win7-like Start menu and taskbar for Windows 11. Open source.

Win711 restores classic Start + taskbar habits with a small multi-process stack: a standalone taskbar, a Win7-style Start host, unified settings, and an optional network flyout. Ship builds are self-contained (no .NET Desktop install for end users).

Latest release	Releases on Forgejo
License	See repository LICENSE / component licenses (Open-Shell MIT, ManagedShell/RetroBar Apache-2.0, etc.)
Platform	Windows 10 / 11, x64 only

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Features

• Standalone taskbar - labels, never-combine style buttons, Quick Launch, multi-row density, peeks
• Persistent task order - drag task buttons to reorder; order is saved and restored across restarts (%LocalAppData%\win711\task-order.json)
• Win7-style Start - Open-Shell lineage host; owns the Win key; bar owns the orb and placement
• System tray - classic volume (SndVol), clock / calendar, notification bell, optional collapse
• Themes - bar XAML under theme\bar\, shell skins under theme\shell\ (docs/THEMES.md)
• Settings app - win711-config (WinForms); user data under %LocalAppData%\win711\
• Optional network flyout - Win7-style tray (win711-netman)
• Installer - NSIS Setup packs a self-contained stage tree (no .NET Desktop prereq for ship)
• Computer-use MCP - optional win711-mcp for automation (docs/MCP.md)

Product shape and locks (peers, IPC, non-goals): docs/GOAL.md.

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Requirements

To run (installed Setup):

• Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit
• Administrator install to C:\Program Files\win711\
• No separate .NET Desktop Runtime or VC++ redist for the shipped Setup payload

To build from source:

• Visual Studio (C++ + Desktop C#), .NET SDK, Go (CGO for mcp), GNU Make, NSIS 3 (makensis)
• Full toolchain: BUILD.md

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Install

1. Download win711-Setup-*-x64.exe from the latest release.
2. Run Setup (admin). Default install directory: C:\Program Files\win711\.
3. Optional: Start with Windows (HKCU Run value win711 -> bar).
4. Start Menu folder Win711:
   • Win711 - launch the taskbar
   • Uninstall Win711 - remove the product (user settings kept by default)

Upgrade: re-run a newer Setup over the same folder. Uninstall does not delete %LocalAppData%\win711\ unless you opt in.

Details: docs/INSTALLER.md.

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Quick start

After install:

1. Launch Win711 from the Start Menu (or log off/on if autostart is enabled).
2. The bar starts; it starts/restarts the Start host as needed.
3. Open settings from the bar (or run win711-config.exe from the install folder).
4. Themes and skins live next to the binaries under theme\bar\ and theme\shell\.

User data (settings, logs, task order) stays under:

%LocalAppData%\win711\

Never under Program Files.

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Build from source

cd <repo-root>
make dist          rem FDD eval tree in dist\ (needs .NET Desktop on the machine)
make stage         rem self-contained ship tree in stage\
make installer     rem artifacts\win711-Setup-<VERSION>-x64.exe (needs NSIS 3)

Day-to-day desktop session rebuild:

make dist-reload   rem stop peers -> make dist -> start bar

Tree	Role
dist\	Dev / eval (framework-dependent + PDBs)
stage\	Installer payload (self-contained managed peers)
artifacts\	Setup.exe from make installer

More: BUILD.md. Publish a release asset (with token): make release - see AGENTS.md.

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Repository layout

win711-bar\            Taskbar (primary process)
win711-shell\          Native Start host (Open-Shell lineage)
win711-config\         Unified WinForms settings
win711-netman\         Network tray flyout
win711-crashreport\    Opt-in local crash dump uploader (product peer)
win711-mcp\            Computer-use MCP server
win711-stop\           Graceful peer stop (unload StartMenuDLL)
win711-managedshell\   Win711.ManagedShell library fork
crashreceiver\         Standalone Go multi-app crash collector (not product make/dist)
docs\                  Architecture, goal, installer, themes, ...
tools\                 package-dist, stage, NSIS, release publish
settings.defaults.json Product settings seed (full doc + shell.engine)
shell-defaults.xml     Archive: product Start overrides for export tool only

Study clones (not ship inputs) live under ref\ (gitignored).

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Configuration

Item	Location
Settings file	%LocalAppData%\win711\settings.json
Schema	docs/settings.schema.md
Defaults seed	settings.defaults.json
Config UI	win711-config.exe (-bar / -shell select default tab)

Live apply: save JSON -> Local\Win711.ReloadConfig -> bar and shell re-read.

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Documentation

Doc	Description
docs/GOAL.md	Product goal, locked peers, UX targets (former root README)
BUILD.md	Make targets, toolchain, dist vs stage
CHANGELOG.md	Release notes
docs/ARCHITECTURE.md	Processes, Start, tray, lifecycle
docs/INSTALLER.md	NSIS, stage, upgrade/uninstall
docs/THEMES.md	Theme/skin paths
docs/decisions.md	Locked decisions (D*)
docs/VOLUMEMIXER.md	Classic tray volume UX
docs/MCP.md	MCP tools and gates
docs/ipc-protocol.md	Named-pipe JSONL
AGENTS.md	Agent release/build rules

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Contributing

• Default branch: master
• Prefer small, focused commits
• User-visible changes: update CHANGELOG.md under [Unreleased] when release-worthy
• Report issues and send PRs on Forgejo

Coding agents: follow AGENTS.md (SemVer, "release it" / "re-release it", Make rules).

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Credits

Win711 builds on open-source work, including:

• Open-Shell (Start host lineage)
• RetroBar (taskbar UI ideas)
• ManagedShell (forked as Win711.ManagedShell)
• NeTray-Aero (network flyout reference)

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Disclaimer

Win711 replaces shell/taskbar surfaces on your desktop. Keep backups of important data. Provided as-is, without warranty. Use at your own risk.

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Status

Active development. Bar, shell, config, netman, installer, and stop helper are in daily use from dist\ / Setup. Product locks and roadmap detail: docs/GOAL.md and docs/TODO.md.