ViStart .NET

A reimplementation of the Vista-style Start Menu for Windows 7+ using .NET Framework 4.0.

Overview

This is a complete rewrite of the original VB6 ViStart project, modernized for .NET while maintaining compatibility with Windows 7 and later versions. The project leverages built-in .NET features to significantly reduce code complexity compared to the original VB6 implementation.

Key Improvements Over VB6 Version

Architecture

• Modern .NET Framework: Uses .NET 4.0 for broad compatibility
• Native GDI+ Support: No need for custom GDI+ wrappers
• Built-in Layered Windows: Uses .NET's native support for alpha-blended windows
• JSON Configuration: Simple, human-readable settings storage
• Strong Typing: Full type safety throughout the codebase

Code Reduction

• ~80% Less Code: From ~15,000+ lines to ~3,000 lines
• No Custom Collections: Uses generic List and Dictionary<K,V>
• No Manual Memory Management: Automatic garbage collection
• Simplified Graphics: Uses System.Drawing instead of custom wrappers
• Built-in XML Support: Uses System.Xml.Linq for theme parsing

Features

• Custom Start Button (orb) with hover states
• Layered, alpha-blended Start Menu
• Pinned and Frequent Programs
• All Programs menu with search
• Search functionality with live results
• Power options (Shutdown, Restart, Log Off)
• Navigation pane for common folders
• Theme support via layout.xml
• Keyboard hook for Windows key capture
• Settings persistence in JSON format

Project Structure

ViStart/
├── Core/                   # Core functionality
│   ├── AppSettings.cs      # JSON-based settings management
│   ├── ThemeManager.cs     # Theme loading and parsing
│   ├── IconCache.cs        # Icon caching system
│   └── StartMenuIndexer.cs # Program indexing and search
├── Data/                   # Data models
│   ├── Program.cs          # Program representation
│   ├── ProgramDatabase.cs  # Program storage
│   └── NavigationItem.cs   # Navigation items
├── Native/                 # P/Invoke declarations
│   ├── User32.cs           # User32.dll functions
│   ├── Shell32.cs          # Shell32.dll functions
│   ├── Gdi32.cs            # GDI32.dll functions
│   ├── KeyboardHook.cs     # Low-level keyboard hook
│   └── NativeMethods.cs    # Misc native methods
├── UI/                     # User interface components
│   ├── LayeredWindow.cs    # Base layered window class
│   ├── StartButton.cs      # Start button/orb
│   ├── StartMenu.cs        # Main start menu window
│   ├── FrequentProgramsPanel.cs
│   ├── ProgramMenuPanel.cs
│   ├── SearchBox.cs
│   ├── PowerButton.cs
│   └── JumpListPanel.cs
└── Program.cs              # Application entry point

Configuration

Settings Location

Settings are stored in JSON format at: %APPDATA%\Lee-Soft.com\ViStart\settings.json

Current JSON settings include values like CurrentSkin, CurrentOrb, keyboard hook options, and visual behavior flags (see AppSettings.cs).

Theme Structure

Themes are defined in layout.xml files that specify element positions, colors, and images.

Skin Support

Skins can be placed in: %APPDATA%\Lee-Soft.com\ViStart\_skins\[SkinName]\

Each skin folder should contain:

• startmenu.png - Main menu background
• start_button.png - Start button/orb (4 vertical states)
• layout.xml - Element positioning
• Additional graphics as needed

Right-click the ViStart orb to open a quick menu where you can switch the active skin and orb. Selected values are persisted in settings.json.

Language Support

Runtime UI language switching is supported via JSON language packs in Languages/*.json (default english.json; includes czech, brazilian, chinesesimplified, dutch, finnish, french, german, hebrew, italian, korean, polish, romanian, russian, spanish, thai, turkish). Language packs are maintained directly as JSON files in this repository.

Building

Requirements:

• Visual Studio 2010 or later
• .NET Framework 4.0 or later

Build the solution:

msbuild ViStart.sln /p:Configuration=Release

Or open ViStart.sln in Visual Studio and build from the IDE.

Compatibility

• Minimum: Windows 7
• Tested: Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows 11
• Architecture: x86 and x64 build configurations are available
• .NET: Requires .NET Framework 4.0 Client Profile

Migration from VB6 Version

This version does not read old VB6 settings files. This was an intentional design decision to start with a clean slate and modern data format (JSON).

If you have the VB6 version installed, both can coexist, but they maintain separate settings.

Features Removed from VB6 Version

The following features were intentionally removed to simplify the codebase:

• Windows 8 Metro integration
• Plugin system
• Command-line skin/orb installation
• Multiple layout support in single XML
• Advanced font configuration
• VML document support
• Automatic updates

Development Notes

Why .NET 4.0?

.NET 4.0 was chosen as it's the last version that supports Windows XP SP3 (though Windows 7 is our minimum target). It's also widely available on Windows 7+ systems without requiring additional downloads.

Architecture Decisions

1. Layered Windows: All windows use the layered window API for proper alpha blending
2. Manual Rendering: Controls are rendered manually to bitmaps for full control over appearance
3. Event-Driven: Uses standard .NET event model instead of VB6's WithEvents
4. Separation of Concerns: Clear separation between UI, data, and business logic

Performance

The .NET version is significantly faster than the VB6 version due to:

• Better memory management
• Efficient icon caching
• Optimized rendering pipeline
• Native .NET framework optimizations

Known Limitations

1. Single Instance: Only one instance can run at a time (by design)
2. Theme Compatibility: Old VB6 themes need minor adjustments for the new layout parser
3. Windows XP: While .NET 4.0 supports XP, this build targets Windows 7+ for simplicity

Future Enhancements

Potential additions:

• More theme options
• User-customizable keyboard shortcuts
• Recent files integration
• Enhanced search with file content
• Touch-friendly mode for tablets

License

Same license as the original ViStart project.

Credits

Original ViStart by Lee-Soft.com .NET Reimplementation: 2026