Installation

Installation Guide

📥 Downloading the Release

Download the appropriate .zip release for your architecture (x64 or x86) from the GitHub Releases page.

🛠️ Installation Steps

1. Extract the contents of the downloaded .zip file.
2. Place all files directly into your Windows System32 directory (C:\Windows\System32).
3. Run the EliteSettings.cpl or Win32Explorer.exe to launch the taskbar replacement manually.

Note: For 32-bit systems, the x86 executables have been conveniently renamed to match the x64 equivalents, so you can follow these exact same instructions without worrying about different file paths!

🐚 Setting as the Default Windows Shell

To completely replace the native Windows Explorer shell with Elite-TaskBar (so it launches automatically on boot instead of explorer.exe):

1. Open the Registry Editor (regedit.exe).
2. Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
3. Locate the String value named Shell.
4. Change its value data from explorer.exe to Win32Explorer.exe.
5. Restart your computer or log out and log back in. The custom Progman desktop and classic taskbar will now load natively!

⚙️ Adding to the Control Panel

By placing EliteSettings.cpl directly into the C:\Windows\System32 directory during the installation steps, Windows will automatically register and display the EliteSettings applet within the native Windows Control Panel. Simply open the native Control Panel and look for the EliteSoftware icon to access your configuration!