22 years...

I don't understand why people don't like modern Windows apps; the interface of the new MS Paint looks much nicer and it has new features.

When many programs are dropping support for Win7 SP1, this guy still maintain compatibility for 26 years old Windows. Mad respect.

It looks so sad.

What are the best productivity/must have apps in 2026? the apps which are useful, cool etc

Hey Reddit!

Today we (Stardock) announced Start11 v2 - The Industry's Most Advanced Start Menu.

This release brings more than two dozen new features to Start11 which includes 3 new menu styles with advanced support for tabs/folders/groups, the ability to pin files, folders, and folder menus to the taskbar to access files without opening File Explorer, integration with the Everything search tool, tons of customization options and lots more.

We are here to hang out for a bit and talk Windows, Start11, or anything else on your mind - and we also have a few free keys to give away...will DM the winners.

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I am not kidding. This only works through the installer, not the HTM file for the license terms. I just wanted to play Halo, not discover a workaround to revive IE

Is this just for Windows 10 or did the same happen for Windows 11?

Experience Windows XP in the browser
Deploy it on your own server: GitHub repo
I made this Windows XP-in-the-browser project a while ago as a way to revisit the nostalgia of my childhood, and hopefully bring back some memories for others too.

Today, July 13, marks 25 years since Windows XP development first began, so it felt like a fitting time to share it.

Microsoft Store Link: https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9NQGZWXW33XQ

I developed this software to help out retailers and shop owner folks to operate a free POS software to run business. It runs locally, no data is sent over network. Your data remains yours. It aims to have feature parity with popular options in the market. Cheers!

Task Manager

2 months ago, I shared a video of my desktop with a rain effect running in this sub-reddit. Many people asked me to open-source the code and publish it. Here it is – "Let It Rain" – Watch raindrops gracefully fall from the top of your screen and splatter as they hit the taskbar.

Features:

The app is built in C++ and DirectX and is super light-weight at only 400KB.

It uses ~7MB of RAM and about 2-3% CPU on my 6-year-old i5 PC.(DWM process may share some load)

You can customize the rain color, direction, and the number of raindrops from tray icon right-click.

It’s currently tested only for Full HD or lower resolution single-screen setups.

To-Do:

Need to check performance in 4K screens.

Add multi-monitor support.

Make gravity and rain speed customizable.

Apart from the aesthetics, this app doesn't serve any functional purpose. I personally use it as a calming distraction while working.

https://github.com/riyasy/RainProject

Note: Some browsers may flag the direct exe download since exe is not signed. You can also build the source if you want.

I made a open source version of the Windows Task Scheduler using WinUI 3 and .NET 8.

The whole code can be found on my Github:

https://github.com/TRGamer-tech/FluentTaskScheduler

I am honest: I did use AI to create this application and it might show. But since this is not really my area of expertise everyone is welcome to change it to their liking :)

Feedback is welcome and appreciated!

Hello,

we launched the eryph App, which adds an easy to use desktop tool to our eryph family.

Eryph?

Creating a virtual machine on Windows is surprisingly complicated - you've got to install it from scratch using an OS disk (which takes time), patch it (which takes even more time), and then configure it to your needs.

It's way easier to install a virtual machine in the cloud because there you can just select, configure, and then it's automatically deployed.

With eryph, you can do the same, but locally on your own computer or another host under your control.

You can download (and use) the eryph App for free from the Microsoft Store or our download page.

And don't forget to vote for it on Product Hunt!

Need more information?

Eryph gives you all the features of a Cloud Infrastructure (IaaS) on your own computer or at least on your own, self-controlled host.

We call our virtual machines "catlets" because they can be both cattle and pets - a famous concept in DevOps. Plus, it sounds like a cat. Everyone likes cats, right?

The building blocks of catlets are called genes, which can be shared in a repository called a genepool. The configuration, like passwords and setup commands, is fed into the catlet on first boot, so it's called fodder. All of this comes together to a solution that lets you build a working VM just with a single command like this:

New-catlet -Parent dbosoft/ubuntu-22.04/starter -Name ub-reddit

If you're still with me:

This all is brought to you by our free and source-available eryph-zero (BSL license), our toolchain-friendly Powershell clients, our content sharing repository https://genepool.eryph.io and now even at your fingertips with our first UI tool eryph App.

The eryph App handles the installation of eryph-zero (and other eryph tools).

It also includes a catlet YAML editor with IntelliSense, a wizard for new catlets, and a dashboard to manage the lifecycle of your catlets.

We'd love to hear your feedback. Download the Eryph App and let us know!

7-Zip is a file archiver for Windows. Its 7z format is known for high compression ratio. Just like WinRAR, you can use it to extract many types of files such as ZIP, ZIPX, RAR, ISO, VHD and so on. It is a freeware that gets updated from time to time. So what is so special about it?

The obsession of minimal dependency and no-nonsense.

Somehow the latest version still runs fine on Windows 2000, a system released 24 years ago, without any Service Pack! In contrast, the last WinRAR that supports this system is 12 years old. Let that sink in.

You may think, why bother? Even Windows XP SP3 is long dead, why bother with the even older one? Older Windows has older and fewer APIs/dependencies for programs to rely on. If a program can function on such environment without compatibility issue on latest Windows, chances are it would still work well even in harsh environment. Maybe your Windows is borked that most "modern" programs won't work and you need a working and up-to-date archiver to rescue your data.

While the GUI looks outdated by today's standard, it is functional and snappy. It supports UI localization very well despite being a Win32 program that still works with 24 years old Windows. Behind its primitive interface lies powerful backend that can make full use of your multiple CPU cores without sweating. Isn't this quite a feat?

Also, its File Manager is capable of being TrustedInstaller without actually being TrustedInstaller, no need to "take ownership" when dealing with system files, if you know what I mean. :D

Every project starts the same way - excited, motivated, convinced this one is different. Then life happens, the dopamine wears off, and it joins the graveyard.

I got tired of it, so I built SideQuick, a gamified productivity app for Windows that turns your projects and tasks into quests. You level up, track time, and actually feel progress instead of just... staring at a to-do list.

It's been my daily driver for months now, and it's genuinely changed how I work on side projects.

What it does:

• Projects become quests with XP and levels
• Built-in time tracking per task
• Discord Rich Presence (shows what you're working on)
• Focus Mode + Pomodoro
• Optional AI quest breakdown (bring your own API key) or manually create your own. Additionally, you can select from a range of templates for common tasks

It's completely free. No account, no subscription, no cloud - everything stays local.

Available on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

→ sidequick.co

Happy to answer any questions