One of the biggest complaints almost Windows 8 is Microsoft’s removal of the Start push as well as Start menu. In this article, writer Michael Miller examines third-party applications that hope to set the Start carte du jour dorsum inward Windows 8 – as well as tells yous which are worth your while.
Windows 8 introduces a build novel user interface, alternately called the Metro, Modern, Windows 8, or Tiled interface. This novel interface is typified past times the novel Start screen, where big, brightly colored tiles stand upward for all the apps as well as utilities installed on your PC. Windows 8 also takes away many things of which we’re familiar, most notably the Start push as well as Start menu. This motion has annoyed as well as incensed millions of upgraders, as well as quite perchance been constituent of the argue for Windows 8’s pathetic reviews as well as fifty-fifty poorer sales.
Fortunately, yous don’t get got to alive amongst Microsoft’s determination to take the Start push as well as Start menu. There are several third-party solutions that render this basic functionality to Windows 8 – inward an unofficial capacity, of course.
What Happened to the Start Menu?
If you’re ane of the hundreds of millions of people who’ve used a previous version of Windows, Microsoft’s novel Windows 8 represents somewhat of a conundrum. There’s all this novel candy-colored window dressing, inward the shape of the tiled Start screen, but at the expense of the tried as well as truthful way of doing things. In particular, users are griping – loudly – almost Microsoft’s removal of the Start push as well as Start carte du jour from the Desktop environment.And justly so, if yous inquire me. Those of us non using Windows 8 on a touchscreen tablet – which is pretty much everyone – are forced to relearn what used to live on a elementary way to launch programs as well as utilities. Instead of clicking the Start push as well as selecting an item from the Start menu, yous know get got to dorsum out the Start concealment (and how exercise yous exercise that, exactly?), hence honor as well as click or tap a large ol’ tile for the item yous desire to open. This approach – the only way to exercise it inward Windows 8 – rudely shifts yous from ane operating surround to another, which adds to a greater extent than fourth dimension to a mutual task. It’s an unnecessary as well as inefficient modify that was non requested past times whatsoever user I’m aware of.
Why, then, did Microsoft take the Start push as well as Start menu? To forcefulness everyone into the novel Metro interface, of course. Deep inside the bowels of Microsoft, the Windows Development Team got a põrnikas upward its collective butt that the really nature of personal computing was shifting, as well as that tablets amongst touchscreen capability were going to live on stealing users away from the traditional PC surround – as well as Microsoft’s really profitable Windows operating system. Since Microsoft was non a actor inward the tablet market, this fright of tablets (specifically, a fright of Apple’s iPad) led the squad to educate a version of Windows optimized for tablet use. Hence the large fingertip-friendly tiles of Windows 8’s Start screen.
That’s all good as well as good, as well as maybe fifty-fifty a decent production strategy, but hence Microsoft took this betoken to its illogical conclusion as well as decided that the novel touch-friendly operating surround (initially dubbed Metro) should live on made universal across all types of devices – from tablets to smartphones to desktop as well as notebook PCs. And the Metro interface wouldn’t only live on made available on these devices, but rather made mandatory. Metro was the way of the future, whether anybody wanted it or not, hence Microsoft would forcefulness it upon its entire user base. It didn’t affair whether or non people similar it, it was skilful for them. Or hence sayeth Microsoft.
So that’s how nosotros got Windows 8 as well as the tiled Start concealment interface. And since the Microsofties were drunkard on the Metro Kool-Aid, they decided to forcefulness this novel way on everyone past times making it impossible to exercise things the quondam way – that is, past times removing the Start push as well as Start menu. In Windows 8, if yous desire to launch a novel program, yous get got to utilization the Start screen. There’s no other option.
You don’t get got to live on a fellow member of the Gallup identify unit of measurement to realize that most existing Windows users would resist this change. Nobody asked for it, subsequently all; people get got been happy using the Start push as well as Start carte du jour e'er since Windows 95, almost 2 decades ago. Removing those quondam familiar tools non only confused existing users, it made them angry. Very angry.
We desire our Start push back
Examining Start Menu Replacements
Fortunately, in that location are about options, inward the shape of Start carte du jour replacement utilities. These are third-party tools that add together dorsum about semblance of a Start push as well as Start carte du jour to the Windows 8 Desktop. These tools are non supplied or endorsed past times Microsoft; that would live on asking besides much. Instead, these tools come upward from exterior companies recognizing a truthful user need.Let’s get got a await at the most pop of these Start carte du jour replacement tools. There are genuinely to a greater extent than available than I holler here, but I’ve constitute these to piece of work the most smoothly as well as get got the to the lowest degree compatibility problems of the bunch.
Classic Shell for Windows 8
Classic Shell is genuinely a collection of utilities for Windows 8. In improver to the Start push as well as Start carte du jour for the Desktop, yous also acquire a novel toolbar as well as condition bar for Windows Explorer, equally good equally a caption as well as condition bar for the Internet Explorer spider web browser.
Classic Shell for Windows 8 – amongst the Windows 7-style Start push selected
Start Menu 8's replacement Start menu
Start8
Stardock’s Start8 adds a Windows 7-style Start carte du jour dorsum to Windows 8. It also addresses about other effect faced past times Windows 8 users past times letting yous kicking direct to the Desktop, completely bypassing the novel Metro Start screen. That’s a large plus, equally it makes Windows 8 pretty much similar Windows vii – yous never get got to acquire out out to the Metro interface if yous don’t desire to.
Start8 inward action
By the way, Start8 offers a slew of customization options, including the powerfulness to display a Metro Start screen-style carte du jour when yous click the novel Start button. This mightiness live on a way for about Desktop users to relaxation into the Metro interface, if yous like.
Unlike about of the other Start carte du jour replacements, however, Start8 isn’t free. You’ll pay $4.99 to download as well as install this tool, although in that location is a costless case available if yous only desire to cheque it out. Learn to a greater extent than at www.stardock.com/products/start8/.
Pokki
Pokki differs from the other Start carte du jour replacements inward that it doesn’t attempt to live on an exact replacement. Instead of trying to replicate the Windows vii Start menu, it lets yous create your ain customized Start carte du jour experience.
A custom Pokki start menu
Pokki is a costless utility, which is also appealing. Learn to a greater extent than at www.pokki.com/windows-8-start-menu.
Other Start Menu Replacements
In the course of didactics of writing this article I checked out several other Start carte du jour replacements, as well as constitute them lacking. Here are the utilities yous mightiness desire to skip:- Power8. This ane industrial plant fine, but genuinely isn’t a genuine Start carte du jour replacement. First of all, it genuinely doesn’t add together a Start button, but rather a modest Start bar at the far left of the Taskbar. Click this as well as yous run across the replacement Start menu, which looks variety of sort of similar the traditional Start menu, but non quite. You don’t acquire the same carte du jour options, as well as to sentiment all your programs (as amongst the quondam All Programs option) yous get got to showtime click Start Menu as well as hence click Programs. It’s improve than non having whatsoever Start push or menu, but non close equally appealing equally the other options discussed previously.
- Start Is Back. I variety of liked this ane at the start; it does an first-class project of mimicking the Windows vii Start menu. (Start is Back ties into about legacy Win7 code that’s soundless inward Win8, hence it’s pretty much the existent deal.) My work was inward uninstalling the plan – which I couldn’t. For about reason, at to the lowest degree on my system, Windows’ Uninstall Program tool doesn’t uninstall this program. That may non live on a large bargain for you, if yous genuinely similar Start Is Back as well as desire to overstep away on using it (it costs $3, past times the way), but I don’t similar programs that won’t allow go; it’s an indication of questionable programming.
- ViStart 8. This utility genuinely isn’t much of a utility. Instead, it’s a novel toolbar that installs on the Desktop Taskbar that mimics the appearance as well as performance of the traditional Start menu. I constitute ViStart to live on extremely kludgy, as well as a really quondam school, depression tech approach to the problem. You’re improve off going amongst ane of the to a greater extent than modern as well as sophisticated Start push replacements.
What About Windows Blue/8.1?
As noted, whatsoever of these third-party tools volition add together Start button/menu functionality dorsum to Windows 8. But why doesn’t Microsoft offering similar functionality itself? Isn’t the fellowship listening to its (loud as well as numerous) user complaints?The answer to that inquiry may come upward inward what was code-named Windows Blue as well as is similar a shot known equally Windows 8.1. Windows 8.1 promises to live on a necessary update to the Windows 8 operating system. It’s somewhere betwixt a elementary service pack as well as a to a greater extent than full-fledged upgrade, offering põrnikas fixes as well as enhanced functionality.
One of the features included inward Windows 8.1 is – hold off for it – a Start button, equally good equally the powerfulness to bypass the Start concealment solely past times booting direct to the Desktop. Rumor has it that the Windows squad has been resisting this addition, but that it’s existence forced dorsum inward past times upper management. (If this is true, bravo to upper management!)
Until the Fall of 2013, however, if yous desire your quondam functionality back, yous demand to become amongst ane of these Start push replacements. It’s non quite the same equally having it all built into the operating system, but it’s a far sight improve than doing completely without.
