Ways to get back the Start Menu/Button in Win8

[polar]

Start Menu 8 for me. I don't want to pay a dime for an app that is not requisite.

[JorgeA]

InfoWorld has a page with descriptions and brief reviews of several Start Menu replacements that are said to work on Windows 8.1.

I'll be using this as the starting point for indicating, on our list, Start Menu replacements for Win8.1.

If an item on the list is reported or confirmed to work on this newest version of the OS, it will be marked with "8.1" at the end of the listing for quick identification.

--JorgeA

Edited November 8, 2013 by JorgeA

[JorgeA]

It's starting to look like the ultimate Start Menu replacement might be put out by... Microsoft itself:

What might a new Windows Start Menu look like?

Since [Paul] Thurrott's initial December 10 report on the return of the Start Menu, I've heard from my own contacts that this is highly likely to happen. Microsoft is, indeed, highly likely to bring back Start Menu. Supposedly it's being called internally "mini-Start," (as it won't be a full-screen Start Menu like in Windows 8), one of my contacts said.

Microsoft may opt to introduce this new Menu as part of the "Threshold" Windows wave in the spring of 2015 or possibly before that, via some kind of Windows 8.1 update. I've heard there is an "Update 1" coming for Windows 8.1 in the spring of 2014, but no word as to how many subsequent updates may be in the pipeline.

--JorgeA

Edited December 12, 2013 by JorgeA

[JorgeA]

A brief rundown of some of the major (free and pay) Start Button/Menu replacements:

Don’t wait for Windows 'Threshold', get a Start button and menu in Windows 8.1 NOW

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

By now, most Windows 8 (8.1) users know that Microsoft intends to bring back the Start Menu in substantially (though not exactly) the same form as it existed in Windows 7. This could happen as early as this summer.

If and when the official Start Menu with a proper Start Button comes back, this thread will lose its purpose -- mostly, but not entirely: if you look at the image in the linked article, it appears that the revived Menu may feature some sort of integration with Metro apps (unknown at this stage whether users will be able to banish them from the new Menu), so users who'd rather have nothing at all to do with Metro might still want to choose from our list. Assuming that it's possible to override the default Start Menu.

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

Almost two years into Windows 8 RTM, there's still enough interest out there in Start Menu alternatives to justify articles about them on significant websites:

 

How to bring back the Start menu and button to Windows 8

 

StartIsBack and Classic Shell both get nice writeups in there. 

 

--JorgeA

 

[NoelC]

 

still enough interest out there in Start Menu alternatives to justify articles about them on significant websites

 

Well yeah, considering 90% of Windows users haven't yet touched Windows 8. 

 

The loss of the functionality the Start menu provided is real, and every single one of them is going to go "what the..." when they first see Microsoft firing a .454 Casull on its own foot.

 

-Noel

[JorgeA]

LOL      :angrym:

 

--JorgeA

[jaclaz]

The loss of the functionality the Start menu provided is real, and every single one of them is going to go "what the..." when they first see Microsoft firing a .454 Casull on its own foot.

 

... and they did it in C#/.NET

 

This would probably need to be updated:

http://www.toodarkpark.org/computers/humor/shoot-self-in-foot.html

C#

You shoot yourself in the foot, but first have to switch to unsafe mode.

You forget precisely how to use the .NET interface and shoot yourself in the foot. You sue Microsoft for damages.

 

 

unless of course they will sue themselves too.

 

jaclaz

Edited July 7, 2014 by jaclaz

[JorgeA]

Betanews.com has a new post with another list of free Start Menu replacements. There's one new one there (new to us, anyway), Anvisoft's OneStart, that we have now added to the list.

 

--JorgeA

[NokTham]

Gonna leave this as my first post on this forum,

 

True Launch Bar http://www.truelaunchbar.com/

 

Enables the user to create it's own start menu within the Quick Launch Bar, it serves as a replacement, although it will not remove Windows original start menu, but you can create a start menu from it, the software might be messy at first time usage, might take some time for users to get to know it well, and work well with it, it happened to me, but it's the best replacement I have found so far.

 

There are 2 versions of the software, one is paid the other is free (the free one is available here http://www.freelaunchbar.com), the free one is enough if you just want a replacement, but the full version is worth buying.

 

Here's a comparision of both versions

Full feature list in here http://www.truelaunchbar.com/features.html

 

 

 

 

And here's the Start Menu I have customized in my system,

 

 

My Start Menu might be simple, flat and clean, that's how I like it, specially the flat, but you can customize it the way you want, on the website there are pre-made skins available, and some cool screenshots of what you can do it with True Launch Bar.

 

Oh and don't mind the Start Menu icon (XP lover here xD), you can make it whatever you want, even 3 stage images (normal, pressed and highlight).

Edited April 28, 2015 by NokTham

[yoltboy01]

Is there any way in how to get the Windows 10 build 98xx Start Menu, otherwise known as the RT 8.1 Update 3 Start Menu, on Windows 8.1?