Ways to get back the Start Menu/Button in Win8

[JorgeA]

Will Microsoft Restore the Start Menu to Windows 8?

http://www.cio-today.com/news/Will-the-Start-Menu-Make-a-Return-/story.xhtml?story_id=0330041RIW6X&full_skip=1

MagicAndre,

This is a very hopeful article! Ballmer would have to instruct JLG to revive the Start Button+Menu as a condition of getting to replace Sinofsky.

If it's OK with you (and the mods), I'm going to link to this article over in the Deeper Impressions thread.

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

8Start Button is a further metroish Start Menu, available in either a free or a more highly customizable paid version.

--JorgeA

Edited November 17, 2012 by JorgeA

[JorgeA]

Here's another utility to bypass the Start Screen and boot straight to the Desktop.

--JorgeA

Edited November 17, 2012 by JorgeA

[Laurence]

JorgeA, thanks for the update. Slowly but surely the count is increasing.

I see that the download webpage of Viva Start Menu has been updated: it now correctly states 64-bit and "32-bit" version availability. I just had a look at your listing on the first page, and I gather there must have been outstanding objections to having the Viva Start Menu included. Nonetheless, I have no doubt that more will yet surface. . . at least until MS does a turn-about-face. (However just in case MS persists in stubbornly willing not to do such a thing, I am not going to hold my breath. )

regards,

Laurence

[JorgeA]

JorgeA, thanks for the update. Slowly but surely the count is increasing.

I see that the download webpage of Viva Start Menu has been updated: it now correctly states 64-bit and "32-bit" version availability. I just had a look at your listing on the first page, and I gather there must have been outstanding objections to having the Viva Start Menu included. Nonetheless, I have no doubt that more will yet surface. . . at least until MS does a turn-about-face. (However just in case MS persists in stubbornly willing not to do such a thing, I am not going to hold my breath. )

Laurence,

There haven't been any new objections to adding the Viva Start Menu. I was waiting to hear back from xpclient (or anybody else who wanted to weigh in) on the thoughts that I offered to what he said, but it's been several days so I guess we can go ahead and put that one on the list, too.

Regarding whether MS will change their minds, maybe somebody will cut-and-paste our whole list and post it on a Microsoft forum page to embarrass them...

--JorgeA

[Laurence]

Laurence' date='

Regarding whether MS will change their minds, maybe somebody will cut-and-paste our whole list and post it on a Microsoft forum page to embarrass them...

--JorgeA[/quote']

Hi JorgeA,

I don't know what effect (if any at all) it might have on Microsoft; still, it couldn't hurt to spread the word about an increasing number of third-party offerings which bring back a familiar Start Button/Menu while using the Desktop interface in Windows 8. So check out this link.

regards,

Laurence

[JorgeA]

I don't know what effect (if any at all) it might have on Microsoft; still, it couldn't hurt to spread the word about an increasing number of third-party offerings which bring back a familiar Start Button/Menu while using the Desktop interface in Windows 8. So check out this link.

Hi Laurence,

Fantastic!! And when I went in, I saw there were already two positive replies.

Spread far and wide...

--JorgeA

[xpclient]

There haven't been any new objections to adding the Viva Start Menu. I was waiting to hear back from xpclient (or anybody else who wanted to weigh in) on the thoughts that I offered to what he said, but it's been several days so I guess we can go ahead and put that one on the list, too.

--JorgeA

Oh no. I have no objections. I just thought it is important to mention the products that are based on Classic Shell.

[Laurence]

Another one is Handy Start Menu

[jaclaz]

Another one is Handy Start Menu

Which - without entering in the quality/which is better/which is worse/etc. - of the apps listed is - unless I am mistaken - app #31, i.e. you can use next December to try each of them one per day .

@JorgeA

With all due respect to all the developers involved in the making of these apps , I may suggest that the lack of start menu in Windows 8 is not the ONLY problem affecting 8 or previous MS Operating Systems, so maybe it's time to accept that a whole test month worth of apps has already been made and good willing programmers may find something better to do than writing yet another similar app.

Maybe one could use November 30th as a deadline, anything published (and tested successfully) before that "deadline" will be added to the list, anything coming later than that would be an unneeded duplication of something already developed by someone else.... (I don't think that there are hundreds different ways to get back the Start Menu , and even if there are so many, it starts to seem a lot like "exercises in style", nice , but maybe superfluous )

jaclaz

[Laurence]

Hi JorgeA,

I know the following little portable program is not a Start Button and Start Menu replacement for Windows 8, but still thought I would to bring it to your attention; and I certainly am not asking for it to be added to your list. It is just that whenever I have installed any desktop programs (most all) the installer always places an icon on the Metro/Modern screen as well, and I'd prefer that it did not; well this program prevents that from happening. I thought that perhaps others too might like to know about it, and if they come to this forum and topic they will.

AutoPin Controller

regards,

Laurence

[Laurence]

@ The Finder

It is my understanding that this topic "Ways to get back the Start Menu/Button in Win8" is for anyone to post about a Start Button/Start Menu for the Windows 8 desktop which they may already be aware of or perhaps come across on the web, if it falls within the five rules to guide this thread. Thus creating a "Master" list of sorts regarding what is available on the Net (referring to the aforementioned) to choose among for anyone who is wanting such a program, without having to do time consuming searching themselves. As to which is better, which is worse, that is up to the end user to decide for their self: what I want or works for me may not be what you want or works for you. I think it is about choice, what Microsoft could have but did not give its users (yet).

regards,

Laurence

[jaclaz]

It is my understanding that this topic "Ways to get back the Start Menu/Button in Win8" is for anyone to post about a Start Button/Start Menu for the Windows 8 desktop which they may already be aware of or perhaps come across on the web, if it falls within the five rules to guide this thread. Thus creating a "Master" list of sorts regarding what is available on the Net (referring to the aforementioned) to choose among for anyone who is wanting such a program, without having to do time consuming searching themselves.

Sure , that's exactly the idea.

As to which is better, which is worse, that is up to the end user to decide for their self: what I want or works for me may not be what you want or works for you. I think it is about choice, what Microsoft could have but did not give its users (yet).

Indeed. :

What I was trying to point out is that a list with a finite number of choices is useful, as the "casual user" will have a chance (and this is freedom ) to test each of them and then decide which one is better for him/her.

When the number of available choices becomes so big that noone in his right mind will be able to test each and every of them, it is not anymore useful and to become useful again, a smaller subset of "editor's picks" starts to be needed.

The comment was aimed at two different targets , one being the "editor" JorgeA that might want to exit "neutrality" or "mere listing" to highlight the "best" programs or however provide a "classification" of them, the other one to any programmer that passes by and thinks - by chance - "Cool, I might write another app that does the same as one of these", the message in this case is simply "Make sure you do something new or really cool, otherwise you will have wasted your time on a non-problem as the problem has already been solved, and solved in a myriad of ways".

Of course this is only my personal opinion.

jaclaz

[Tripredacus]

Will Microsoft Restore the Start Menu to Windows 8?

http://www.cio-today.com/news/Will-the-Start-Menu-Make-a-Return-/story.xhtml?story_id=0330041RIW6X&full_skip=1

And from that article:

analysts say many enterprises won't begin pilot studies of Windows 8 until 2013.

Enterprises won't go to it because the Enterprise support cycle allows them to skip products. Its no surprise that most skipped Vista and will go to 7, its because XP extended support lasted long enough for a new OS to come out. So unless the currently accepted (and incorrect, imo) business model changes, I don't see any corporations going to Windows 8 if they don't have to.

[JorgeA]

I know the following little portable program is not a Start Button and Start Menu replacement for Windows 8, but still thought I would to bring it to your attention; and I certainly am not asking for it to be added to your list. It is just that whenever I have installed any desktop programs (most all) the installer always places an icon on the Metro/Modern screen as well, and I'd prefer that it did not; well this program prevents that from happening. I thought that perhaps others too might like to know about it, and if they come to this forum and topic they will.

Hi Laurence,

That's a neat little program. IMHO it deserves greater visibiiity by standing in its own thread. Here in this thread, it'll tend to get buried by the surrounding information/discussion.

We can keep it here of course, but I'd suggest also posting it separately so that visitors to MSFN can see the concept as they're browsing through the forum.

--JorgeA

P.S. Your link led me to find a method by WinAero to natively boot to the Desktop without relying on third-party tools. Added to the list.

Edited November 19, 2012 by JorgeA