In the designing of Windows 8,Microsoft eliminating the Start Menu was clearly the most controversial. In previous versions of Windows, the Start Menu was a kind of universal cockpit for Windows. It let you quickly find and launch applications, do searches, restart and shut down Windows, and much more.
Microsoft spent a fair amount of time not only taking away the Start Menu, but digging through Windows code to get rid of hand-done hacks that could bring it back. So many of the hacks for bringing it to Windows 8 that were available for preview versions of the operating system don’t work on the final version.
However, there are two ways to bring it back, and to do much more as well—download and use Start8 from Stardock or StartFinity from WinAbility Software. They both bring back the Start Menu, and offer a kind of hacker’s heaven of other hacks, including one that lets you boot directly to the Desktop, bypassing the Windows 8 Start screen.
Start 8
To use Start 8, first head to the Stardock Win8 page. Click the “Get It Now” button and from the page that appears, click “Get it Now” again to buy it for $4.99, or click “Try it Free” for a thirty-day trial. If you click the button for a trial, you’ll have to enter your email address. You’ll then be sent an email that includes a link that you can click to download the application.
Install it, and you can configure how it works by clicking the appropriate button on the lefthand side of the screen, such as for the Start button’s visual style, what items should be on it, and much more.
Here’s what each of the buttons control:
Style
This controls its visual style, such as its visual theme, whether it should be translucent, what the button should look like (including an image on your PC), and so on.
Configure
You've got plenty of options here, such as whether to show recently used applications, what shortcuts you want on the menu, whether to open sub menus when you pause on them with the mouse pointer, how many icons the menu should have, and what the power button should do.
Control
This gives you a dizzying array of options, including going directly to the Desktop when you sign into Windows 8, controlling how Window 8 native app navigation works, disabling the Charms bar when you’re on the Desktop…and much, much more.
Whatever you decide, don’t worry—you can change the options later. Once you've configured it, you’re ready to go. Tap the Windows key on your keyboard, and up pops an old friend—the Start button . It looks and works much like the one you've come to know.
Take some time getting used to it, because even though it works much like the old Start button, it also includes some Windows 8 features. To change how it works, rightclick it and select Configure Start8 and hack away.
StartFinity
There are two versions of StartFinity—a $14.95 version that lets you customize how it works, and the free Starter Edition that doesn’t let you customize it. Other than that, the versions are essentially the same. Note that you can only use the free Starter Edition on non-business computers for non-business tasks. Get the free version at www.winability.com/startfinity-free/ and the for-pay version at www.winability.com/startfinity/. Note that for the free version, you’ll have to enter your email address, and you’ll be sent an email with a link to download the free software. Keep in mind that when you do that, you’ll also have to agree to get sent email from WinAbility, the maker of StartFinity, although the company says that you’ll be able to unsubscribe.
Install it, and it brings back the Start button and menu . It’s simple and straightforward. Click the Start button and get to work.
Enjoy....
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