{"id":3314,"date":"2013-08-28T12:44:00","date_gmt":"2013-08-28T16:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.nccomputertech.com\/?p=3314"},"modified":"2013-08-28T12:44:00","modified_gmt":"2013-08-28T16:44:00","slug":"the-best-windows-8-start-menu-programs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2013\/08\/28\/the-best-windows-8-start-menu-programs\/","title":{"rendered":"The best Windows 8 Start menu programs"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\nLike a lot of people, I have a very low opinion of Windows 8’s user interface. And one of the things I like least about it is the lack of a Start menu. That’s hardly a unique opinion.
\n(And yes, the image above is a fake. I know of no program that can put the Windows 7 Start menu over the Windows 8 Start screen.)
\n<\/strong><\/strong>Luckily, there are plenty of third-party Start Menu programs. Here are two of the best–with very different approaches.
\nI haven’t tested either of these with Windows 8.1, which isn’t available in its final form as I write this. I figure that if these programs fail to work with the update, the problem will be fixed quickly.<\/p>\n

Return of Windows 7<\/h3>\n
\"\"<\/a>
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you really miss the Windows 7 Start menu, StartIsBack<\/a>\u00a0should be your first choice. Aside from the shamrock icon in place of the traditional Start button, it looks almost identical to Microsoft’s last official Start menu. And if you don’t like the Shamrock, you can change it.
\nStartisBack behaves like the Windows 7 Start menu, too. Recent and pinned programs take their same place on the left panel, with recent file lists for each application. The Search field behaves as you’d expect.
\nAnd yes, you can launch Modern Interface programs from this Start menu. You’ll find them in All Programs’ App submenu.
\nStartIsBack offers extensive configuration options. Many of them–such as the choice to display Control Panel as a link, a menu, or not at all–will be familiar to Windows 7 veterans. But you can also control whether to boot Windows 8 to the Start screen or the desktop, and which key brings up which environment.<\/p>\n

\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After a 30-day free trial, you can buy StartIsBack for a very reasonable $3.<\/p>\n

A Start menu for Windows 8<\/h3>\n
\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Start Menu Reviver<\/a>\u00a0isn’t really a Windows 7 Start menu replacement. It’s more like what Microsoft might have created if they had decided to make a new Start menu for Windows 8.
\nLike the Metro Start screen, it displays big, rectangular tiles. In other words, it’s touch friendly.
\nBy default, the two big tiles on the top are My Computer and Internet Explorer. You can change them. Another, even bigger tile brings you to the Start screen. Below that are 16 tiles which you can set to any installed program–desktop or Modern.
\nThis is the Start menu I would use on a tablet. It does a better job of integrating the two environments than Microsoft ever even tried.
\nBut that’s not saying much.
\nvia PCWorld<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Like a lot of people, I have a very low opinion of Windows 8’s user interface. And one of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5,11],"tags":[1028,1218],"class_list":["post-3314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-microsoft","category-windows","tag-start-menu","tag-windows-8"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/papNkV-Rs","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6034,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2014\/07\/22\/leaked-windows-9-screenshots-reveal-more-detail-about-reborn-start-menu\/","url_meta":{"origin":3314,"position":0},"title":"Leaked ‘Windows 9’ screenshots reveal more detail about reborn Start Menu","author":"NCCT","date":"July 22, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"It's no secret that an upcoming Windows update codenamed 'Threshold' will herald the return of the Start menu and allow Metro apps to operate in windowed mode. Heck, the image above came straight from Microsoft itself. But whenever fresh screenshots of the interface show up it's always worth taking a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Microsoft"","block_context":{"text":"Microsoft","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/microsoft\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5679,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2014\/06\/05\/start-menu-wont-return-to-windows-8-1-until-2015\/","url_meta":{"origin":3314,"position":1},"title":"Start Menu won’t return to Windows 8.1 until 2015","author":"NCCT","date":"June 5, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Back at its BUILD conference in April, Microsoft announced that the Start Menu would be returning to Windows 8.1, and even went as far as to show a preview of what it would look like. The promised\u00a0return of the 'classic'-style menu was met with wide approval, given that many still\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Microsoft"","block_context":{"text":"Microsoft","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/microsoft\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6329,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2014\/08\/28\/why-microsoft-needs-to-reveal-windows-9-sooner-than-later-the-end-of-windows-7\/","url_meta":{"origin":3314,"position":2},"title":"Why Microsoft needs to reveal Windows 9 sooner than later: The end of Windows 7","author":"NCCT","date":"August 28, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Several reports from usually reliable Windows watchers say Microsoft is poised to unveil Windows 9 at the end of September. The new OS will mark the return of the Start menu, the ability to run Metro apps inside desktop windows, and other PC-friendly tweaks. The timing makes ton of sense,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Microsoft"","block_context":{"text":"Microsoft","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/microsoft\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6024,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2014\/07\/17\/new-start-menu-leaks-in-windows-build-9788\/","url_meta":{"origin":3314,"position":3},"title":"New Start menu leaks in Windows build 9788","author":"NCCT","date":"July 17, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Well, it looks like the leaks are starting to flow - or else someone has decided to spend an unhealthy amount of time building an elaborate Start menu replica. As you can see in the image above, the Start menu is there but it's not all that exciting as we\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Microsoft"","block_context":{"text":"Microsoft","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/microsoft\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6221,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2014\/08\/14\/windows-9-ditches-charms-adds-virtual-desktops-fall-public-preview-prepped\/","url_meta":{"origin":3314,"position":4},"title":"Windows 9 Ditches Charms, Adds Virtual Desktops, Fall Public Preview Prepped","author":"NCCT","date":"August 14, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Windows 9 will be a major overhaul of the Windows 8 user interface, as change list continues to expand Even as the public awaits Microsoft Corp.'s (MSFT) upcoming Windows 8.1 Update 2, an even more anticipated release -- the Windows 9 \"Threshold\" Preview Release -- looms on the horizon. With\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Microsoft"","block_context":{"text":"Microsoft","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/microsoft\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8495,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2015\/07\/28\/windows-10-installation-files-already-sneaking-onto-windows-7-and-8-pcs-pcworld\/","url_meta":{"origin":3314,"position":5},"title":"Windows 10 installation files already sneaking onto Windows 7 and 8 PCs","author":"NCCT","date":"July 28, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Tonight is the night, Windows fans. Starting around midnight Eastern on Wednesday, June 29, 2015 Windows 10 will start rolling out to Windows Insider members. And if you're part of the first wave upgrading to Windows 10, your PC may already be primed for the upgrade. Some Windows Insiders are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Microsoft"","block_context":{"text":"Microsoft","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/microsoft\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3314"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3314\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}