If youre running Windows 8. Start menu back, take a look at our list of the. How to bring back the Start menu and button to Windows 8. With Windows 1. 0 seemingly just around the corner, Microsoft plans to fix one of its most egregious mistakes with Windows 8 the missing Start menu. By now you may know the story, as the company has gradually backtracked throughout various updates since the OS launched in late 2. And Windows 1. 0 will bring the real thing back, albeit in an enhanced fashion that doesnt depend on fiddly per user shortcuts and extra folders. The thing is, unless youre willing to experiment with Windows 1. Technical Preview, the new version wont help you yet. For several years now, every Windows desktop and laptop sold in a store comes with Windows 8. While Windows 8. 1 Update somewhat improves the situation, its still no Windows 7 when it comes to ease of use. Heres the problem, in a nutshell Lets say youve just installed Windows 8. Windows 8 PC. After poking around for a bit youve finally found your way to the desktop. In the bottom left corner, youll see what looks like the Start button, but when you click it, youll be rewarded with a hideous new Start screen, not the Start menu that you know and love from Windows 7 and Vista. For some reason, despite the aforementioned series of updates over the last two years that are meant to make Windows 8 more user friendly for mouse and keyboard users, Microsoft is still forcing us to use the Metro interface instead of a real Start menu. Comments. Brother Nathanael August 21, 2011 1036 pm Text Text Text Text How The Jews Mock Jesus Christ By Brother Nathanael Kapner. The good news is, despite Microsofts best efforts to ensure that the Start button and menu remain banished from its new OS, there are a bunch of third party Windows 8 Start menu replacement apps that you can download today. Really, it goes to show how devoted the existing user base is. Microsoft completely stripped out the underlying Start menu code to quash potential Luddite revolutionaries, and yet now there are dozens of Start menu and Start button replacements some of which are even superior to Microsofts own Windows 7 Start menu. If youre running Windows 8. Start menu back, take a look at our list of the best, least expensive, and most authentic Windows 8 Start menu replacements. Windows 8 Start button and menu replacements. Start Menu Reviver 2. Start Menu Reviver 2 is a touch screen friendly option one of the few that is, considering most people want the original Start menu back because theyre used to a keyboard and mouse. In this case, the new version is nicer, with plenty of sizing options and the ability to create shortcuts for documents, music, video, websites, and other tasks. It also embraces the Windows 8 tile design, without completely taking over the UI the way Windows 8 Metro does. Watch Vampire Warriors Online Metacritic. It now includes scrolling tiles and a Windows 7 like mode as well. Download Start Menu River 2 freeVi. Watch The Adventures Of The Black Stallion Season 1. Start. Vi. Start is one of the most customizable Start menu restorers for Windows 8, and lets you choose from a variety of skins. Vi. Start includes a blurred, translucent menu that integrated well with Windows 8, as well as a Windows 7 like Start Menu skin that we imagine some people will want to head straight for. Watch The Great Raid 4Shared' title='Watch The Great Raid 4Shared' />Download the free trial version below to get started. Doubleclick the downloaded file to install the software. I celebrate myself, and sing myself, And what I assume you shall assume, For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you. I loafe and invite my soul. Watch The Great Raid 4Shared' title='Watch The Great Raid 4Shared' />It also speeds up program launches thanks to built in indexing, and advertises a faster than Windows 7 search option for your local PC. Download Vi. Start freeStart. Is. Back. If you want a Windows 8 Start menu replacement that looks exactly like Windows 7, Start. Is. Back is for you. You get the same Start button orb icon, the same Start menu search box, the same jump lists, and for better or worse even the same Aero transparency. As you can see in the screenshot above, Start. Is. Back even detects if your system needs to restart to apply some patches it really is just like the Windows 7 Start menu. Where Start. Is. Back diverges from the Windows 7 Start menu, though, is configurability You can adjust which hot corners are enabled, make your PC jump straight to the Desktop when it first boots up, and configure a key combo to show the Windows 8 Start screen WinCtrl by default. Download Start. Is. Back 3, free 3. Pokki. Where Start. Is. Back tries to replicate the Windows of yesteryear, Pokki free is very much its own beast and as much as we love the Windows 7 Start menu, we have to admit that Pokki is probably even better. It utilizes a neat pinning system that isnt unlike the home screen of your smartphone or tablet. You can also add widgets to Pokki, such as Gmail or Facebook, which display your latest email or status updates. By default, Pokki will configure your Windows 8 system to boot straight to the Desktop and there is an option that will just completely disable the hot corners, if you so desire. Remember, WinC pops open the Charms menu, if you need. Download Pokki freeNext page A few more Windows 8 Start button and menu replacements.