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How to Recapture the Start Menu in Windows 8.1
In this issue
How to Recapture the Start Menu in Windows 8.1
You can choose to use a third-party utility that adds a Start menu to Windows 8.1.
If you’re running Windows 8.1 and you miss the good ol’ classic Start menu, you’re not stuck. You can recapture the goodness of the traditional Windows 7 Start menu through a Start menu program. Such software as Classic Shell, Pokki’s Windows 8 Start Menu, Start 8, and Start Menu X bring back or approximate the look and feel of the classic Windows Start menu. And they offer other advantages. You can typically customize the Start menu in these programs to alter their layout and appearance. And you can usually create, move, and delete folders and shortcuts to organize and manage your Start menu. Let’s see how you can use and tweak these programs to evoke the traditional Start menu.
Classic Shell
Created by developer Ivaylo Beltchev, this free Start menu replacement is one of my personal favorites. After you install the software in Windows 8.1, click on the Start button. The program asks you what type of Start menu you want to see. Choose your option, such as the classic Windows 7 style with the familiar two column layout. In the left column, you can switch between a view of your most-used programs and all programs. And in the right column, you’ll spot the familiar Windows locations and features, such as Documents, Pictures, Music, Control Panel, and the Run command. From the menu, you can also search for programs, files, and other items. A Shut Down option provides links to restart your PC, put it to sleep, go into hibernate mode, and log off.
Classic Shell also offers a host of settings you can tweak. Right-click on the Start button and click on Settings. Here, you can change the layout to a classic style with one column or one with two columns. You can choose which features and commands appear on the menu. You can select a different skin for the menu and a different look for the Start button.
You can also edit the Start menu. Just click on the Start button, right-click on Open or Open All Users, and a File Explorer window pops up, giving you the ability to create, rename, and delete your Start menu folders and shortcuts. For those of you yearning for the traditional Start menu, Classic Shell is nicely-designed, easy to use, and full of options.
Pokki Windows 8 Start Menu
The free Pokki Start menu is a bit different than its brethren. Instead of replacing your existing Windows 8.1 Start button, it adds a new button on the taskbar. Click on the Pokki button, and up pops a two-paned menu. On the left are links to All Programs, Control Panel, Documents, Music, and Pictures. At the bottom is the Shut Down option with links to restart, hibernate, sleep, and log off. And the right pane changes depending on which feature you select. Click on My Favorites, and your favorite apps appear. Click on All Programs, and all your installed programs appear, organized by category. Click on Control Panel, and all the items in Control Panel appear. At the top is a search field so you can track down apps and files by name. Right-click on an application, and you can add it to your Favorites list, pin it to the taskbar, open it as an administrator, or uninstall it.
The down arrow at the top of the menu leads you to a Settings screen. Here, you can alter the look of the menu by choosing a specific theme, change the Start button, determine whether you want to see recently-used apps, and control which items you see on the left pane of the menu. Pokki Menu doesn’t look or act like the classic Start menu, so it may not be for everyone. But it uses a unique style and design that offers its own benefits.
Start 8
This is another one of my favorite Start menu programs. Cooked up by the folks at Stardock, Start 8 is designed for Windows 8 and 8.1. After installing the program, click on the Start button, and you’ll see the traditional two-column Start menu. On the left pane you can switch between All Programs and recently-used applications, and on the right pane you can access various Windows features and places, such as Documents, Pictures, Music, Settings, and Control Panel. You can also tap into a Shut Down feature with the usual options and a link to bring up the regular Windows 10 Start menu.
Start 8 offers a variety options to tweak. Right-click on the Start button and click on Configure. From the settings window, you opt for a Windows 7 style menu or the Windows 8 style. You can choose a specific theme for the menu and image for the Start button. You can also determine which items appear on the menu. And if you want to edit the menu, simply click on the Start button, right-click on All Programs and click on Open All Users. That brings you to a File Explorer window where you can edit and rearrange all your folders and shortcuts.
You can take Start 8 for a spin with a 30-day trial. After that, the software will cost you $4.99 if you want to keep it. Yes, you can snag other Start menu programs, such as Classic Shell, for free. But Start 8 is well-designed and well worth the price.
Start Menu X
Install and configure Start Menu X, and up pops a Start menu that resembles the old Windows XP menu with its cascading list of folders and shortcuts. On the left pane are links to your documents, pictures, music, and programs. Click on a particular folder or feature, and the right pane displays its subfolders and individual shortcuts. A Run button at the top provides access to the Run command as well as quick access to all your Windows folders and features. And a Search field rests at the bottom along with Power Control button with links to shut down, restart, lock your PC, and log off.
Start Menu X offers one cool and unique feature – the ability to create virtual groups. You can organize similar programs into a single group without having to mess around with their folders and shortcuts. You can then click on a virtual group’s folder from the Start menu to easily access any of the programs within. To customize Start Menu X, click on the Options button. In the Options screen, you can then tweak the layout and color theme of the menu, change the look of the Start button, and control your virtual groups. The basic version of Start Menu X is free, or you can opt for a $9.99 pro version that offers more features.
Of the programs highlighted here, my top picks are Classic Shell and Start 8, though the others are worth checking out as well. And what about those of you running Windows 10? Of course, Microsoft decided to bring back the Start menu in the newest flavor of Windows, though it’s not the same Start menu we know from Windows 7 days. If you want to recapture the look and feel of the classic Start menu, check out my article on “Should You Replace Your Windows 10 Start Menu? And With What?” Many of the same Start menu programs that work with Windows 8.1 also work with Windows 10 or are available in versions designed for Windows 10.
Ready or Not, Here it Comes: Windows 10 Fall Creators Update Lands in 12 Days
Microsoft’s fourth Windows 10 iteration, which will begin its global roll out via Windows Update, will also make this the first time Microsoft has released two feature updates in the same calendar year. This is inline with their announced plans for Windows as a Service (WaaS) and their long term update cycles — but we know the pace can seem dizzying.
Note: The Anniversary Update from August 2016 and the Creators Update from this past April were both released within the same 12 month period but it crossed year lines between 2016 and 2017. |
The Fall Creators Update officially began its development back in April. Just 23 builds and 174 days later Microsoft released Build 16299 as the final full build in the Fall Creators Update dev cycle.
This week, they released a Cumulative Update to that build to push it up to 16299.15 and Windows Insiders in the Fast and Slow Rings now have access to this build for their devices. Back in the days before Windows 10 we would call this the Release To Manufacturing (RTM) build and that would trigger a sequence of events to sign the final code and declare it gold and complete. Then it would begin shipping to OEM partners so they could finalize their own work for updating the operating system on their hardware devices for drivers, etc.
The big difference between those days and now with Windows 10 is the timeframe. RTM used to occur a couple of months ahead of General Availability (GA) to produce retail media and media to send to OEMs but now it happens just a couple of weeks ahead of GA and everything gets delivered digitally.
Oh, and Microsoft no longer uses the term RTM officially in this era of WaaS, but it is still effectively the same thing.
What happens next: The 16299.15 build will become available to eligible devices on October 17. Microsoft has previously announced this will be a global rollout. However, I still expect they will take things slowly so they can monitor upgrades and make sure there are no issues with a wide range of devices. Typically, known hardware from first- and third-party vendors will see it initially and it will expand from there.
The company usually makes a stand alone method of upgrading available through their Windows 10 Media Creation Tool in the first few days after a new feature update is released. This tool allows users to force the update for their devices.
For those of you with no desire to see the Fall Creators Update yet, you will need to be running Windows 10 Pro to defer the update on your system. You can access that option under Windows Settings>Windows Update>Advanced Settings.
Of course there is a laundry list of new features that have been added to the Fall Creators Update including OneDrive Files On-Demand and Windows Mixed Reality plus enhancements to the Action Center, Windows Settings, and Start Menu. In addition many of the inbox apps have been updated over the last 5 1/2 months with new features and capabilities to check out.
Since there is just 27 months left in the extended support lifecycle for Windows 7 this fourth feature update might be a good point to seriously begin evaluating Windows 10 as your next desktop operating system. In the days of Windows 7 it would almost be time for a second service pack at this point and most would approach the next Microsoft OS after the first service pack was released.
Will the Fall Creators Update be your upgrade point to Windows 10?
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