Are you a fan of the Start Menu that Microsoft banished from Windows
8? Fear not—there’s a simple way to bring it back in all its glory.
Of the many decisions Microsoft made in designing Windows 8, 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.
Start8
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 (Figure 1). 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 submenus 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 (Figure 2). It looks and works much like
the one you’ve come to know.
Figure 1.
Configuring Start8
Figure 2.
What’s that shiny thing in the bottom-left corner of the Desktop? Oh, now I remember—it’s my
old friend, the Start button.
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 (Figure 3). It’s simple and
straightforward. Click the Start button and get to work.
Figure 3.
The Start button, courtesy of StartFinity
See Also
• “Use the Built-In Mini Start Menu”
• “Hack a Quick-and-Dirty Start Menu for the Desktop”
Няма коментари:
Публикуване на коментар