Discussion on:

Make the Windows 8 Start Screen work like the Start Menu

Greg's technique is just one of the ways Windows 8 and the Metro UI can be modified to reflect the way you work. What tweaks have you made to Windows 8 to mold it to your will?

Can't wait to try it out.

It appears that this still covers the entire screen and any apps that might be running rather than a menu that covers only 15% at the left.

well as I can see so far, you only did filter out and put it back again the ones you need the most
well I have news for you, you can even give 'blocks' names like: needed most etc., no need to filter out, you just push the ones you need most of the times at the most left side of the screen, like I did...;;but if wanne play around, be my quest.

I prefer search, list and filter. I can't see this working well for anyone with lots of applications, just lots of wasted time having to organise things. Google have the right model, with large amounts of files the easiest way to get to them is by search and filtering. Remember how painful it is to use windows explorer in icon mode?

I don't like bulky junk on my screen; give me a simple list view without an oversized icon. Microsoft acts like we all have bad eyesight; Icons only need to be 1/2 tall!

I thought Access 2010 was bad with it's HORRIBLE and inefficient interface but "8" has topped it in stupidity.

Most businesses will not use Windows 8 for one good reason - the Metro interface is too much of a radical change. Administrators must be able to give their users the Start button and hide the Metro interface if needed.
This is clearly an operating system aimed at tablets for consumers with little or no regard to the millions of business users who don't want such a radical design change.
This strikes me as the Windows Millennium Edition debacle, trying to integrate two disparate OSes and failing badly on all counts.
I am constantly accidentally opening IE when on the desktop due to looking for a non-existent Start button!!!
C'mon Microsoft give users what they need - flexibility. If a user wants Metro let them have it, if not, give them back the Start button. Windows 8 might then have a chance.

Now we are dumbed-down to a computer game platform. I use a computer for work, not games and I am intelligent enough to open what I need without big game style icons.

Microsoft's marketing is about 60 years out of date. Anyone remember the "New and improved Tide"?, the New and improved Joy dish washing liquid"? Nothing was really "new and improved" except the packaging.

I do not understand what you mean by Windows being USA based. Can you be more specific? What changes would you like to see that would make Windows more international?

Holw do you define US based drivers? Because they are in English? WEll, there are other countrires that use English. On top of that, it is not Microsoft's responsibility to provide drivers but the manufacturer. If HP doesn't want to provide drivers in Japanese or Hindu, it is their decision - not Microsoft.
MIcrosoft provides Windows in dozens of languages [although English will be one of the first batches to be released, followed by the next set of popular languages].
If you are in Israel, you buy a copy of windows, it will most likely be available in Hebrew. Another language other than Hebrew will require a special order. Similarly, if you want English but you are in Germany.
Microsoft provides more languages for the OS [as well as Office] than any other OS.
I think you are probably just anti-US.

All fine and dandy. Seems like a lot of extra work just to get something back that should never have been removed. Can you access this new fancy schmancy Start menu with Ctrl+Escape? I doubt it.

Greg, you've helped me with this tip. I've been fighting the Metro UI since the Developer Preview, first trying to use it as-is, and then using Stardock's app to return to something approaching the traditional Start menu. I continue to feel that the default organization of the Start screen is much more attuned to a tablet interface, and is less than helpful for us desktop or laptop users. Live tiles are fine if that's what you're going to be looking at for the most part; if you're trying to use windowed applications, though, they're largely worthless because you're not going to be in the Metro UI. Windows Gadgets are far more useful to me on the desktop, since I can arrange my open windows to show them.

I still like the traditional Start menu. I don't see that changing when Windows 8 is released. This modification of the Start screen, however, helps me to use Windows 8 more productively. Thanks.

Why is it that you need to make such cumbersome changes to get a Start Menu. I don't pay Microsoft all this money for me to be doing their job for them. I want the Start Menu there as it has been in the past. I don't want the hassle of having to customise it - PC's were supposed to make my life easier NOT harder remember ! This is a design based on producing a process that is way too complex so you can pay a pile of other useless 'experts' to unravel a mystery that should not be there in the first place. The whole thing is a pox and I am off to Apple - thanks for NOTHING Microsoft !

Ken

Your screen is very similar to what I did. It like how it works. I did create a couple of new short cuts for Restart and Shutdown and put them on my first grouping.

I haven't been following Windows 8 very much, so have a question. Is there any compelling reason to update to Windows 8 if you are very happy with Windows 7, use a desktop/keyboard/mouse/non-touch monitor, and use the computer for only a few things that are handled well by Window 7 apps?

with the way your computer performs, there is no reason to upgrade anything. Not hardware, not OS, not apps. Just keep the security apps (anti-virus, firewall, etc.) up to date and apply the recommended periodic patches.

Windows 7 will eventually become old enough that new hardware and new applications will not work. I suspect that that time will be longer than MS planned just as XP has lived much longer than anyone would have expected. Vista was never accepted and thus many refused to leave XP until Win 7. I suspect Win 8 will make Win 7 live longer than expected. Maybe Win8 should be renamed to Windows Vista-Me. Of course Win 8 left SilverLight and WPF in less than a good position and many of us invested in these since last year they were the future. This is sad in that the desktop base OS seems to be stable and works well.

I could live with this solution.
How does it work if you have even more programs installed, more than what can fit on 1 screen?
Can you make it so it just brings forward the programs that you commonly use? (like the start menu does?)


Can we just convince MS to not dump Aero?