Windows 8 Start Button

[Pete48]

So, you bought a new PC and it came all bright and shiny, which is great!  But it also came with Windows 8, which may not be so great for you.  Why?  Because Win8 doesn't have the 1,000 year old "Start Button" on the lower left of the PC desktop screen.

Fear not!

There are a couple of ways to get that sucker back.  One way is to go to www.stardock.com and pay $5 for a small app called "Start8".  You can learn about Start8 here.

If you're looking for a free option (and who isn't?) then you can get "Classic Shell" from SourceForge.net.

Here's the link to Classic Shell

Here's a youtube video about it.

Classic Shell gives you the option of an WinXP, Vista, or Seven style of Start Menu.  And, when I launched Win8 in my Fusion Virtual Machine, it totally went past the Metro UI tile stuff and went directly to the regular desktop, and there, at the bottom left of the taskbar, was the new Start button.  Kinda neat.  And it can be uninstalled with the traditional Control Panel > Add/Delete Programs process.

Pete

[HAZEL BAYERS]

Pete, I was going to take advantage of the cheap upgrade MS is offering through 1/31, but I've read articles that Win 8 doesn't work as well as Win7, especially in the multi-tasking areas.  People say it relies too heavily on Apps and there is a huge loss in user control.  When I'm in tax season, I can have as many as 4 programs running on my screen at the same time - yes, I have a large monitor - so if it has a multi-tasking weakness, it won't be of any use to me.  What's your opinion?

[Pete48]

Hazel,

Only 4?  Hee heeee....I usually have 10 or more running at the same time, but I sprung (sprang??) for 16gb of RAM and I could probably monitor a moon shot with this Mac Mini I have!

I have Win8 running in a virtual machine on a 3 year old iMac, and that Mac has 8gb RAM and I can run a few instances of MSWord, and another couple of Excel and a Powerpoint or 2 with no problem, so no, I don't think Win8 has any multitasking issues at all.  What Win8 does try to do, that I find very annoying, is that it likes to launch an app from the Metri UI Tile screen, and then it looks for all the world like it's only running one thing because that app (say, Internet Explorer 10) is "full screen" and there doesn't easily appear to be a way to minimize it.  The way to minimize it is to use "touch" to swipe the screen and it'll move the open app off the screen.  If you have a touch-sensitive screen, that's great.  I fyou don't, not so much.  I don't, so I like the CLassic Shell Start button option because it brings you directly to the old-fashioned "desktop.

Bottom line, once you get to the desktop, Win8 runs and feels like Win7.

Hope this helps.

Pete

[OldGuy46]

Re: Pete reply: "Bottom line, once you get to the desktop, Win8 runs and feels like Win7" (after the Win 7 interface)

ERGO: Why go Win 8?

Sid

[Pete48]

The only reason to go Win8 that I can see is if you buy a new PC and have no choice.  And even then, if (and that's a big "if" because of the way that PC's are prepackaged with operating systems) you customize your PC purchase and get Win8 Professional version, then you can "downgrade" (don't'cha love it?) to Win7 for a mere $125 from what I understand.  What I don't know is whether or not that downgrade will permit the owner to dual-boot into the OS of their choice. 

I suppose another reason to upgrade is if someone gave you a touch-screen monitor and you wanted an operating system to make use of that feature.

Other than that, nada!  (Hi, Sid!)  :)

Pete

[HAZEL BAYERS]

Well, it seems pretty clear, then, that there's really no reason for me to upgrade to Win 8.  I'm finding Win 7 bad enough with everything being in a different place!  LOL!!