Monday, January 28, 2013

Why Windows 8 still needs the "old" Start menu

While there is are alternatives available that add back the traditional Windows 7 Start menu such as this tool: http://lee-soft.com/vistart/, or even this: http://www.iobit.com/iobitstartmenu8.php they still do not remain a substitute for Microsoft returning their "old/classic" Start menu back to the Windows 8 Desktop OS because they continue to have defects/deficiencies.


  1. Metro Start menu apps do not have a way to categorize or group applications by default.  Everything is added to the end of the list.
  2. Metro Start menu apps do not display all of the available programs and groupings for all of the program features installed by an application.
  3. Metro Start menu apps do not provide all of the same right click menu options that were available in the traditional Windows Start menu.
  4. When an application has been pinned to the desktop, there is no "easy" way to pin it back to the Metro Apps Start menu.
  5. Metro Apps do not display for all users of the system.  Only the installing user sees the Metro Apps as part of their Start menu.  Other users have to search for the Apps and then pin them to their own individual Start menu.

In addition, replacement Start menu tools such as ViStart have the following defects/deficiencies:

  1. When uninstalling a program, the Program Group is not removed from the Start menu
  2. The replacement Start menu does not install and display for non-Administrative users or for other users of the system.
  3. All of the right-click menu options from the traditional Windows Start menu are not available
  4. There is some additional delay in loading the Windows Start menu after loading up the desktop.
  5. There is no additional way to customize the Windows Start menu to add additional menu items in a manner similar to customizing the traditional Windows Start menu.
  6. There are no drag and drop abilities from the Windows Start menu to the desktop.
  7. There is no way to pin Windows Start menu items to the Metro Start menu.
  8. There is no way to pin Windows Start menu items to the Taskbar.
  9. When you extend the display, the Windows Start menu is not duplicated on the secondary display
  10. The standard menu items shipped with Windows 7 such as Devices and Printers does not display on the list of Windows Start menu items.

Perhaps when Microsoft releases Windows 8 SP1, they will re-include the capability to use the traditional Windows Start menu!  Here's to hoping that Microsoft listens to the complaints and voices of their users! 

No comments:

Post a Comment