Windows 8 Start Screen Alternative

[Illiterati]

If your really hate the Windows 8 start screen, you can use a program called Start8 by Stardock. It's only 4.99 and gets rid of that nasty tiled interface.

I'm using it on my Surface now. It's really given me a happy.

Just thought some of you might like to know about it.

 

[mzzz]

They should have just included backwards capability into the OS in the first place. They did it in earlier versions I think. My problem is that they've installed it into every computer in the lab at my uni, and I can't adjust the settings of the OS because I don't have administrator privileges. I'm stuck with the piece of crap.

 

[Illiterati]

Try making nice with your network guy/gal and see if they'll let you install it, if you pay the 5 bucks for it.

It can't hurt to ask, right?

 

[Red Mage]

I'll have to check that application out. My initial reaction to the lack of the old Start menu in Windows 8 mirrored Mr. Q*Bert in my current avatar.

 

[Overmind One]

They should have just included backwards capability into the OS in the first place. They did it in earlier versions I think. My problem is that they've installed it into every computer in the lab at my uni, and I can't adjust the settings of the OS because I don't have administrator privileges. I'm stuck with the piece of crap.

Microsoft can leverage schools. But they cannot push their crap in the private sector enterprise networks, and in that area where it really NEEDS entrenchment, it is a big fat fail and is being overlooked. I actually do love it on the Surface Pro. That device is much more than a tablet. It is a small ultrabook in a tablet form factor. A complete laptop replacement.
--- merged: Mar 20, 2013 at 6:48 PM ---

I'll have to check that application out. My initial reaction to the lack of the old Start menu in Windows 8 mirrored Mr. Q*Bert in my current avatar.

There is a lot to hate if you have it on a traditional desktop with a mouse and keyboard.

 

[Bluce Ree]

http://blogs.computerworld.com/wind...hows-why-microsoft-may-kill-desktop-windows-9

And that's where it ends for me. My Samsung series 9 will probably be my last Windows-based laptop. I'm looking at possibly going towards a Macbook Air or a Linux-based ultrabook for my next purchase. I need something that's developer friendly and the traditional desktop environment is not only essential but unbeatable for developer productivity.

 

[mzzz]

^GASP! You've gone over to the *dramatic pause* DARKSIDE. Are you gonna be all douchy now and think you're too cool for us with your apple products and crap?

 

[Bluce Ree]

^GASP! You've gone over to the *dramatic pause* DARKSIDE. Are you gonna be all douchy now and think you're too cool for us with your apple products and crap?

I have a cool Samsung phone and a super cool ultra slim Series 9 laptop. I crossed that line a long time ago.

 

[Overmind One]

I have a cool Samsung phone and a super cool ultra slim Series 9 laptop. I crossed that line a long time ago.

I went the other direction. I just bought an Acer 23" touch screen all in one computer with Windows 8 Professional. Im posting from it now. . I have set it up to dual boot Ubuntu. I will never buy into the Apple ecosystem. Ubuntu is already optimized for touch, and this touch experience is actually not bad on this system. The entire computer is less than an inch thick, and stands like an easel. It is sorta like an iMac, only (to me) better. STRONG suggestion...go to any Apple store and notice how many Macbook Airs are at the Genius Bar with futzed SSD drives...its very common from what I see. Yes, they will replace it, but so what? They cant replace data. And what is with the cracked screens on the Air? If you want a real ultrabook, stick with your Samsung and Windows. Apple is still a POS dressed in a suit. Even the case of the Air is prone to denting, drop it and its toast.

Why plunge into a touchscreen based Windows machine? Because Windows is still in charge of the enterprise level network and Apple never will be. and Linux is not ready. With a large touchscreen, keyboard and mouse, the drawbacks of Windows 8 become less intrusive. I find myself using the touch screen instead of the mouse, but still using the standard keyboard for typing instead of the soft keyboard.
--- merged: Mar 26, 2013 at 10:11 AM ---

^GASP! You've gone over to the *dramatic pause* DARKSIDE. Are you gonna be all douchy now and think you're too cool for us with your apple products and crap?

There is NOTHING cool about any Apple product. The very very best that Apple makes is still nowhere near the best of what is available from other manufacturers running Windows. Im surprised Bluce is even considering anything made by Apple for any reason!

 

[Overmind One]

http://blogs.computerworld.com/wind...hows-why-microsoft-may-kill-desktop-windows-9

And that's where it ends for me. My Samsung series 9 will probably be my last Windows-based laptop. I'm looking at possibly going towards a Macbook Air or a Linux-based ultrabook for my next purchase. I need something that's developer friendly and the traditional desktop environment is not only essential but unbeatable for developer productivity.

OMG, just read the article. Tell you what, if they thought Windows 8 was a fail, wait till Windows 9 without a desktop! Hmmm....I wrote my initial response after playing around with my new Windows 8 computer with a large touchscreen, but I am in the desktop mode 99% of the time and do not use the Start Screen or the tiles AT ALL. So, they want to "force" people to use the Start Screen? Just LOL!. People do not like being denied choices. Well, perhaps not Apple users, but just sayin...you cant just change Windows like this when you have decades of desktop culture to deal with. Somebody better get their act together at Microsoft or they could kill the company like IBM killed their PC division and software. Resentment against Microsoft could easily bleed over into phones and tablets. Sorta like all things Apple turn me off.

 

[Illiterati]

As I said, there are alternatives out there (both free and pay) to bring back the Start button and the old familiar Windows desktop. Microsoft will let you do things like that. Apple will send out periodic "updates" that remove such things, putting you right back where they want you.

In their clutches.

 

[Overmind One]

As I said, there are alternatives out there (both free and pay) to bring back the Start button and the old familiar Windows desktop. Microsoft will let you do things like that. Apple will send out periodic "updates" that remove such things, putting you right back where they want you.

In their clutches.

Yep. I can see now after only three days working with Windows 8 "as intended" on a full sized, desktop/tablet form factor. This is what I got:

http://reviews.bestbuy.com/3545/691...6gb-memory-1tb-hard-drive-reviews/reviews.htm

I absolutely LOVE the form factor, and a 23" screen is more than ample. This system also has built in wifi and bluetooth, 6GB of RAM, i5 processor, a 1TB hard drive...it was marked down more than $300 from its original price at Best Buy because it was the last one (on display). It had only been opened from the box 4 days earlier. I could not resist. However, Windows 8 in all of its "intended use" glory STILL SUCKS. But WHY does it suck so bad? I am going to be okay no matter what I decide to do since the form factor with it's touch capability works with anything out there. Windows 7 works just fine on it. Ubuntu's Unity UI is touch optimized already, and the implementation is WAY better than Windows 8. It is not as colorful, but it is useful. It looks like this:

I can easily swipe from the side on the touchscreen to bring up the Charms Bar, but so what? It is still clunky. I am no programmer, nor a UI developer, but this video breaks down exactly what is wrong with Windows 8 and why. A geek must see...

!

If I cannot come to like this OS, it will be converted to a virtual machine running on my Windows 7 OS (after I blow away Windows 8 to hell where it came from). But I am exploring the swipe gestures and stuff...still a HUGE learning curve.

 

[Illiterati]

The swipe stuff really isn't all that hard to learn. I started on the RT last October, so now I'm an old hand at it.

That said, I still like that I got my Start menu back and am not using the tiles unless I REALLY want to (and yes, I can still pull those up, if I feel a need to do so).

 

[Overmind One]

The swipe stuff really isn't all that hard to learn. I started on the RT last October, so now I'm an old hand at it.

That said, I still like that I got my Start menu back and am not using the tiles unless I REALLY want to (and yes, I can still pull those up, if I feel a need to do so).

I basically MUST learn it. I must learn to love this OS and understand it if I am going to stay current on Microsoft products. Windows 8 is not going to die, and even if it fails completely in the enterprise, it (or some form of it) will soon be all that is available from Microsoft. Oh, and did I mention that the Server also has this awful Metro/Desktop personality? TBH, the server version of this setup works just fine. All of the tiles are useful and most of them take you to the desktop UI anyway. There are no superfluous News and Bing and Store tiles. No useless weather tiles and Games tiles. Even the colors are more subdued.

I like that you have found a way to get the Start button and menu back. But that setup is not what is going to be delivered from Dell or HP or Acer or Asus, and needing to be deployed in the enterprise within 4 hours. Im getting to know the swipe actions like you have mastered, and they are pretty cool when you can use them as intended. I have only given it three days and I am twitchy about this OS because of my previous mouse/keyboard experience with it. This time, I have the setup that Microsoft intends for this OS to be used. And unmodified? Its clunky and non-intuitive and if deployed on a desktop in our company, would be a productivity nightmare. I need to know this operating system well enough to train people on it, hence my new computer. I have to say, I absolutely LOVE the form factor. Its like a huge tablet, but it has no batteries so you cant use it like that. But, it can lie almost completely flat. . The hardware is beautiful. But I can easily get my Start Menu and the Start button by blowing away Windows 8 and installing Windows 7! . Seriously though, I really need to understand this operating system. You seem to be pleased with it, and I hope I have the same experience as you did! Right now Im not seeing it.

 

[Bluce Ree]

I basically MUST learn it. I must learn to love this OS and understand it if I am going to stay current on Microsoft products. Windows 8 is not going to die, and even if it fails completely in the enterprise, it (or some form of it) will soon be all that is available from Microsoft. Oh, and did I mention that the Server also has this awful Metro/Desktop personality? TBH, the server version of this setup works just fine. All of the tiles are useful and most of them take you to the desktop UI anyway. There are no superfluous News and Bing and Store tiles. No useless weather tiles and Games tiles. Even the colors are more subdued.

I like that you have found a way to get the Start button and menu back. But that setup is not what is going to be delivered from Dell or HP or Acer or Asus, and needing to be deployed in the enterprise within 4 hours. Im getting to know the swipe actions like you have mastered, and they are pretty cool when you can use them as intended. I have only given it three days and I am twitchy about this OS because of my previous mouse/keyboard experience with it. This time, I have the setup that Microsoft intends for this OS to be used. And unmodified? Its clunky and non-intuitive and if deployed on a desktop in our company, would be a productivity nightmare. I need to know this operating system well enough to train people on it, hence my new computer. I have to say, I absolutely LOVE the form factor. Its like a huge tablet, but it has no batteries so you cant use it like that. But, it can lie almost completely flat. . The hardware is beautiful. But I can easily get my Start Menu and the Start button by blowing away Windows 8 and installing Windows 7! . Seriously though, I really need to understand this operating system. You seem to be pleased with it, and I hope I have the same experience as you did! Right now Im not seeing it.

The Windows 8's swipe UI is pleasant to many end-users. It's not to a developer and it won't be. I'm not being unfair about it, mind you. I tried turning an Android table into a usable developer's environment. FAIL.

Linux works just fine. I prefer Mint with Cinnamon to Ubuntu for a desktop environment but that's just a preference. I still prefer Windows 7 but that whole paradigm is coming to an end.

Software development *is* a sub-culture. Maybe they should have a separate Windows 8 configuration just for developers.
On the enterprise side, MS may dominate in volume because of marketing and legacy, which also puts out "certified" consultants who push MS trash on the enterprise back-end, but Linux has a lock on that space in terms of reliability, scalability, flexibility and performance. It's growth and adoption is starting to make some headway:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2032306/linux-use-in-enterprises-jumps-again-survey.html

Last year, revenues for Windows on the server grew by 3.2% while Linux grew by 12.7%. It still has a looooooooooooooong way to go but it's definitely moving along.

In other news, the new Windows 8 API being pushed by MS is based on HTML5 and Javascript, which is perfectly fine for tablet and mobile apps. The old APIs are still there but, to integrate apps into their new environment and conform with the new look & feel, you're stuck using their new APIs. Here's a nice video where they mention the new APIs:

http://allthingsd.com/20110601/microsofts-windows-8-demo-from-d9-video/

Incidentally, my buddy at MS in Redmond tells me their own developers do not use Windows 8.

 

[Overmind One]

If your really hate the Windows 8 start screen, you can use a program called Start8 by Stardock. It's only 4.99 and gets rid of that nasty tiled interface.

I'm using it on my Surface now. It's really given me a happy.

Just thought some of you might like to know about it.

THANK YOU for this thread! I just decided to go for it, and I was not sure if it would be cheesy or not but like you said, it brings the good old trusty Start Button back! It has the fancy edgy new Windows 8 logo on it, but that is cool too. Also, when you hit the Windows key, it brings that up instead of taking you to the Start screen. Optionally, the Start screen can still be gotten to from the Charms bar.

THANKS AGAIN!

 

[Illiterati]

THANK YOU for this thread! I just decided to go for it, and I was not sure if it would be cheesy or not but like you said, it brings the good old trusty Start Button back! It has the fancy edgy new Windows 8 logo on it, but that is cool too. Also, when you hit the Windows key, it brings that up instead of taking you to the Start screen. Optionally, the Start screen can still be gotten to from the Charms bar.

THANKS AGAIN!

Glad it's working for you, luv. It makes me much happier to have my trusty desktop back again.

 

[heisenberg]

There are free alternatives available so you don't need to spend 5 bucks on this..

Classicshell
Start menu 8

More here
http://www.techradar.com/au/news/so...e-apps-to-bring-the-start-button-back-1143117

 

[Overmind One]

There are free alternatives available so you don't need to spend 5 bucks on this..

Classicshell
Start menu 8

More here
http://www.techradar.com/au/news/so...e-apps-to-bring-the-start-button-back-1143117

Start8 changes less things in Windows 8 than Classic Shell does. Classic Shell changes LOTS of stuff in Windows 8 to make it much more like Windows 7, down to menu trees, icons, navigation, etc. Start8 basically adds the Start Button back into the Windows 8 desktop mode, but does not extensively change anything else. The added Start Button looks and acts like the Windows 7 Start Button, only it is "flat" like Windows 8 and has the Windows 8 logo on it. For those who want to retain all of the functionality of Windows 8 but add the Start Button back, Start8 is the best option. Also, installing Start8 makes it so that when you hit the Windows key on the keyboard, it brings up the Start8 menu instead of jumping to the Metro Start Screen. You can get to the Metro UI by using the Start icon on the Charms Bar. There is also a Start Screen icon at the top of the Start8 menu.

It does cost $4.99, but worth every penny.

 

[Overmind One]

The swipe stuff really isn't all that hard to learn. I started on the RT last October, so now I'm an old hand at it.

That said, I still like that I got my Start menu back and am not using the tiles unless I REALLY want to (and yes, I can still pull those up, if I feel a need to do so).

Im getting very used to Windows 8, surprisingly. I keep finding new stuff about it. I had something installed which came with the computer called PointGrab Gesture Control. Not an intuitive name, but damn...its really very cool when you need to use it.


Never knew how cool it was...or WHAT it was. It uses the built in webcam on my computer but will work with any webcam or laptop webcam. This is not something you would want to use all of the time, but if you are eating or your hands are wet (washing dishes? showering?), this is very cool.