Missing the Start Menu in Windows 8?
By: Arie Slob
In the Windows 8 Developer Preview, Microsoft had a registry setting that allowed you to switch off Windows 8 'Metro' Start screen. This would also enable the 'classic' Windows 7 Start menu (Figure) 
. Microsoft took this option away in the Consumer Preview and has not added that simple trick back to the release version of Windows 8, so what do we do now?
There are some 3rd party applications that allow you to 'install' a Windows 7-like (or other type) Start menu, I will review a few of these in part two. But first let's just work with what we have. You can still add a menu to the taskbar, it'll look like the old Windows XP Start menu (some people may like that). Let's get going:
- Type Explorer on the Windows 8 Start screen, and click on the File Explorer icon
- Click the View tab from the Explorer window and check Hidden Items (Figure)
. - Close the Explorer window
- Right-click on the taskbar, and from the context menu, select Toolbars > New toolbar...
- In the New Toolbar window, browse to C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows and select Start Menu (Figure)
. - Click the button Select Folder
- You'll see an item Start Menu appear at the right side of your taskbar. To move it, right click the taskbar and click Lock the taskbar (so that it will be de-selected). You'll now notice a divider-bar to the left of your new "Start Menu"; when you move your mouse over it you'll see the cursor change in a double arrow (Figure)
. Left-click and drag the new menu all the way to the left of the taskbar. You'll notice that the Internet Explorer and Windows Explorer icons get moved to the left, so go ahead, grab these & move them back all the way, so that only the text "Start Menu" shows. - Now right-click the taskbar again, and click Lock the taskbar.
- Now you can click the double chevron (») to navigate your Windows Start Menu!
Note: It is possible not all programs on your system will show. Some programs may place their shortcuts in the C:\{User Name}\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu folder.
You can also add the 'good old' Quick Launch toolbar to the taskbar:
- Right-click on the taskbar, and from the context menu, select Toolbars > New toolbar...
- In the New Toolbar window, browse to C:\Users\{User Name}\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\ and select the Quick Launch folder (Figure)
. - Click the button Select Folder.
- You'll see an item Quick Launch appear at the right side of your taskbar.
- Right-click the words Quick Launch and click on Show Text to uncheck this item, repeat and uncheck Show title too (Figure)
. Now only icons will be shown on the Quick Launch toolbar. - You can add icons by copying and pasting any shortcuts in the Quick Launch folder (at C:\Users\{User Name}\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\ Quick Launch ) or dropping them directly on the Quick Launch toolbar.
- As with the custom Start Menu we added above, you can move/resize the Quick Launch toolbar. Right-click the taskbar, click Lock the taskbar to uncheck and move/resize the Quick Launch toolbar.
If you prefer, you can go back to the steps listed at the top and reverse the "Hidden Items" setting in Explorer. We had to show the Hidden Items, since C:\ProgramData is normally hidden from view.
Also note that Windows 8 includes a Quick Access Menu which you can access by right-clicking the left bottom corner, or by pressing the Windows key + X. This menu is available from both the "Modern UI" and the desktop.
On page 2 of this article I'll take a quick look at some of the more popular Start Menu applications that are available.