Windows 7 Envy

Windows 7 Envy: a reader asks…

Hey Chris, I just got a new computer and it has Windows 8 on it. I really hate the new start screen. Is there any way to get the old start button back?

Sure there is! I previously wrote about this here talking about the little program from www.startisback.com called StartIsBack Personal Edition (costs $3). Another option would be the free Classic Shell (get it here).

Or you can just wait a bit for Windows 10 to come out (likely in June 2015) – Microsoft has seen the light and is bringing back a fully-functional start button since so many Windows users complained long and hard about the Windows 8 Start Screen (aka, the Metro interface).

The Windows 10 Start button purports to take the best about the old Windows 7 Start button and incorporates the best of the Metro interface. So on the left-side is the same search bar, list of most-used programs, and pinned programs. On the right side, instead of the old lists of your file folders and such, Microsoft has user-customized tiles for any program or function you might want. This right-side can fit as many or as few items as you want, and the tiles are active, so many will show you snippets of the program or function. I think this is a decent compromise between the folks who don’t want anything to change and the folks who really like those tiles.

The real power of the Start button though, is that little box just above it (the search box). All you have to do is click the Start button and start typing anything, and you’ll see a list of programs and functions that match what you’ve typed. So if you want Microsoft Excel, just start typing e…x…c… and you’ll see the program – hit your enter key to start it up. Same for anything else, like any installed program, any control panel functions (system, mouse, power options, etc.), or anything else you’d ordinarily pick off a list. It’s much faster than eyeballing a list if you already know what you want.

The Windows 10 start button design is the way Microsoft is heading, so you might want to get used to it even before you upgrade to Windows 10 (which will be a free upgrade to you).  If you’re interested, our friends at Into Windows have a great tutorial on how to set that up here. Be sure to follow all the instructions carefully, this isn’t a simple one-click installation.