WebProNews

Tag: Start button

  • Microsoft Confirms The Return Of The Start Button In Windows 8.1

    A leaked screen from yesterday indicated that Microsoft would be bringing back the Start button in Windows 8.1. Now the company has gone ahead and confirmed its return alongside a number of other additions to the updated operating systems.

    In a blog post on the official Windows blog, Microsoft’s Antoine Leblond confirmed many of the details leaked in yesterday’s report. For starters, the Start button is indeed back in Windows 8.1. Here’s how he describes it:

    We’ve improved the way you navigate to Start with the mouse by changing the Start “tip” to be the familiar Windows logo. The new tip appears anytime you move the mouse to the bottom left corner of the screen, and is always visible on the taskbar when on the desktop.

    Leblond also says that there are options to “boot into alternate screens.” He doesn’t come right out and say that there is a boot to desktop option, but it’s pretty much a guarantee that it will be there.

    As for customization, Leblond confirms that Windows 8.1 users will be able to use their own custom backgrounds on the Start screen. Microsoft is also adding support for live wallpapers for those who want a little motion in their backgrounds.

    That about covers all of the stuff leaked from yesterday. Is there anything new in today’s post regarding Windows 8.1? Of course, there is. The first is an update to Search via Bing on Windows 8.1. You can read more on that here.

    Microsoft is also improving apps and the Windows Store in the newest version of the OS. All the built in apps will receive upgrades. Microsoft includes two examples from the Photos and Music app. The Photos app will include editing tools right in the apps so users won’t have to leave the app to crop and adjust photos. As for music, the app “has been completely redesigned to help pick and play music from your collection.”

    Finally, Windows 8.1 is bringing updates to SkyDrive, PC Settings and Internet Explorer. For SkyDrive, Microsoft is making it so that users can access all of their SkyDrive files across any and all devices as well as when they’re offline.

    PC Settings will be accessible outside of Control Panel for the first time. Users will be able to adjust their resolution, set power options and more from the new PC Settings menu.

    As previous rumors reported, Internet Explorer will be upgraded to IE11 on Windows 8.1. Microsoft says it will improve upon all the features and improvements that finally made Internet Explorer 10 a worthy contender in the browser wars. For now, Microsoft says that IE11 will be faster, feature support for unlimited tabs and feature tab syncing across devices.

    All of this and more will be available in the Windows 8.1 public preview on June 26. The release version will be made available as a free update to all Windows 8 users later this year.

  • Leaked Screenshot Shows Start Button Is Back In Windows 8.1

    Windows Blue is now officially Windows 8.1. It will enter into a public beta in June. It’s rumored that the start button and a boot to desktop mode will be offered alongside numerous other updates. Thanks to a leaked screenshot, we can seemingly confirm one of those rumors.

    Paul Thurrot’s Supersite for Windows shared the following screenshot today that shows the Start button is back in Windows 8.1, and it’s looking better than ever:

    Leaked Screenshot of Windows 8.1 Show Start Button

    The start button will behave mostly as it did in Windows 7 with a few key Windows 8 eccentricities. For starters, hovering over the Start button changes it color in much the same way the Start charm changes color in the current build of Windows 8. It’s also impossible to turn off the Start button, at least for now. That should ensure that newcomers to Windows 8 won’t be confused by the lack of a start button.

    Thurrot also reveals two more really interesting tidbits about Windows 8.1. The first is that you can use your own wallpapers now as backgrounds in the Start menu. Previously, you could only use a small number of Microsoft-designed illustrations and colors. Secondly, a boot to desktop mode is indeed present, but it is turned off by default. It’s understandable as Microsoft is still trying to sell consumers on the walled garden Start screen experience.

    Microsoft will presumably make all of this and more official later in June when it releases the Windows 8.1 public preview on June 26.

  • Windows Blue Will Feature A Boot To Desktop Option [Rumor]

    One of the more controversial decisions in Windows 8 was how the OS forced users to boot into the new Start menu metro interface. You could get into the desktop from that, but then you would be without the iconic Start button. There are unofficial workarounds, but nothing official just yet.

    That all may be changing if reports from WinBeta over the weekend are to be believed as people are finding an option in the leaked version of Windows Blue that adds a boot to desktop option. ZDNet spoke to a source who said this was the plan while saying that Microsoft will be bringing back the sorely missed Start button as well.

    Unfortunately, none of this is set in stone. ZDNet’s source says “Until it ships, anything can change.” Windows Blue, or Windows 8.1 as some are now calling it, will reportedly ship to manufacturers in August. That means we have a few months time in which Microsoft could go back on its currently rumored plans.

    Of course, doing so would benefit nobody. IDC recently reported that PC shipments are at an all-time low and much of the blame was placed upon Windows 8. Why are consumers avoiding Windows 8? The report specifically called out “radical changes to the UI” and “removal of the familiar Start button.” If these two issues are affecting Windows 8 adoption then Microsoft needs to address them.

    Besides the rumored return of the Start button, Windows Blue will also reportedly feature a number of enhancements to the Metro interface. Users will now be able to resize Live Tiles so more important apps are afforded screen real estate. Multitasking has also been improved with two apps being able to share the equal width on the screen.

  • Windows 8 Gets The Start Button Back With This App

    A lot of people, including yours truly, don’t like Windows 8 all that much. Most of our frustration comes from the fact that the newest OS forces you to boot into the Metro Windows 8 UI. It also got rid of the start button because Microsoft wanted to save space. Well, a new open source app will make all your Windows 8 troubles go away.

    The app is called Classic Shell, and it does as the name suggests. It allows users to insert the Start button back into the desktop on Windows 8. There are other apps that do the same thing, but this one gives you a choice. Users can choose between a variety of start menus including the classic Start menu from the mid-90s.

    In even better news, Classic Shell is also able to prevent Windows 8 from booting into the new UI. In my experience, I’ve found the new UI to only slow down my PC. Eliminating it from the boot process will only be a good thing.

    There are some people who enjoy Windows 8 and its Live Tile UI, but a lot of people also hate it. It’s unfortunate that Microsoft seems to be completely ignoring their customers that hate the UI that Windows 8 is forcing upon them. There should have been an option from the beginning that allows desktop users to just stick with the classic interface without having to interact with the Live Tiles.

    Until Microsoft reverses course and actually starts caring about desktop users, apps like this are going to be our best bet. We can only hope that Microsoft won’t try to shut down these apps that provide a necessary for us curmudgeons that don’t want anything to do with Microsoft’s vision of “progress.”

    You can download the latest version of Classic Shell over at Sourceforge. If you’re feeling helpful, you can contribute to the open source project to make it even better.

    [h/t: The Register]

  • Microsoft Really Wants Desktop Users To Hate Windows 8

    Windows 8 is coming and there’s nothing we can do to stop it. Microsoft obviously thinks it’s a good idea, but who else excited for it? Some desktop users are pretty pleased with it, but there is one small issue – Microsoft’s insistence on forcing users to go through the Metro Windows 8 UI upon start up.

    Now that Windows 8 has been leaked, we are starting to see the final changes made to the OS. Unfortunately, ZDNet reports that Microsoft won’t let users boot straight to desktop. You must go through Metro first before you’re allowed to get to what really matters on a desktop PC.

    What’s even worse is that circumventions created during the beta phases no longer work in the final version. Intrepid users were able to create shortcuts that would automatically launch the desktop upon turning on the PC. Those shortcuts are now null and void. If you want to easily access the desktop, you’ll now have to use keyboard shortcuts.

    Even with keyboard shortcuts, the problem remains. There are some desktop users who don’t even want to mess around with the Metro screen. It’s a hassle and unnecessary to force what’s essentially a tablet UI onto desktop users. Microsoft vehemently defends the decision, but we’ll see how they react once it gets into the hands of more desktop users.

    At best, Microsoft is going to issue a patch that will allow consumers to start in desktop mode. They have been known to respond to massive complaints in the past. A huge push from consumers should be enough to force them to reconsider.

    Microsoft is obviously catering to tablet owners with Windows 8, but they should never forget their bread and butter. The desktop market is still huge and Microsoft has a responsibility to service them. Forcing them to use something that they don’t like isn’t exactly good service.

  • Adding A Start Button In Windows 8?

    Adding A Start Button In Windows 8?

    The lack of a Start button on the consumer preview of Windows 8 left some surprised, perhaps even shocked… Maybe confused is a better descriptor. Now, thanks to a desktop app created by Stardock, you can now resurrect your Start button on the W8 beta.

    Called “Start8,” the app/modification does just what it the name indicates: brings the Start button back to the Windows 8 environment. Granted, the add-on currently supports the Consumer Preview, but one can imagine the group making one for the full consumer version. While the button isn’t a Start button, per se, Stardock did recreate the same symbol–with the same functionality–that “replaced” the Start button in Windows 7. You know? The Windows logo button:

    Start Button

    That thing.

    Anyway, thanks to Stardock’s creativity, those of you still tooling around in the Windows 8 Consumer Preview can add this button to their version if they so choose. The button’s features include:

    – Adds a “Start” menu to the Windows 8 taskbar
    – Enables quick access and searching of your installed applications
    – Adds Run… option via right-click menu
    – Adds Shutdown… option via right-click menu
    – Choose a custom Start button image

    Like the site indicates, the modification is free. All you have to do is submit your email address and they will mail you a download link. You can do so here. Does the idea of adding a Start button to Windows 8 appealing, or is it akin to putting lipstick on a pig? Let us know what you think.

    [Via Ultra Linx]

  • Windows 8 Is Killing The Start Button

    Windows 8 Is Killing The Start Button

    The Start button – a simple concept that has defined the Windows operating system since its inception. It’s a shame then that Microsoft is killing it with Windows 8.

    Windows 8 is going for a more visual approach to navigating their OS with the Metro style desktop. The Start button will still be there in theory, but as Extreme Tech reports, it’s going to now be a “hot corner.” To access the applications on the start screen, users will now flick their mouse to the left corner of the screen, or just touch it if they have a touch screen monitor.

    What is Microsoft thinking, you ask. It’s a good question and one they have answered. They are saving space. They want to be able to fit one more app onto the Super Bar.

    The confusing bit is that there’s no visual indication that a start screen exists so first-time users may not even be aware of its existence.

    I’m all for simplifying things for the end user, but I’m going to stick with Windows 7 for now. The Metro style desktop is cool for the first few minutes until you realize that you want a computer that’s more than just a glorified media player.

    Microsoft will release the Windows 8 Consumer Preview public beta in a few weeks time. That’ll be your chance to try out the new OS to see if it’s to your liking. The Start button is not likely coming back, but that’s just a small problem in the larger scheme of Microsoft trying to emulate the simplicity of Mac OSX and losing its identity in the process.

    In remembrance of the Start button, here’s a video of the first Windows 95 ad that prominently featured the lovely Start button: