Windows 8 forum: Poll: Do you think Microsoft will ever bring back the Start button?

Windows 8 is just fine the way it is. Take time to learn the new interface, you won't regret it.

I agree with you saying W8 is for fun and games but not designed for business users; are all business users abondoned by Microsoft; if so, sell their stocks if you haven't already done so!

Of course W3.1 is of the old age and maybe there are still a few users but indeed not very skilled nowadays but that was over 20 years ago in a quite different digital world. I learned programming on a Bull Gamma 10 computer in the 60's where all signs and instructions were made by "0"'s and "1"'s; a hell of a job.

But would you f.i. buy a car where you have to sit backwards and look through a mirror to see if you're going the right direction just because the car maker has decided to do it that way? I suppose all drivers who will seriously use their car for driving will restore it to the situation they are used to!

For those of you who cant live without the start button download a free program called ViStart, install the program and there you have it, your start button is back, I have been using win 8 for about a month, because of all the other windows systems had the start button it was terrible, that's when I found this tiny program, and it does work, good luck with your new win 8 start button....

It's the only lever they have to boost sales.


Windows 8 without a touch screen is a very frustrating thing. A touchpad is too small, and every other gesture brings out the stinking charm bar (and don't get me started on the charm bar) that you have to tuck away before you can go on. You can't get a capable laptop with a touch screen for less than $900 bucks. You can buy a capable laptop for $330, but you can't get one without Windows 8.

Almost any upgrade to Windows 8 is gonna require an upgrade to a touch screen at the same time.
So Windows 8 has crippled sales of practically all new hardware in the under $1000 price range and turned off the upgrade market at the same time, except where people are willing to "upgrade" Windows 8 to boot to the start screen.
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Sounds like a $600 Windows 8 tax, Microsoft. Apple products don't look so over-priced anymore. Just MS's way of leveling the playing field.

Bob Meyer
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I could not care less if they bring it back or go bankrupt. MS has messed with me enough and I'm fighting back with Linux. My family has all LinuxMint installed now and it is a beautiful and efficient OS. And one hell of lot less expensive. There is one more machine to go, but I really don't intend to change it, that one is destined to be retired anyways.

The last OS MS produced that was even halfway decent to work with was XP. When I learned that support for that fine OS was to be discontinued, I promised myself no more MS and started my migration and learning curve. I love the Mint. I like Ubuntu as well, but Mint is easier from the desktop IMOH.

And before I go. Has anyone else noticed that OpenOffice is a really neat replacement for the bloated to the max MS Office? I have no further need for MS in my business. All I can say is 'Thanks for the memories.'

Bear King

I've had Win 8 since late October. Within 1 month I installed Classic Shell from Sourceforge.net. It gives me the Start button and all of the features found in XP, Vista and Win 7. Try it yourself at: http://classicshell.sourceforge.net/

Whether it is here on the desktop or not does not make a lot of difference. Its easy to get use to clicking in or dragging in from the right once you get use to it. It is quicker of course to have it on the desktop but only a click.
I have windows 8 on one drive and windows 7 on another and swap between the two frequently. Purely because somethings are easier to use on windows 7, but as time goes by I will eventually stick with windows 8 as getting use to it. Everything is so long winded on windows 8 that is the problem.

Finding your programmes for one is a nightmare where if you had the start button it is so much quicker. The start screen with the useless apps on the top. A lot of the apps like the mail one is useless if you have more than one account as it only goes to the account you sign in with. You cannot beat going to the browser to get better feed on any info on the apps. As they are only brief comments which really is useless but does give you info on whats going on. Then you need to go to the full browser really to find out more. Really a lot of the apps are a waste of time.

But overall I like it and no matter what we say it is here to stay but I think the start may well come back as it i so much quicker overall.

There are options out their to get it back so you can download programmes to do it.

I think MS will NOT bring the Start Button back, although they should. But I think that human nature has taken hold. They made a decision that they thought was best, and they have received such widespread criticism for it that they've now "gotten their back up" and hardened their hearts against it in defiance.

And they can rationalize it to themselves that, if people want it, there are third-party providers that supply it as freeware.

Ask any Bush voter -- it's VERY hard to admit when you're wrong, even when it's really obvious.

Easy. If they are not selling, MS loses money. They'd be foolish to ignore the multitudes.

How am I supposed to know what Microsoft will do? Or even have a remotely valid opinion based on hypothesisis and test? As an outsider that's opinionated speculation, and therefore irrelevant.

You could ask people if they want the Start Menu and Desktop back , which will give you facts as far as how many people would prefer the interface that they have invested considerable time in learning, or another that is yet another layer of obscurity on the OS underneath that probably no one asked for.

IMO it is horrible, dummed down and clunky. I bought 8 but had to revert to Vista, god forbid, but I have work to do that isn't playing with another computer interface. This is just another, but even larger, insult to established users of Windows in the series that started after XP with Vista

Do people really go into the new interface on purpose, or is Microsoft just trying to get people forced into the whole system when you buy a new computer? Because, like a lot of other people in here, I built a computer a couple years ago, and I haven't used anything more than XP Pro on the thing, simply because I haven't even needed any of their newer features including the newer interfaces. I have even used later versions of Windows 7, and still not understood why anybody would even need to upgrade. XP has done everything I've asked for correctly, and I'm even running some virtual machine.

I see nothing but hate and frustration about MS, yet the only complaint about Apple is it is too expensive.

If expense is the only issue with Apple, why do people put up with the endless problems with Microsoft?

And yes, MS Office has a version for Apple Mac (maybe iPad too if you believe rumors)

(FWIW, Mac is not perfect, just better)

I don't go to Apple because I DON'T LIKE IT... I've used them enough to make a personal, conscious decision that I DON'T LIKE IT.

I don't care if Apple fans love it...I don't care if you think it's "better"....I don't care if its more, or less, expensive. The argument that "It's less prone to viruses and hacks" went out the window a long time ago.

I have too many apps that I use on a regular basis that have no equivalent on a Mac; or if they do, the Mac-version is either several releases behind, or is crippled in some way. It's not a case of, "If you tried it, you'd like it."

Bottom line: I DON'T LIKE IT... And therefore, I won't buy it.

What I forgot to add on to my previous post was, I decided to buy an Win 8, since my old XP had finally ground its hard drive down to the quick, and didn't see a lot of sense just upgrading to Win 7. I figured it was time to take the training wheels off and take a class at the local technical college to learn how to use Win 8, instead of just tickling the keys of the old XP. I had heard all the gnashing of teeth about Win 8, and thought that at 52, it wouldn't kill me to learn something new.

And mostly I decided to upgrade because XP support is coming to an end. I mean its been out there for 14 years already. In the computer world, it is nearly out of the nursing home and pointing toes up planted in the ground.

One thing to remember is that the only competition that Microsoft thinks is real is Apple. With this said, MS has never had a good track record for mistake fixing. They built this version to get into the hardware business to actually complete with the fruit but failed and continue to be ignored.

With this said, MS has left the door open for another operating system to be introduced that will be stable and run on several platforms with minimal change to the basic system. Allowing the user to select the foot print.

MS has gotten too arrogant about business and having the might from previous generations of PCs a strong foot hold in the market. They continue to force change for the sake of change itself rather than producing a product that is secure and does what people want to do without taking over their lives.

I personally have used Windows 8 since mid December. I figured our the desktop mode quickly but I do like the search charm for applications rather than selecting from a long list. The biggest problem I have is that their operating system is trying to for many other website to bow to their code and this has caused a problem. I use both Internet eplorer 10 and the newest Chrome. I have found that both fail fo allow some websites to display properly. I suspect that the core problem is in the Windows code set and not the browsers themselves.

Companies like Yahoo have decided not to bow to the pressure, for all that might do, and you will find that the new versions running under Windows 8 will often produce a message that "this website does not support your web browser and you must run the basic mode to continue.

If more would stand up to MS, this might get fixed. MS may be placing the rope around their own necks by having this incompatibility in the age when some are claiming the "PC is Dead."

If you notice, the trend is not going "as small as you can get" but the "best apps and visibility" that one can produce. Size is not the major issue even if the size will be slightly smaller.

I have never warmed up to the "all-in-one" anything. You get several things in one wrapper and when one parts breaks, you just toss it and get everything new. The same with all in one computers. Once the monitor goes out, what do you have?

MS must wake up or continue the slow decent to the bottom.