Bring Back The Start Button / Orb In Windows 8 Consumer Preview With Start8 – Download Now

It’s a natural trait within humanity that some people take better to change than others. As trivial as it may seem in the grand scheme of life’s priorities, not everybody testing out Microsoft’s Windows 8 Consumer Preview has managed to get past the lack of a Start button / Orb.

A prominent feature of the Redmond company’s OS for as long as most of us can remember, it’s invariably the first port of call for any Windows user upon logging in. The software maker’s decision to bid farewell to the feature has left many feeling a little disgruntled – despite the general consensus of the Consumer Preview being a positive one.

Start Menu Orb Start8

Luckily, there’s no shortage of workarounds. Last week, we showed you ViStart, which was a fairly good way to restore that feeling of normality, but since it overlapped the taskbar, extra work was needed in order to align things perfectly. Therefore, we today present an even easier way to revert to the traditional menu courtesy of a little tool called Start8.

Once you’ve installed Start8 on your computer, you simply need to click Desktop from the Start Screen, and your precious Start button will be restored. Clicking the new Start will show a Start Menu, but instead of an XP/Vista/7-esque interface, you’ll be welcomed with a tasty Metro finish in keeping with the rest of the Windows 8 experience. The menu functions remain more or less ‘as you were’, such as the Run box and the ability to pin items to the Start Menu.

before

after

It’s not the same experience, but perhaps points to the steady evolution that Microsoft should have been / should be catering for in Windows 8.

As an added bonus, Start8 is free of charge, and available to download from StarDock. You will have to disclose your email address in order to see the download link, but there is no need to confirm your e-mail address thereafter.

Let us know if it does indeed satisfy your yearning for the old Start Menu via the usual mediums below!

Download Start8 from Stardock.

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