Windows 8.1 Start Button Menu Fails Again

Lets be clear, Windows 8 users have been frustrated for quite some time with the lack of the Start Button.

Recently Microsoft made a big announcement that it would bring the Start Button back in the 8.1 update. Well now 8.1 update is out, and it has turned out to be yet another complete failure.

First, I should state that it’s not the Start Button users are complaining about – It’s the Start Menu. That’s what the users really want to have back. The Start Button in Windows 8.1 merely switches you between the desktop and the metro tiles screen.

The update has probably helped to fix many programming errors experienced in windows 8. Great now let me choose to have a Start Menu in a Windows 7 style menu. I do not use a touch screen computer. I do not think i ever will use touch screen. I have no need for Metro and i think its a method to force people to visit the Store in a forced advertising.

I will never use their Metro Screen or support their application market. In fact i went to 'www.classicshell.net' disabled the metro screen totally to bypass at start up.

It is a shame people have to resort to third party software to restore an element of UI popular to power users like myself. I used to hold a MSCP certificate back in 2005. I ripped it up recently in disgust. My next computer will be an Apple. Least you know what your getting.

Steve Ballmer is steering Microsoft into the ground.
«13

Comments

  • SexbombSexbomb Posts: 20,005
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Maybe it will appear in 8.2.
  • PaulS67PaulS67 Posts: 12,357
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    How does going to Apple help, they have never had the Start Menu

    Good luck with Apps also, Apple forces you to use the store more than MS does
  • MassiveDynamicsMassiveDynamics Posts: 661
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    paulsalter wrote: »
    How does going to Apple help, they have never had the Start Menu

    Good luck with Apps also, Apple forces you to use the store more than MS does

    Where on earth did you get the idea that Apple force you to use the Mac store?

    It's totally optional - use it or don't use it, it's your choice.

    Don't confuse OS X with iOS.
  • LeewichLeewich Posts: 1,111
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    I'm confused by the sheer hatred some people have for the tiles menu. In the 8.1 update, from the Start screen you can press the down arrow and you have a list of all your apps. That essentially is the old Start menu. Can't figure out why everyone hates it so much.
  • psionicpsionic Posts: 20,188
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Well you do have to use the Mac App Store to purchase OS X upgrades and also Apple's other software. I'll be buying the release version of OS X 10.9 Mavericks in a few days, the only way to purchase and download it will be via the App Store.
  • MassiveDynamicsMassiveDynamics Posts: 661
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    psionic wrote: »
    Well you do have to use the Mac App Store to purchase OS X upgrades and also Apple's other software. I'll be buying the release version of OS X 10.9 Mavericks in a few days, the only way to purchase and download it will be via the App Store.

    One annoying thing that I wish Microsoft hadn't adopted for 8.1.
  • cnbcwatchercnbcwatcher Posts: 56,681
    Forum Member
    When will they ever listen to the customers? People wanted a Windows 7-style Start Menu, not a button that merely takes you back to the Duplo tiles from the desktop. With MS would stop trying to force the Playskool interface on people. Give the customers what they want! Apple have the right idea. Keep the tablet and desktop OSes separate.
  • psionicpsionic Posts: 20,188
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    When will they ever listen to the customers? People wanted a Windows 7-style Start Menu, not a button that merely takes you back to the Duplo tiles from the desktop. With MS would stop trying to force the Playskool interface on people. Give the customers what they want! Apple have the right idea. Keep the tablet and desktop OSes separate.

    They are slowly converging. Touchscreen laptops, with detachable screens etc. 12" tablets. ARM on the desktop? All already here or on the horizon. Apple is doing it slowly. But more iOS/OSX convergence with every release it seems. MS tried to push their vision of the 'post PC' world a bit too rapidly, and alienated many PC users. But iOS and Android already very established platforms and MS took a gamble.
  • Esot-ericEsot-eric Posts: 1,293
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    paulsalter wrote: »
    How does going to Apple help, they have never had the Start Menu

    If you drag the Applications directory to the right-hand-side of the dock you'll get a "Stack" that works similarly.

    It's not a hierarchal menu, but then very few apps installed on Windows put themselves into the start menu neatly (always drove me nuts that installing something like "blahblah" would create a menu entry for "Programs/Blah Blah" instead of something like "Programs/Multimedia/Blah Blah" and my OCD compelled me to go in and fix the menus once i'd installed all my apps).
  • PaulS67PaulS67 Posts: 12,357
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Where on earth did you get the idea that Apple force you to use the Mac store?

    It's totally optional - use it or don't use it, it's your choice.

    I must have misread how Mountain Lion onwards works then

    Can I get software updates without using the store?
    Can I buy Apple software without the store?

    My understanding was you had to use the store

    I am still on Lion so updates come through software update, but I thought this changed
  • PaulS67PaulS67 Posts: 12,357
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Esot-eric wrote: »
    If you drag the Applications directory to the right-hand-side of the dock you'll get a "Stack" that works similarly.

    It's not a hierarchal menu, but then very few apps installed on Windows put themselves into the start menu neatly (always drove me nuts that installing something like "blahblah" would create a menu entry for "Programs/Blah Blah" instead of something like "Programs/Multimedia/Blah Blah" and my OCD compelled me to go in and fix the menus once i'd installed all my apps).

    I understand that, but that's the same as adding a shortcut to the taskbar in Windows 8/8.1
  • DANCE OF DEATHDANCE OF DEATH Posts: 4,781
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    I have also noticed that most of the apps that are on the Metro screen are completed bugged and don't work in 8.1. I have totally disabled the metro screen now so 8.1 boots to desktop only and replaced the start button with classic shell. Now I have a decent desktop.
  • PaulS67PaulS67 Posts: 12,357
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Give the customers what they want!

    If only they would give what everyone wants

    I see many complaints about they way MS, Google & Apple treat customers by forcing updates on them and not giving options

    it's not just MS that force changes
  • cnbcwatchercnbcwatcher Posts: 56,681
    Forum Member
    paulsalter wrote: »
    If only they would give what everyone wants

    I see many complaints about they way MS, Google & Apple treat customers by forcing updates on them and not giving options

    it's not just MS that force changes

    When Windows 8 was released MS should have given customers the option of using the Playskool interface or a normal Windows-7 style desktop and start menu. The other thing they could have done is have two versions - one with the tiles for tablets and a refined Windows 7 for normal computers. They could have even continued selling Windows 7 alongside Windows 8. Forcing desktop users to use a tablet interface is ridiculous. I can see Windows 7 being the new XP. People are gonna hang onto it for years and years.
  • Zack06Zack06 Posts: 28,304
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    These complaints are getting so tedious now. Microsoft is supporting Windows 7 until 2020, so if these posters are finding learning a new UI that difficult, go and buy Windows 7.
  • call100call100 Posts: 7,264
    Forum Member
    Zack06 wrote: »
    These complaints are getting so tedious now. Microsoft is supporting Windows 7 until 2020, so if these posters are finding learning a new UI that difficult, go and buy Windows 7.

    Exactly....:)
  • PaulS67PaulS67 Posts: 12,357
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    When Windows 8 was released MS should have given customers the option of using the Playskool interface or a normal Windows-7 style desktop and start menu. The other thing they could have done is have two versions - one with the tiles for tablets and a refined Windows 7 for normal computers. They could have even continued selling Windows 7 alongside Windows 8. Forcing desktop users to use a tablet interface is ridiculous. I can see Windows 7 being the new XP. People are gonna hang onto it for years and years.

    Just the same as other companies

    Apple & Google should not be forcing people to use apps designed for tablets and give people options of how they runs

    Why does iTunes now give me a Playskool interface that was designed for tablets and not give me an option to revert to the better looking (IMO) desktop version in iTunes 10

    Why are Google changing their apps to be more tablet optimised and not giving me the option to use the previous versions
  • John259John259 Posts: 28,327
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    IMHO:
    Microsoft had the opportunity to sort this out with Win8.1. They failed to do so, and thus hastened their own downfall. Arrogant fools.
  • Roland MouseRoland Mouse Posts: 9,531
    Forum Member
    Zack06 wrote: »
    These complaints are getting so tedious now. Microsoft is supporting Windows 7 until 2020, so if these posters are finding learning a new UI that difficult, go and buy Windows 7.

    Ah! The wonderful solution: Don't address the problem and listen to people just throw arrogance at it and talk down to adults who don't need an 'app' to run their lives for them. :rolleyes:

    Are you head of MS customer services?
  • Zack06Zack06 Posts: 28,304
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Ah! The wonderful solution: Don't address the problem and listen to people just throw arrogance at it and talk down to adults who don't need an 'app' to run their lives for them. :rolleyes:

    Are you head of MS customer services?

    You're acting as if Microsoft has reverted back to a command line interface or something. Windows 8 is not hard to learn. Things are done differently but it is not hard. In 8.1, you don't have to use the start menu or Modern apps if you don't want to. The OS is not forcing you to do so.

    Using Windows 7 is the solution for those that aren't capable of/willing to gain a grasp on the Windows 8 interface.
  • Roland MouseRoland Mouse Posts: 9,531
    Forum Member
    John259 wrote: »
    IMHO:
    Microsoft had the opportunity to sort this out with Win8.1. They failed to do so, and thus hastened their own downfall. Arrogant fools.

    Windows 8 and it's supporters are as we have seen are just full for arrogance and can't get their little brains around why seasoned computer users are not wetting their pants about the latest trendy little Fisher Price titles and can run their lives without and app to do it for them.
  • John259John259 Posts: 28,327
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Zack06 wrote: »
    Windows 8 is not hard to learn. Things are done differently but it is not hard.
    That's your opinion. It's not what most people think.
  • and101and101 Posts: 2,688
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    When will they ever listen to the customers? People wanted a Windows 7-style Start Menu, not a button that merely takes you back to the Duplo tiles from the desktop. With MS would stop trying to force the Playskool interface on people. Give the customers what they want! Apple have the right idea. Keep the tablet and desktop OSes separate.

    I can remember the same complaints when XP was released. It was called a pile of crap with a fisher price interface. People got used to it and are now calling for Microsoft to return to the old fisher price interface with Windows 8. I also remember the complaints when 95 was released with people hating the new start menu concept and wanting the old style program manager instead.

    Once you figure out how windows 8 works then it is just as quick to use as Windows 7 with quite a few nice UI changes and a lot quicker for launching applications than XP.

    The way we interact with computers is changing with touch and gesture control taking over from the more traditional WIMP interface. Microsoft had a choice of moving Windows over to the new way of doing things or go out of business. The transition to a new way of interacting with a computer is always going to cause problems, there are still a lot of people who believe that a mouse is too modern and only use a keyboard, there are probably a few who wish we were back using punch cards.
  • Zack06Zack06 Posts: 28,304
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    and101 wrote: »
    I can remember the same complaints when XP was released. It was called a pile of crap with a fisher price interface. People got used to it and are now calling for Microsoft to return to the old fisher price interface with Windows 8. I also remember the complaints when 95 was released with people hating the new start menu concept and wanting the old style program manager instead.

    Once you figure out how windows 8 works then it is just as quick to use as Windows 7 with quite a few nice UI changes and a lot quicker for launching applications than XP.


    The way we interact with computers is changing with touch and gesture control taking over from the more traditional WIMP interface. Microsoft had a choice of moving Windows over to the new way of doing things or go out of business. The transition to a new way of interacting with a computer is always going to cause problems, there are still a lot of people who believe that a mouse is too modern and only use a keyboard, there are probably a few who wish we were back using punch cards.

    I think part of the problem is that people are too lazy or just don't want to learn a new UI. Windows 8 is actually faster than Windows 7 in some respects, and it certainly is better for managing multiple applications.

    I dread to think what these people do when computer systems change in the workplace. An employer would not take kindly to that sort of lack of adaptability. Technology is constantly changing, if some don't like the direction Microsoft is taking, there are alternatives.
  • John259John259 Posts: 28,327
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Zack06 wrote: »
    I dread to think what these people do when computer systems change in the workplace.
    The huge cost of retraining is one of factors why businesses are reluctant to use Windows 8.
Sign In or Register to comment.