Microsoft may bring back full start menu with 8.2

I'll believe it when I see it.

Microsoft may finally bring back full Start menu with Windows 8.2

"The most important change, as Thurrott hears it, is that Microsoft will finally be bringing back the full Start menu to the Windows 8.2 desktop mode. Unlike the current Start button that Microsoft added to Windows 8.1, the new Start menu will be much more like the one Windows users have known and loved since Windows 95. Thurrott also says that the new version of Windows will allow for Metro apps to run as floating windows on the desktop screen, something that users can only do right now if they’ve installed third-party applications such as ModernMix."

 

[justmetoday]

More than rumor at this point

Well,

It sounds as though it is more than just a rumor, if you read this from extremetech

The Start menu will return in new Desktop-optimized version of Windows 8.2 | ExtremeTech

not only will the start menu be back, but, it is a shuffling of the interfaces. They say the new windows 8.2 or 9 will revert back to a Windows 7 Desktop with Metro on the back-end. It will also try to integrate X-Box, Windows Phone and the OS as one cohesive system.

Which personally, is the way I believe they should have approached it to begin with.

 

[whs]

It will also try to integrate X-Box, Windows Phone and the OS as one cohesive system.

Here comes the next trouble.

 

[lehnerus2000]

While everybody is different that pic of yours seems to occupy a hideous amount of screen "Real Estate". - I certainly don't want to get to the stage of not being able to see my screen because of all the gadgets working on it. !!!

Was that in reference to my Rainmeter gauges?
That picture is 1:1 scale.
Those gauges use a 100px wide strip on the right edge of my monitor (1920x1080).

... i took time out to learn, tweak, play and adjust till I was happy, its great and i want it to stay.

That's the same attitude/complaint that the majority (100s of millions based on sales/usage information) of Windows users have regarding W8 & Metro.

to be honest, why not just look out of the window???

That tells me the temperature and humidity how?

It gets stupidly hot in Australia during summer.
Since the power companies have been privatised, only politicians and CEOs can afford to run air-conditioning 24 hours/day.

It is often still ridiculously hot at night.
The temperature gauge lets me know when the outside temperature is lower than inside my house.

I can then turn of the air-conditioner and open the doors and windows.

 

[HOODY]

not only will the start menu be back, but, it is a shuffling of the interfaces. They say the new windows 8.2 or 9 will revert back to a Windows 7 Desktop with Metro on the back-end.

Which personally, is the way I believe they should have approached it to begin with.

I said the same way back when, a choice of desktops would have resolved all the complaints to start with and 8 would have been well accepted. For myself I also took a bit of time to find 3rd party programs to tame the beast and make it useable for my taste, so for now 8.1 is pretty much as I like/need it to be. It will be interesting to see how the update will effect all those items.

I use StartMenu X for the start menu, Fadetaskbar for the glass effect, have the old MS games and even that gadgets program installed, but have to admit I don't use the gadgets anymore since I have this atomic clock thing to replace the standard clock. All in all I have no real issues with Windows 8 (8.1) now.

And since I don't have/own/use any kind of cell phone I'm not too concerned about what OS is on what hardware.

 

[justmetoday]

I said the same way back when, a choice of desktops would have resolved all the complaints to start with and 8 would have been well accepted. For myself I also took a bit of time to find 3rd party programs to tame the beast and make it useable for my taste, so for now 8.1 is pretty much as I like/need it to be. It will be interesting to see how the update will effect all those items.

I use StartMenu X for the start menu, Fadetaskbar for the glass effect, have the old MS games and even that gadgets program installed, but have to admit I don't use the gadgets anymore since I have this atomic clock thing to replace the standard clock. All in all I have no real issues with Windows 8 (8.1) now.

And since I don't have/own/use any kind of cell phone I'm not too concerned about what OS is on what hardware.

I use Stardock tools; Start8, Modern Mix, Decor8

• Start8 --------- gives me my Win 7 menu
• Modern Mix --- gives me metro apps in separate windows
• Decor8 -------- allows me to customize the Metro Start menu

I have 7 machines, using W7Pro, W7 home premium, Win8, Win8.1
and I have the most stability with W7 Home Premium, it simply works, whereas all the others always have some sort of issue.

 

[insane014]

Well reading all these comments I now got all the answers why Android is the most popular mobile OS.

 

[Nemix]

Well,

It sounds as though it is more than just a rumor, if you read this from extremetech

The Start menu will return in new Desktop-optimized version of Windows 8.2 | ExtremeTech

not only will the start menu be back, but, it is a shuffling of the interfaces. They say the new windows 8.2 or 9 will revert back to a Windows 7 Desktop with Metro on the back-end. It will also try to integrate X-Box, Windows Phone and the OS as one cohesive system.

Which personally, is the way I believe they should have approached it to begin with.

This sounds more like a fantasy than a rumor, just think of the reality Microsoft has already created with Windows 8/8.1; what would be upgrade path for the current editions of Windows 8/8.1 if Microsoft were to release a separate Desktop version and tablet version for Windows 8.2 update?

All Microsoft needs to do is have a more intelligent automated installation for Windows 8.2 (if the rumors are true), one that detects if the system Windows in being installed on has a touch screen display or not.

If a touch enabled hardware is detected Windows will simply prioritize itself as a tablet optimized OS meaning: boot to start screen, do not enable a start menu, etc.

If no touch enabled hardware is detected Windows will optimized itself as a desktop OS meaning, boot to desktop, enabled a start menu, etc.

And add an option to manually select the OS optimization method even after the automatic detection of touch enabled hardware OS optimization is recommended by the installation process.

Problem solved, no need for separate tablet and desktop OS; the method of optimization for OS will either enable or hide services, UI and programs not needed for such a device during the installation process.

 

[Jf1450]

And since I don't have/own/use any kind of cell phone I'm not too concerned about what OS is on what hardware.

You sir, are to be congratulated. I can't believe how society has allowed itself to become addicted to those things to the point where their use is killing people on the highways.

-jeff

 

[popeye]

Why not just let the user decide on install if they want desktop or touchscreen/tablet interface? Problem solved. Easy peezsy lemon squeezey.

 

[Nemix]

Why not just let the user decide on install if they want desktop or touchscreen/tablet interface? Problem solved. Easy peezsy lemon squeezey.

Because the average consumer won't be able to decide unless the installation makes a detailed recommendation based on hardware detection/assessment and then give the user option to choose manually similar to option box for Windows Update when installing Windows.

Easy pie problem solved, now all Microsoft needs a competent team to make meaningful optimization for each Windows mode aka Desktop Mode or Tablet Mode.

Feel free to make some suggestions and toss some ideas around just for fun on how Desktop Mode and Tablet Mode should be optimized for Windows 8.2.

What features should be added, hidden and disabled according to mode recommended or selected and what new features and changes should come with Windows 8.2.

 

[alphanumeric]

Where I'd like to see it, is in Turn Windows Features on or off. You don't want to have to reinstall to switch from one GUI to the other. You can still give a choice on install, and even base it on hardware, but you don't want to make it hard to change your mind latter on. Especially on OEM machines that don't come with any media.

 

[elbmek]

The bottom line is that I do not want a touch screen monitor for my pc, Iwould have to stretch across to activate whatever. BUT, I am very happy with the present setup, when a radical change comes along, people scream - I dont want to change it - I am used to X or Y.

When windows 3.11 changed I bet the clamour was deafening I dont want my window on a disk, I have several hundred floppy drives here!!!

Win changed to Me, a disaster, then XP, then Vista. By this time a recognisable format was achieved. Then we came eventually to 8; and the world stopped living as we knew it.

Live with it, learn from it and enjoy - I did/have.

I would/and do use touch screen on a hand held device BUT on a pc, laptop - NEVER.

 

[alphanumeric]

A touch screen on my desktop PC would just end up being a waist of money as I'd never use it. I'd have to lean forward just to touch the screen. I have a triple monitor setup anyway so no way am I buying 3 touch screens. My keyboard and trackball work just fine in 8.1.

 

[pparks1]

A touch screen on my desktop PC would just end up being a waist of money as I'd never use it. I'd have to lean forward just to touch the screen. I have a triple monitor setup anyway so no way am I buying 3 touch screens. My keyboard and trackball work just fine in 8.1.

I have 5 touchscreen all in one pc's in my office, and nobody touches the touchscreen.

They all say, "wow, this is a touchscreen, this is so cool", and they try it out and within just a few seconds they are back to the mouse and the keyboard. I've watched this happen time and time again.

 

[CountMike]

Maybe it's funny but I never had problems with ME and Vista, only problem with Vista was that I did not have good enough HW for it (AMD 754 single core) and it was sluggish but it did run with no trouble except for drivers in the beginning. It looked a bit strange though and used it for only couple of month and than Win7 came out and I jumped on it.
I was never a slave to "good old stuff" and always try to embrace new and keep an open mind to next generation of everything (except cars, I like a good ol' V8 and classics). Got the feeling that Touch screen is just a temporary, transitional thing on the way of much better control of computers. But anyway as soon as I can get my hands (afford) a good touch screen monitor I'll get it, tried it few times and loved it. Not because of Metro but for graphics and other programs that can benefit of touch screen.
TS monitor, placed on desk in the manner a book would, is no more tiresome for hands than a book or drawing block or paper would be.

 

[dskiller]

only problem I had with vista was driver problems. and the memory usage. my computer had 4gb and had no problem until I fried one of the memory cards trying to overclock them to play crysis. with left me with 2gb of memory and I had to put into windows xp to finish the game.

if microsoft does add back start menu and add windowed apps. that could mean lost revenue for stardock. meaning people wont have buy there software anymore.

 

[alphanumeric]

A touch screen on my desktop PC would just end up being a waist of money as I'd never use it. I'd have to lean forward just to touch the screen. I have a triple monitor setup anyway so no way am I buying 3 touch screens. My keyboard and trackball work just fine in 8.1.

I have 5 touchscreen all in one pc's in my office, and nobody touches the touchscreen.

They all say, "wow, this is a touchscreen, this is so cool", and they try it out and within just a few seconds they are back to the mouse and the keyboard. I've watched this happen time and time again.

If I had an all in one setup as a media PC I can see where I might want and use a touch screen. Other than that a tablet would be the only other instance I can see me personally using a touch screen. YMMV

 

[Nemix]

@ CountMike

You're extremely forgivable ME was the first OS I ever bought with my own money (not my first OS, my parents bought me PC's before that), at the time I found nothing wrong with it since I was not a power user and only used it mainly for the web browser, office (printing and scanning) and games. I never ran a fragment on ME or had any idea about the control panel since I really had no need to know or time for such things at that time but looking back now I'd have to say ME was a pretty crappy OS maybe even more crappy then my first Windows 3.1 PC.

Vista was very pretty looking that's it and almost as crappy as ME, the problems with Vista was not only the unintuitive UI but also level of attention to optimization the OS didn't get under the hood, Vista was a big mess for my hardware's drivers and older software and even the little things like trying to copy from a USB drive was so buggy; it wasn't until SP2 came came out for Vista was when the OS was truly useable IMHO but by then talks of Windows 7 were already surfacing and people were already ready to get off Vista and move onto 7.

Windows 8/8.1 on the other hand receives a lot of hate because simply it's so much like 7 underneath all the new Metro UI stuff and really not big change or big reason for users on 7 to upgrade, the new UI makes a hard left turn and takes a lot time to get use to and can really trigger an annoyance factor to many new users of the OS but under the hood of Windows 8/8.1 the OS is just as stable if not more so than it's predecessor Windows 7 with some pretty significant changes to the newly improved kernel(s) that adds more security features, optimizations and system performance benefits to an already excellent kernel found in Windows 7 before it.

 

[BEJ]

I bought 8.1 because of a bogus win 8 install. I've read, and listened to, all the horror stories
about Win 8. Personally, I see little difference between 7 and 8.1. Need to hit an extra button
here and there, but it seems fairly intuitive to me. To each his own, but I don't have a need to
change anything at all. JMHO

 

[whs]

Need to hit an extra button here and there

And I guess that's what they call progress.