Will 'normal' Windows users want a Start button for Windows 8?

SweetLabs joins a handful of other companies offering to bring the more familiar Start menu/Button back to Windows 8.

Readers of this blog -- other than my mom (hi, mom!) -- are not normal, regular users. Sorry, you/we are not.

"Normal" users are people who get their work (and play) done on Windows, but who are not techies or those who write about them. They are the people who are not likely to have done any real testing of Windows 8 so far. And they are the people who are either going to love or hate Windows 8 when they get to use it in retail stores for the first time next week.

They are the "regular" people like Lockergnome's Chris Pirillo's dad -- a video of whom attempting to use a test build of Windows 8 went viral. Whether you consider Pirillo's video a page-view stunt or not (I am in the "not" camp), you might want to check out another video of his created in conjunction with startup SweetLabs.

This time, Pirillo captured the reactions of various folks in the University District area of Seattle last month who got to try Windows 8 for their first time. These users were checking it out on laptops with keyboards. Their reactions run from interest, to puzzlement, to nervous laughter (in the case of one woman who identified herself as an admin who is quite conversant with Windows).

Check it out:

Read more at source:
Will 'normal' Windows users want a Start button for Windows 8? | ZDNet

 

[Kat]

another YouTube video stated that M$ disabled the ability of 3rd party programs to enable a Start Menu.......
My parents are definitely not going to be using Win 8. Now I have to decide whether my dad is going to die of old age before Win XP expires in April 2014, he still uses DOS 6.22!

Ah, no, they haven't disabled it (yet). And I hope they don't.

....and I still use DOS 6.22 as well....I have an old
Pentium 2 running DOS 6.22 and WfW 3.11/Office 4.5, just for
the fun of it..

 

[lehnerus2000]

There was a hack you could use in W8 DP to restore the normal Windows setup (Start Menu and Desktop).
It was so popular that MS had to disable it or almost no one would have used their new Metro App "cash cow" screen.

AFAIK, that change had no effect on "Classic Shell" or other 3rd party Start Menu restorers.

 

[Vertex]

I used Vistart but since it has a bug on me, I now use Classic Shell and I think, it must be a pain for MS's efforts to rid off the desktop in a few years.

Third party codecs that are free will soon come with the DVD support package I think and I wouldn't be surprised if a hack emerges that gets you Windows Media Center from a Windows 7 machine or a Windows 7 installation disk to your Windows 8.

I use Windows Media Center for live TV, viewing pictures and sometimes FM radio and I was frustrated when they took that off.

I use RP and I don't know if anyone of you have noticed this but I could not see a way to create an adhoc network on my netbook which is another frustration for me. There is simply no option for that on the create new network thing under Network and Sharing Center. I tried typing adhoc in the search but nothing comes up. I did a Google search on that and it seems that a few others have noticed this on the RTM as well. But on me Desktop PC with the Developer's Preview installed, I attached a Wifi adapter and there was an option to make an adhoc network which turned out well on ICS with my netbook (running Windows 7 at that point now dual booted with W8 RP) on my first try but just had some trouble on my following tries. The shortcut to join a Bluetooth PAN also disappeared on the RP when it did exist on the DP as well. The Windows 7 part of my netbook can do adhoc and has the Bluetooth PAN shortcut. I just don't understand why those were taken off.

 

[Jefferydray]

Yes, I want the Start Button. I've used Windows 8 for a week now. I see very little value in Metro. I much prefer the Start button. I know others feel/think differently. So why can't there be both? Just let users use whichever they prefer.

 

[exscentric]

I find I am wasting a lot of time and action finding things. Example, "System Information shows up when you search for it one one unit but not on the other. Still haven't found it on the one unit. I used the search box on win7 a lot but it does not always find the program. It doesn't always show things correctly, example, type in system and system information doesn't always show up but if you delete down to sys it pops up.

I think three options would be great -- either, or, or both.

Yep, we will get used to the new but why not have some options

 

[Jefferydray]

Sounds good to me exscentric. I'm voting for you to take over Microsoft!

 

[ddeen]

I deal with everything from enthusiasts to barely computer literate in the same division. Windows 8 would be no problem for users if it were deployed booting straight to the desktop and it had some sort of start button installed. We have to remember that users have been clicking that start button for 17 years now and some don't know any other way to accomplish tasks, and most don't want to learn any other way either. Once deployed you could always then do some training to introduce the new start menu and Metro apps as an added feature. There is no way i would want to deal with the backlash deploying 8 as it comes configured out of the box and Microsoft should be slapped hard for not allowing that sort of deployment. It is going to happen anyway from the hardware partners. You think any system builder is going to send 8 out to the mass public without a start button?

 

[exscentric]

Sounds good to me exscentric. I'm voting for you to take over Microsoft!

Yikes, please no I don't want millions of people after me

 

[Lee]

Install a "Dock." As to the question posed by the OP, yes I like the "Start Screen."

 

[pat247]

If you right click the start screen icon you get a plethora of options. A true "power user" is not stuck in a paradime and can adapt to the ever changing world we live in.

 

[Dave76]

I went to Staples, saw new laptops with Win 8 on them, tried to find Control Panel and Device Manager to see what video card it had. Yeah, I never found that info in 5 minutes. The Charm Bar was impossible to use with the touchpad mouse. Didn't see CP anywhere.

I thought I saw a YouTube video that showed how to get the Start Menu into Win 8, but another YouTube video stated that M$ disabled the ability of 3rd party programs to enable a Start Menu since.

My parents are definitely not going to be using Win 8. Now I have to decide whether my dad is going to die of old age before Win XP expires in April 2014, he still uses DOS 6.22!

You can use 'Windows key' + X, to get the shortcut to control panel and others.

 

[Phil K]

I'm not missing the start button personally.

 

[AuntieParticle]

I think if we could go back in time a few years and sit the dad (and the people on the street) down in front of Windows 95 or 98 after he (they) had been using 3.1 the reaction would be very much the same. When something is new there are things to learn. I personally love the experience of diving into new things and learning/figuring things out. But I have come to realize that change can be scary to a lot of (I guess "regular") people.

The new UI is a necessary step in the direction of touch screens and (I'm hoping) gesture driven computing of the future.

I didn't do any Windows 8 testing but I upgraded my laptop as soon as Windows 8 Pro became available. I think the new UI is beautiful and I'm enjoy myself poking around and customizing my start screen.

 

[therealjustin]

The lack of a Start menu is a big change for many users but had Microsoft actually replaced it with something better, I don't think the negative reaction would be nearly as loud.


I just feel that trying to bridge the gap between a phone, a tablet and a desktop PC with one operating system was a mistake. It's one I don't see Apple following anytime soon because they are well aware of the needs of their desktop and laptop customers. Steve Jobs was absolutely right in that PC's as we know them can be compared to trucks. Not everyone will need one. However when someone does need one for heavy lifting(gaming, video editing, 3D) they cannot afford to have the confusing mess that is Windows 8. Switching between the various UI's is tedious and almost a step back from the Start menu.

 

[pat247]

Steve Jobs was absolutely right in that PC's as we know them can be compared to trucks. Not everyone will need one. However when someone does need one for heavy lifting(gaming, video editing, 3D) they cannot afford to have the confusing mess that is Windows 8. Switching between the various UI's is tedious and almost a step back from the Start menu.

Before Bill Gates and Microsoft everything was proprietary and I just don't think I want to go back to that era.

 

[MrShowdown]

while using the w7 explorer from Ex7forW8 hack, I miss the full screen metro apps

 

[LittleJay]

You can use 'Windows key' + X, to get the shortcut to control panel and others

Is there a list of keyboard commands for Windows 8 somewhere? It would come in handy.

 

[ecevit]

while using the w7 explorer from Ex7forW8 hack, I miss the full screen metro apps

I am curious to know if it is legal to use windows 7 os files under windows 8 ?

 

[AuntieParticle]

You can use 'Windows key' + X, to get the shortcut to control panel and others

Is there a list of keyboard commands for Windows 8 somewhere? It would come in handy.

Yes, look in the tutorial section of this forum. There some very fine tutorials some having to do with the keyboard shortcuts for navigating Windows 8.

 

[HippsieGypsie]

You can use 'Windows key' + X, to get the shortcut to control panel and others

Is there a list of keyboard commands for Windows 8 somewhere? It would come in handy.

Yes, look in the tutorial section of this forum. There some very fine tutorials some having to do with the keyboard shortcuts for navigating Windows 8.

www.eightforums.com/showthread.php?t=2355