[How To] Bring the classic Start menu back to Windows 8

After all these months of using Windows 8, I still miss the classic Start menu, the little sexy orb icon. First I was attracted to new features of Windows 8 such as Live Tiles but now, I confess Windows is incomplete without the Start menu. Absence of Start menu was Windows 8’s most lacking feature. Microsoft did their best to lure user to its new Start window but for users of Windows, Start menu has always been there for easy access to all the programs and applications they install on their PCs.

If you are in the same boat, fear not. Classic Shell has found a clean solution to this problem. Same as Windows 7’s start menu Classic Shell do a good job of duplicating the classic Start menu with its folders, shortcuts, and easy access to common Windows locations.

Concerns surfaced that Microsoft(MSFT) would disable the functionality of such Start menu apps in the final version of Windows. But I tested this app today with my Windows 8 Pro and it worked all fine

Classic Shell is a collection of features from prior versions of Windows, including a new but familiar take on the classic Start menu. There are 3 major components in this Start menu app- Classic Explorer, Classic Start Menu and Classic IE9. You can choose one among three by clicking on Windows orb after installation is completed or later by right-clicking on Start button>Settings. It will allow you to select among three menus of Windows classic (single-paned) or Windows XP (dual-paned) or Windows7/Vista (dual-paned) menu.

The Classic Shell menu displays your programs, documents, and settings. The familiar Run command and Search field are visible. Clicking on the Shut Down icon brings up choices for Shutdown, Restart, Hibernate, Lock, and Switch User. The Help command even calls up the new Windows 8 Help and Support page. You can learn more about the utility through its detailed FAQ page.

Classic Shell is available as a free, donation-supported utility that can be downloaded directly from the app’s Sourceforge page.

Apart from this, there are other several apps available in web such as Pokki, ViStart, StartMenuX you can search for them and give it a try and don’t forget leave comment.