The Start button is gone, finally. Since I don't use a Happy Hacking keyboard that lacks a Windows key, I'm perfectly fine with that.
Restart, Standby and Shutdown can be added the context menu, the desktop, the start screen, as a key combination, a sub menu in the task bar, and in the new
Windows X menu (also right click in the lower left corner).
If you don't find any of those solutions good enough, you're just being stubborn. However, it doesn't solve issues that newbies will have.
I hate the way MS is forcing customers to use the new start screen. However, I realize that I don't miss the old start menu.
I don't mind the new Start screen, I just don't have any use for it, yet. All that it have done is forced me to put a lot more programs in the task bar, something I should have done three years ago when W7 came.
Right now I have about 15 programs in the task bar, and I think there's room for about 38 in total on my 24" display. Do I need more? No. I guess some poeple does, though, but I'm willing to use the start screen for the 39:th program.
38 in the task bar + 84 in the start screen (without scrolling) = 122 programs. I think that will work for me.
By using small task bar buttons, set to "never combine" (combine is the most stupid setting ever), and then
hide the labels in the registry by setting the icon width to 38 (same as in W7), you'll get more room.
I've started questioning Windows users obsession (mine included) for having as few programs in the task bar as possible ever since I found that registry setting last year.
In short, I don't miss the old start menu because I don't have any use for it anymore. If I had to go back to W7 I'd still put all programs in the task bar.
All the settings is more of a mess than ever though, now there are three different layouts.
- The oldest ones looks pretty much the same as they did in W4 or even W3,
like this one.
- Then we have the more modern layout that came with Vista, like Personalization, Power options etc. I guess it was changed because higher resolutions were used compared to the '90s.
- Now there's also "Metro" style settings.
The first and the second category is just a matter of looks, it doesn't really affect the usability, but it did make Vista look half finished, and I was surprised when it still was like that in W7.
W8 makes it worse though, settings are ALL OVER THE PLACE. For instance, try to find cursor blink rate and cursor width settings. You would expect that they'd be in the same menu... haha.