Where is that Windows 8 Start Menu?

WinAbility Software has released StartFinity, a Windows 8 program that adds a Start button to Windows 8 desktop that looks and operates like the one found in previous Windows versions.

When the Start button is pressed, StartFinity displays the Start Menu similar to the built-in Start menu of Windows 7 and earlier versions of Windows. StartFinity enables Windows 8 users to utilise the familiar Start Menu interface to navigate to the Documents, Pictures, Music, and other folders, launch programs from the Programs menu, open Control Panel, or use the Shut Down menu commands to perform such tasks in a familiar fashion.

"While not the exact imitation of the Start Menu that Windows 7 has, StartFinity comes pretty close," says Andrei Belogortseff, the founder and CEO of WinAbility Software. "The StartFinity Start Menu even comes with a search box where you can type a few letters of a program's name you are looking for, and the matching items will be displayed as a list, for the user to choose from, pretty much like the Windows 7 search box does," Andrei added.

StartFinity does not remove access to the new Start Screen of Windows 8: it adds a command at the very top of its Start Menu to allow the user to switch to the Start Screen at any time. The user has also an option to use the Windows key to activate the Start Menu (instead of clicking the Start button).

StartFinity can be used with both desktop and tablet computers running the Windows 8 operating system that offers the desktop mode. StartFinity cannot be used on Windows 8 computers that do not offer the desktop mode.

StartFinity Starter edition, that offers limited customization opportunities of the Start Menu, can be downloaded from http://www.winability.com/startfinity-free/ without charge.

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