Windows 8 Start Screen is horrible


Recommended Posts

The impression that I get is that it's more than a few. Visit a forum with a bit more balance and you'll see it. And when I pay for something, I do have the right to expect it to work how I want it to.

Bitch an moan. The Start menu is morphed live with it. I personally have grown to appreciate and like it. MS is smart in offering it cheap right now to migrate over. If you've not tried it. I don't mean the Consumer preview, get the Retail for 40.00. It's a steal. It's blind robbery if you get it for 15. side by side on the same hardware, Windows 8 kills Windows 7 in performance. Sorry it's just facts. I've cleaned installed on two laptops both Win7 and Win8 to find Win8 being better to work with. Also finding that really the only thing that appears to have changed is the morphed start menu. Everything is essentially where it always was. Just gotta click a little more.

Windows 8 provides a different way to use windows. I'm still finding some things I don't like though but overall it's not a big deal.

It's really a poor redesign of apple's old 'At Ease' environment, except unlike 'At Ease' it's overly complicated and has a horrible workflow often times taking many more click to get anything. Microsoft can't really be serious about keeping this on windows 9 can they? They had to have put it on windows 8 to promote windows RT development for a couple years while they catch up with apple, right? Everything about this is just wrong. I tried to like it, I really did, it's just horrible. It belongs on a tablet and no where else. How can any of you defend having two parallel environments where the new one is far inferior to the old one?

Oh look, more bitching about the Start screen. There hasn't been like 700 million threads about this already.

And fanboy minds think Microsoft is good now just because it has adapted the same disgusting company model of Apple.

Umm, pardon me, Apple happens to be the most valuable company in the world, ahead of friggin Exxon. You can call Apple's company model "disgusting", but hey, it works.

As far as the original thread, if the OP doesn't care for Windows 8, that individual should simply use another operating system. Life goes on.

This is why I don't understand many people (not all) whom dislike Windows 8.

You clearly stated in the first post that metro was meant for tablets. Why then, do you not just go straight into desktop and stay there? What on earth keeps people compelled to use metro rather than the desktop on a PC?????????

The idea of Windows 8 is that we have one OS for several devices. Depending on the device, we use Windows 8 differently. If you are on a PC, you will use the desktop most of the time. The only reason (I'm sure there are others but can't think of them atm) you'd need to use Metro on a PC is to search or go to a new app and that is the the same thing as Windows 7 - press windows key and type. That is it.

The impression that I get is that it's more than a few. Visit a forum with a bit more balance and you'll see it. And when I pay for something, I do have the right to expect it to work how I want it to.

No, sorry, that's not how it goes. You buy something and have a right to expect it to work for you. Not how you want it. Besides, the Start Screen works just the same as the Start Menu. Nothing has fundamentally changed.

  • Like 1
Besides, the Start Screen works just the same as the Start Menu. Nothing has fundamentally changed.

I can understand why people don't like the Start Screen but as you say nothing has changed fundamentally. In fact you now have much greater customisation and it can display considerably more items than the old Start Menu. It is designed for launching applications, which it does very well. All I would say is that the All Apps menu shouldn't be hidden behind and mouse click and buried in the bottom right-hand corner - it should be immediately visible and located in the bottom-left corner. The icons could also be larger for x86-64 applications, as there is a lot of wasted space.

I imagine the Start Screen will receive some attention before Windows 9.

The impression that I get is that it's more than a few. Visit a forum with a bit more balance and you'll see it. And when I pay for something, I do have the right to expect it to work how I want it to.

So don't pay for it and stop your constant moaning. If you've already bought it then you did so knowing that there's no Start menu so, again, stop grizzling like a spoilt child.

So don't pay for it and stop your constant moaning. If you've already bought it then you did so knowing that there's no Start menu so, again, stop grizzling like a spoilt child.

Sorry, Neowin isn't your forum so you don't get to tell me what I can and cannot do.

No, sorry, that's not how it goes. You buy something and have a right to expect it to work for you. Not how you want it. Besides, the Start Screen works just the same as the Start Menu. Nothing has fundamentally changed.

Nothing has changed? Whatever you're smoking, keep it away from me.

Sorry, Neowin isn't your forum so you don't get to tell me what I can and cannot do.

Nothing has changed? Whatever you're smoking, keep it away from me.

Name one thing the old start menu did that the new start screen doesn't? You can't, because there's nothing from the old start menu that can't be done exactly the same way on the new start screen.

Name one thing the old start menu did that the new start screen doesn't? You can't, because there's nothing from the old start menu that can't be done exactly the same way on the new start screen.

It didn't slap me in the face when I stated my computer for starters, it arranged items into folders rather than just slapping them on a screen of endless icons, and it wasn't made with boringly dull gradients.

Name one thing the old start menu did that the new start screen doesn't? You can't, because there's nothing from the old start menu that can't be done exactly the same way on the new start screen.

Jump list.

Once you setup the start screen and arrange pinned programs to your liking, you can actually navigate to open programs faster vs. the start menu.

This. With just the mouse, hit the bottom left corner of the screen and then click on the big shiny button for your programs/shortcuts. I can launch my apps quickly with the start screen just because I can remember from visual memory where stuff are pinned. I don't have to navigate a bunch of menus and folders and maybe accidentally closing the nested folder because I moved my mouse a pixel too far.

Maybe its just because I rarely used the old start menu and usually just have everything i commonly used pinned on the taskbar or desktop. It's funny that I actually use win8 start screen more than the old start menu. Maybe its because I find it intuitive and fun to use.

The learning curve is pretty low IMO, child's play even. Took me maybe half an hour to learn everything about the start screen. I don't feel like its any harder to use compared to the start menu. It's functionally the same for launching programs and searching stuff. It just looks different, that's all. Also I don't use any of the metro apps. I use win8 the same way I did win7.

When it comes down to it, Windows 8 is overall the better OS. Its snappier on my old core2duo(6 years old), drivers work flawlessly out of the box, explorer improvements are great and dare I say IMPROVED the way of launching programs. But of course that's only my opinion. There will always be haters/critics.

Edit: oh I forgot to add, Start screen takes more clicks? If you pinned all your most used system utilities, software, folders etc, it only takes 2 clicks! Click corner to open start screen then click app, done! If you wanna see all the installed programs, with keyboard hit Win+W and BAM! ALL of it displayed at once in alphabetical order and you can search em too! Just 1 click from there! NO IDEA where the extra clicks are coming from. MAYBE its hard if you're using touchpad on a laptop, but then its your own damn fault. That crap is tough to use no matter what OS.

Nothing has changed? Whatever you're smoking, keep it away from me.

Really? Then something doesn't add up here... You can clearly see the that Start did not loose functionality in the slightest, and gained functionality that the old Menu cannot provide in it's "current" (Windows 7) form.

post-420821-0-30834400-1352603766.png

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • I bought this game. Played it for an hour, and then got a refund from Steam. Not a fun game at all.
    • Nothing Ear buds with active noise cancellation are at their lowest price ever with 51% off by Fiza Ali Amazon is currently offering the Nothing Ear wireless earbuds at their lowest price ever with 51% off limited prime deal. The earbuds feature an 11mm dynamic drivers with a ceramic diaphragm, and support high-resolution audio codecs including AAC, SBC, LDAC, and LHDC 5.0. They support active noise cancellation of up to 45dB across a frequency range of up to 5000Hz, and include a smart ANC algorithm, adaptive noise cancellation, and a transparency mode that allows surrounding sounds to be heard when needed. Connectivity is provided via Bluetooth 5.3, with support for multiple profiles including HFP, A2DP, AVRCP, and others. The earbuds also support dual connection, allowing them to be paired with two devices at the same time. Additional features include IP54 water and dust resistance for the earbuds and IP55 for the charging case, in-ear detection, pinch controls, low-latency mode, Google Fast Pair, Microsoft Swift Pair, and a three-microphone system per earbud for clearer voice calls. The Nothing X app, available on Android and iOS, provides access to custom EQ settings, bass enhancement, personal sound profiles, ear tip fit testing, firmware updates, customisable controls, dual-device management, and a find-my-earbuds feature. In terms of battery performance, each earbud has a 46mAh battery and the charging case has a 500mAh capacity. With active noise cancellation (ANC) turned off, the earbuds should offer up to 8.5 hours of playback on a single charge and up to 40.5 hours in total with the charging case. With ANC enabled, playback should last up to 5.2 hours on the earbuds and up to 24 hours with the case. For calls, talk time should reach up to 5 hours on the earbuds and 23 hours with the case when ANC is off, while ANC on should provide up to 4 hours on the earbuds and 18 hours with the case. Finally, fast charging should deliver up to 10 hours of playback from 10 minutes of charging when ANC is disabled. Nothing Ear Wireless Earbuds Bluetooth: $73.15 (Amazon US) - 51% off Good to know This Amazon deal is U.S. specific, and not available in other regions unless specified. We only use first-party seller links (at the time of article publishing); ensure that you purchase from a first-party seller link only. Check out Today's Deals on Amazon | or our recent tech deals. Become a Prime member (for Students or SNAP) via Neowin Get Prime Access - Prime for half price (for qualifying Medicaid, EBT, SNAP) Subscribe to Prime Video, Audible Plus, Music Unlimited or Kindle Unlimited via Neowin As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
    • Microsoft officially launched its Copilot Cowork enterprise AI agent on June 16, 2026, switching to usage-based pricing on the same day it disclosed it is considering a Microsoft-hosted version of China's DeepSeek V4 as a lower-cost engine for the platform — a pairing that puts the company on a collision course with both its enterprise customers' security teams and a White House that has spent months trying to wall off Chinese AI from American infrastructure.................... https://www.techtimes.com/articles/318647/20260618/microsoft-eyes-deepseek-v4-copilot-cowork-what-azure-hosting-cannot-fix.htm  
    • Forza Horizon 6 gets another hotfix for one of the game's online modes by Taras Buria Recently, Forza Horizon 6 players discovered an interesting glitch that allowed farming a crazy amount of in-game credits in a few minutes. Playground Games quickly pulled the plug on the exploit by disabling one of the game's online modes, and today, the studio is rolling out another hotfix. In my review, I complained about the game still showering gamers with cars, credits, and wheelspins. As such, earning money in Forza Horizon 6 is not a particularly difficult task. You simply have to play the game, crazy, I know. However, people still found an easier path to becoming a billionaire in Forza Horizon 6. All you had to do was purchase the Hummer EV, install a specific tune, shift in reverse while going at about 15 MPH, hit a wall, and get launched into the stratosphere at the speed of light. While mid-air, launch Eliminator and quickly get eliminated. Boom, the game just awarded you with a few million in-game credits. Initially, Playground Games disabled Eliminator to prevent people from farming credits. Now, following the release of the first balancing update, developers are rolling out a new update that re-enables Eliminator and gives users a free McLaren Sabre as a gesture of goodwill. Here is the changelog: One critical issue remains unpatched, though. There are quite a few reports of the game wiping gamers' saves, and developers are still looking into that. To avoid potential data loss, Playground Games recommends taking one of the steps outlined in a previously published support article.
  • Recent Achievements

    • First Post
      AndreaB earned a badge
      First Post
    • Week One Done
      Huge Trailer earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Week One Done
      Classifyskilleducation earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      eurospharma62 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      With What earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      592
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      172
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      76
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      68
    5. 5
      neufuse
      64
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!