Should you reinstate the Start Menu in Windows 8?

For the last day one of the hot topics circulating online is the news that a hack has been found to reinstate the Start Menu in Windows 8.  Doing so is just a simple registry hack too.

Open RegEdit from Windows 8 search by just typing it with the Start screen showing

Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer

Change the value of RPEnabled from “1? to “0?

The thing is that this hack also disables the new Start screen completely so you’ll never see it.  In returning to Start menu to Windows 8 you make the default interface the traditional Windows desktop.  So is this something you want to do?  Let’s have a look here at the pros and cons.

Many people, especially Microsoft, are saying that as Metro is no new and so bold (and also so devoid of apps currently) that turning it off isn’t giving it a fair go.  It is very bold and something that will be too much of a change for some people and a shock to others.

Probably the biggest factor in deciding whether or not to turn off the new Metro interface will be your PC type and your screen size.  I have three PCs on which I have Windows 8 installed.  A desktop machine with a 23 inch non-touch monitor, an 11 inch tablet and a laptop with a 17 inch multi-touch screen.  On the desktop, and your opinion may be different to mine, Metro is too large and difficult to use.  When I use Internet Explorer for instance it will always take up my full screen.  This means I can’t quickly and at a glance see what tabs I have open and switch between them, and that text on many websites stretches far too wide.

With the other apps and programs I use regularly, none are built into Windows 8, so I’ll always be dropping to the desktop to use them.  On this PC I will be disabling the Start Menu and using Windows 8 in what I shall call ‘traditional’ mode.

On my tablet however its a no brainer that I leave the Metro interface turned on as, frankly, I’d be a bit of a dummy not to.  Because my laptop has a multi-touch screen I’ll leave it turned on here too, I also need to get to grips with it properly for my job, but I’m reserving judgement about whether I’ll leave it there permanently.

You may have experienced a similar issue in that on large screens Metro can look too big and intrusive, and without touch it’s difficult to control things as simple as switching your PC off.

Then there’s the question of what type of user you are.  Here I can thoroughly recommend that if you use your PC for light web browsing and social networking you should give Metro a go.  This goes double if you have a small laptop or netbook as you’ll probably love it.

If on the other hand you’re a power user or a business user who spends most of their time in software such as Microsoft Office, Photoshop or Visual Studio then perhaps switching the Start Menu back on is the right thing to do.

I completely understand why people are saying, don’t switch Metro off, you need to give it a chance.  The interface change is bold and brash and can look intimidating.  It does have its merits though, especially for non-technical people for whom the new interface, especially with the new simplified Control Panel, will be a blessing.

I also understand though why people might make their mind up quickly that Metro isn’t for them, and it’s easy to see why they might come to this conclusion.

In the end it’s a personal choice.  My advice would be to turn it off on your desktop if you want to, but try and live with it on your laptop where it might be more at home.  Changes will inevitably come and Microsoft may make this type of switch an option (especially for business users), but for now don’t just say no, say maybe.

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Should Microsoft Rush Windows 8?

Today I was getting curious as to when Microsoft would release Windows 8. I was wishing they would just hurry up and get on with it. Microsoft employ nearly 100,000 worldwide,surely it can’t take them too long to put together a new OS? Microsoft proved that they can get a good OS together in no time with Windows 7. They released that several months earlier than they had previously scheduled it. There’s plenty of people out there who are wishing that Microsoft would release Windows 8 tomorrow, so why don’t they just hurry up already and get Windows 8 out there?

Of course we know that that isn’t going to happen, but it also won’t happen this year, and probably not until well into next year. Many people want Windows 8 because they just want to play with something new, however the majority of consumers and certainly businesses are more than happy with Windows 7. They don’t want to go through all the hassle of updating their operating systems again. There’s no need to either. Windows 7 is doing pretty much everything it says on the tin and more. The vast majority of users are more than happy with it, and you know the old saying “if it ain’t broke,don’t fix it”

And that’s exactly what Microsoft are thinking as well. Let’s face it, it’s only the limited tech minority who are eager to get their hands on Windows 8 so soon. There’s always going to be a group of hardcore enthusiasts looking to get their hands on the next edition of something as soon as the current one is released. But I’m sure Microsoft have identified that their largest market is the general consumer and corporate enterprises. They know that these people aren’t shouting out looking for something new. This wasn’t the case with Vista. Everyone was complaining about it so Microsoft had to get their act together quickly and get Windows 7 out there. Now that people have it they are more than content, and so are Microsoft. It’s got constant steady growth and good stable sales figures and is closing in on finally putting Windows XP to bed. At the moment there is no real reason that Microsoft need to rush and get a new OS out there to put things right.

Or is there?

If you look at the other side of the coin there’s a different story. While Windows 7 sales figures are going strong, some enterprises are going to put off upgrading to Windows 7 in anticipation of Windows 8. It takes nearly a year for large organisations to roll out a new operating system so they might as well just wait for Windows 8 before updating all their systems. Even some consumers are thinking like this as well.

But the other main reason is because of the rapidly evolving tablet market. Apple, even with Steve Jobs gone from the helm of their ship, are still the dominant player in this market and will be for quite some time unless somebody big like Microsoft comes up with a viable option for consumers. The one thing lacking from Windows 7 is it’s tablet support – while it is there, it just isn’t good enough. A whole host of manufacturers have got plans to release Windows 8 tablets, but what’s the point in promising releases for late 2012 when we all want tablets now?

If Microsoft want to get a foothold in the tablet market before it’s too late, they need to get onto to it now. This is really the only reason why Microsoft would need to rush along Windows 8. Apple have a much higher refresh rate with their iOS operating system and it’s letting them increase their lead a bit more every day.

Personally I’d just be happy with a beta edition of Windows 8 for the moment to play around with as I’m not really into owning tablets myself. However I know plenty of you guys are itching to get Windows 8 now.

So tell me, should Microsoft rush Windows 8? If so, why? Is it not better that they take their time and do it properly to avoid another Vista disaster?

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