Microsoft is bringing back the starts button to the desktop version of its new Windows 8 operating system, after a raft of complaints from users.
However, the new version of Start button will not offer all the functionality previously associated with the feature.
Instead it will take users to the recently-introduced “Metro” interface.
“We’ve improved the way you navigate to Start with the mouse by changing the Start ‘tip’ to be the familiar Windows logo,” the company said in a blog post.
“The new tip appears anytime you move the mouse to the bottom left corner of the screen, and is always visible on the taskbar when on the desktop.”
On current versions of Windows 8, the start tip would only appear when users hovered their cursor over the lower-left corner of their screen.
In the 8.1 update, the area will be more visible.
A left-click on the tip will bring up a tile-based Start Screen – formerly known as the Metro interface – designed for touch-screen users.
A right-click will display a small menu of other options such as Event Viewer, Device Manager and Disk Management.
Another change will allow users to boot their computers directly into desktop mode, meaning they can avoid ever using the Start Screen if they wish.
Many users had complained that ditching the traditional Start Menu and introducing the Start Screen had made the system less straight-forward to use, meaning businesses which adopted it would need to retrain staff.
Other changes that will appear to users running the update include:
• Added customisation options, with more choice over colours and backgrounds on the Start Screen.
• An improved search function that covers web content as well as apps, files and settings on the PC.
• A new version of the firm’s web browser – Internet Explorer 11 – which Microsoft said would offer improved tools for developers.
Read the official Microsoft blog announcement here
