Windows 8 received mixed reviews when it was released last October. Critics blasted Microsoft for its dramatically redesigned user interface and removing the famous Start button. Concerns were eased ...

One of the complaints which most Windows users have is the inability to boot Windows directly to the desktop, instead of the Start Screen. Sure you could install 3rd-party freeware to do it, but not ...

Now that Microsoft has unleashed the Windows 8.1 Preview — a glimpse of what Windows 8 users can expect this fall — now is a great time to try out the update if you have a machine that runs the ...

Windows 8.1, which will be available for download in a preview version on June 26, will feature the good old Start button in desktop mode. Users who dislike the new Modern UI/Metro interface will also ...

At long last, and probably in response to the growing number of leaks, Microsoft has published an official "first look" of Windows 8.1 (Blue). As expected, the Start button is making a return (but the ...

When the ExtremeTech staff met in October 2012 to divvy up Windows 8 coverage assignments, I volunteered to tackle the specific question of how Metro and Desktop applications would integrate and share ...

Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. is a senior correspondent and author of Notepad, who has been covering all things Microsoft, PC, and tech for ...

is a senior correspondent and author of Notepad, who has been covering all things Microsoft, PC, and tech for over 20 years. Microsoft is once again planning to alter the way its Start Screen works in ...

One of my chief complaints with Windows 8 is that Microsoft forced you to boot to the new Start screen rather than giving you the option of booting to the desktop–which is where I prefer to hang my ...

One of the biggest issues many people have had with Windows 8 is that it automatically logs you into the Windows 8 Start screen rather than the traditional Windows desktop. For those people who do not ...