Stardock Start8 vs. Classic Shell

Stardock Start8 vs. Classic Shell Most power users would be perfectly willing to upgrade to Windows 8 if it weren’t for two thingsâ€"the tile-based “Metro” interface and the missing Windows 8 Start button. While Metro is like a rash in that you eventually get used to it, we can’t imagine getting used to the lack of a Start button. It’s too bad Microsoft didn’t give us the option of using both features, but fortunately, two third-party utilities do. If you want the speed of Windows 8 and your old buddy the Start menu, one of these utilities belongs on your system. Let’s find out which one. Round 1: Installation The Stardock Start8 install begins with choosing which style of OS to use for the Start menu, what the button looks like, and options relating to the behavior of the start menu. Once you’ve made your choices, the Start menu reappears and you’re ready to compute. Classic Shell, on the other hand, is much more old school and feels like a registry-tweaking program from five years ago. Once you’ve selected your Start menu styleâ€"Classic, XP, or Vista/7â€"you can choose whether you want to have the classic look be applied to four areas of the OSâ€"Explorer, Start menu, IE9, and the Windows Shell. From there, it installs andâ€"voilàâ€"the Start menu has returned. Both applications offer a hassle-free install, so we’re calling this one a tie. Winner: Tie   Stardock’s Start8 is easy to use and lets you pick and choose