StartIsGone for Windows 8.1

[jamesfed]

Sooo much better not to have a silly start button

 

On a training thing though my tech has been complaining about how difficult it was to get to things in Windows 8 until I realised that the problem is he didn't know about typing the name of the app right into the start screen.

[Norphy]

 

The useful functionality you claim is missing, isn't missing at all.

 

It's missing from the Start Menu. I don't know about you but I have a lot more pinned to my start menu than I do to my task bar.

[Arthur]

I don't know about you but I have a lot more pinned to my start menu than I do to my taskbar.

The program doesn't actually need to be pinned to the taskbar to access the items on the jump list - just running. Therefore all you need to do is open Outlook and then right-click its icon.

[Norphy]

The program doesn't actually need to be pinned to the taskbar to access the items on the jump list - just running. Therefore all you need to do is open Outlook and then right-click its icon.

 

So to replicate the functionality that's in the old start menu for let's say Photoshop, I have to open Photoshop, right click on the icon in the task bar and access its jump list from there? At that point you may as well just use the built in task bars in Photoshop. With the old start menu, you could open a list of recent docs without having to open the program or browse the file system. Unless I have the program pinned in W8, I can't do that

[Arthur]

So to replicate the functionality that's in the old start menu for let's say Photoshop, I have to open Photoshop, right click on the icon in the task bar and access its jump list from there?

There are many different ways to achieve what you want. e.g.

 

• Windows Key » Ph » Enter » File » Open Recent
   
   
  
• Start » Charms Bar » Search » Recent
   
   
  
• Windows Key + F » Recent
   
   
  
• Right-click Photoshop while it is running or pinned » Recent
   
   
  
• Add the 'Recent Items' folder (%AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent) to your Favourites in File Explorer
  

 

With the old start menu, you could open a list of recent docs without having to open the program or browse the file system.

You still can. See the second and third examples listed above.

[Roberto]

There are many different ways to achieve what you want. e.g.

 

• Windows Key » Ph » Enter » File » Open Recent
   
   
  
• Start » Charms Bar » Search » Recent
   
   
  
• Windows Key + F » Recent
   
   
  
• Right-click Photoshop while it is running or pinned » Recent
   
   
  
• Add the 'Recent Items' folder (%AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent) to your Favourites in File Explorer
  

 

 

You still can. See the second and third examples listed above.

 

That's great for us geeks but its hardly as discoverable for novice users as it was before. The fact is that Microsoft have made it that bit more difficult for people who don't already know about these features to find them and use them.

 

I'm pretty much forced to use it at work because I need the RSAT tools for Windows 2012 servers on my local machine, but I am so enjoying not having to put up with its awkwardness again at home since I 'upgraded' back to Windows 7 recently.