Having only been released a couple of months ago, I think that the jury is still out on the future viability of Microsoft’s newest desktop/tablet operating system, Windows 8.  As with any new operating system release from Microsoft, this new version comes with a double edge sword… features that make you wonder why they didn’t include them before… and, of course, features that make you wonder just what they were thinking when they included them. Some of the most frustrating changes, in my mind, are the those related to the interface and navigation… particularly the elimination of the “Start” button/menu and the fact that the operating system boots to the “Start Screen”, rather than to the desktop itself (like Windows 7).  I understand that these changes were made in anticipation that everyone would use a Windows-based tablet for their computing needs, but a vast majority of computers and people are just not ready for that yet.  I think that these poorly thought through changes will severely limit the rate of adoption of this new version… worldwide… for quite a while. There are some “replacements” for the Windows 8 Start Menu beginning to appear on the market to help Windows 8 users regain some of the ease of use that Windows 7 had (IMHO, of course).  The only one of these these replacements described in the article below that I have tried (and liked) is the one in the article entitled “Classic Shell”, which is free to use.  All of these pieces of software should be installed and used with caution and, understand clearly, that you use them at your own risk… !! http://www.itproportal.com/2012/12/03/how-to-resurrect-the-start-menu-in-windows-8/ The other VERY frustrating thing about using Windows 8 is that it leaves you at the Start Screen on boot-up, rather than taking you directly to the desktop.  The “Classic Shell” software, which I mention above, has an additional feature that will “disable the Metro screen”… simply right click on the Classic Shell Start Button and then choose the “Settings -> Disable Metro Screen” option… and you are done… If that is not easy enough for you, or you don’t wish to use Classic Shell add-on, then the article below describes a procedure for creating a “start-up” menu item and task that will automatically “jump” you to the Win8 desktop when starting up your computer.  As with add-on software above, use this process/procedure at your own risk! http://www.addictivetips.com/windows-tips/bypass-windows-8-start-screen-to-jump-directly-to-desktop-on-startup/