Download of the Day: Start Menu 8 ~ lotfi

Microsoft's decision to get rid of the start menu in Windows 7 still affects millions of users across the world and Start Menu 8 addresses that with a program that is much more than just a way to get the menu back.

Why you need it

Whilst Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 may have brought back the start menu there are still plenty that use Windows 7 and 8 or simply want to harp back to the days of the original start menu. Lucky for them Start Menu 8 brings it back with a level of personalisation unmatched elsewhere.

Once you've negotiated the bloatware during the installation, you can get to work creating the perfect desktop layout for your needs. There are several strands to Start Menu 8 and chief among these is of course choosing the perfect start button. You'll find everything from a classic Windows Vista icon to one based on the newer incarnations of the program and a range of custom options. You can even go online and find a completely different start menu icon that'll have your friends green with envy.

Start Menu 8 really comes into its own when choosing the style of the menu itself with either 'Windows' or 'Modern' to pick and tweak. The personalisation options available here allow you to adjust the transparency of the menu, whether it should be Windows 7 or not, and even let you go back to the unpopular live tile interface.

Further to this you can also set up the menu to your preference in terms of the program icon sizes, the amount of them and whether you want the option to switch back to the modern UI at any time.

Customisation goes even deeper still through the chance to tweak exactly what is shown in the start menu in terms of control panel items, documents, pictures, music, games, my computer and various other administrative tools. Start Menu 8 can also serve as the opportunity to adjust your account picture and with the font and background colour also able to be changed, there's quite literally nothing on the start menu out of reach for users of this excellent program.

Key features

Works on: Windows 7 and 8.1

Price: Free

Bring back the start button: If you're downloading Start Menu 8 then you want a start button back in your life and the amount of options here will have you switching it up all the time.

Personalisation heavy: You can change everything on your start menu to reflect the lengths you want to distance your machine from the new live tiled interface with everything from the Windows symbol down to the colour of the background open to change.

Easy to use: The user interface is such that it is incredibly easy to use and every time you want to make a change it'll be as easy as clicking a button.