Tweaks.com Start for Windows 8 brings back the classic Start Button while preserving the modern Start Screen. Configurable to show different button icons and Start Menu views on launch, the super lightweight utility consumes no memory or CPU while not in use. It sits on your Taskbar just like other pinned applications waiting for you to launch it so it can spring into action.
Additionally, common functions that were inconveniently buried in Windows 8 such as shutting down your PC and getting to network connection settings can be found by right clicking on the icon.
Tweaks.com Start has four different launch modes that provide different Start Menu views or show the desktop. These can all be configured easily on the Tweaks.com Start Configuration window.
Start Menu Groups
My favorite launch behavior is Start Menu Groups. This allows you to see the zoomed out view of the start menu and works great when you name sections. After launching Tweaks.com Start, just click on the section and the view will zoom in. Make sure you organize your apps and name the groups with this article for the best result.
Application Search Menu
The Application Search menu is also very useful since it provides a list of all installed apps and a search box for fast sorting.
Full Start Menu
And of course Tweaks.com Start can be configured to show the standard Start Menu view upon launch.
Customize the Start Button
The actual Start Button icon can be easily changed on the Configuration window. Just hit Change Icon and select any ICO, DLL or EXE file that contains icons. You can even browse the icons embedded within the file to pick the right one for you.
If you are looking for the perfect Start Button Icon, check out these sites:
How do I get this cool app?
Tweaks.com Start is 100% free. You can download version 1.95 released in Feburary, 2015 below:
