I saw this posted on another site, looks like an interesting idea, so I decided to copy it and post it here:
This is in no way comprehensive, but if people know more, please add to the list:
FREE
Power8:
http://code.google.com/p/power8 (http://code.google.com/p/power8)
StartMenu8:
http://www.iobit.com/iobitstartmenu8.php (http://www.iobit.com/iobitstartmenu8.php)
Start Menu X:
http://www.startmenux.com/index.html (http://www.startmenux.com/index.html)
Classic Shell:
http://classicshell.sf.net (http://classicshell.sf.net/)
Spesoft Windows 8 Start Menu:
http://www.spesoft.com/free-windows-8-start-menu.aspx (http://www.spesoft.com/free-windows-8-start-menu.aspx)
Taskbar Classic Start Menu:
http://www.desktopapps.org/ (http://www.desktopapps.org/)
ViStart:
http://lee-soft.com/vistart (http://lee-soft.com/vistart)
BringBack 8:
http://www.revel-software.it/BringBack.aspx (http://www.revel-software.it/BringBack.aspx)
Handy Start Menu:
http://www.handystartmenu.com/ (http://www.handystartmenu.com/)
Start Button 8:
http://www.startbutton8.com/index.html (http://www.startbutton8.com/index.html)
Pokki:
http://www.pokki.com/windows-8-start-menu (http://www.pokki.com/windows-8-start-menu)
Win8StartButton:
http://www.quadsoft.org/moredownloads.php (http://www.quadsoft.org/moredownloads.php)
Windows 8 Start Menu:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/w8-start-menu/ (http://sourceforge.net/projects/w8-start-menu/)
Tweaks.com Start for Windows 8:
http://tweaks.com/windows/63691/tweakscom-start-for-windows-8-restore-start-button/ (http://tweaks.com/windows/63691/tweakscom-start-for-windows-8-restore-start-button/)
Start Button for Windows 8:
http://windows8startbutton.com/ (http://windows8startbutton.com/)
8StartButton:
http://www.totalidea.com/8startbutton/index.php (http://www.totalidea.com/8startbutton/index.php)
StartMenuPlus8:
http://www.winok-msixray.com/ (http://www.winok-msixray.com/)
Viva Start Menu:
http://www.vivastartmenu.com/ (http://www.vivastartmenu.com/)
Win8Starter:
http://www.win8starter.com/index-en.html (http://www.win8starter.com/index-en.html)
Wentutu Start Menu for Windows 8:
http://www.wentutu.com/ (http://www.wentutu.com/)
StartW8:
http://www.areaguard.com/startw8 (http://www.areaguard.com/startw8)
Classic Start 8:
http://www.classicstart8.com/ (http://www.classicstart8.com/)
Start Menu Reviver:
http://www.reviversoft.com/start-menu-reviver/ (http://www.reviversoft.com/start-menu-reviver/)
PAID
Start8 (30-day trial):
http://www.stardock.com/products/start8/ (http://www.stardock.com/products/start8/)
StartIsBack (30-day trial):
http://startisback.com/ (http://startisback.com/)
StartFinity:
http://www.winability.com/startfinity/ (http://www.winability.com/startfinity/)
8StartButton:
http://www.totalidea.com/8startbutton/index.php (http://www.totalidea.com/8startbutton/index.php)
RetroUI Pro (7-day trial):
http://www.retroui.com/default.asp (http://www.retroui.com/default.asp)
Win8Starter:
http://www.win8starter.com/index-en.html (http://www.win8starter.com/index-en.html)
Hello mlauzon.
Welcome to the forum. :)
Please, check the links as they are not working.
:D
Done.
Why in the world would anyone in their right mind want to go back to the archaic start menu that began with Windows 95 and now ended with Windows 7? The start screen is so much better, once you fully understand it! It makes the start menu look like something out of the 20th century.
If anyone out there has trouble with W8's start screen, let me know and i'll show you what to do. Whatever you do, just don't put that classic start menu garbage in. Learn new things, don't live in the past.
I have to agree with humbert, metro is really nice, give him a chance and be amazed :)
Added Classic Start 8.
Also, changed it into two catagories: Free & Paid.
Quote from: mlauzon on January 02, 2013, 11:48 PM
Added Classic Start 8.
Also, changed it into two catagories: Free & Paid.
There was already someone asking for modifying the appearance of Windows 8.
So, thank you. :)
Quote from: Tovagulet on January 07, 2013, 06:29 PM
Lol.
Just because Windows 8 is new, doesn't mean it has to be good.
Everyone was so used to the start Menu and then they suddenly remove it??
Please, UI Metro sucks.
Looks like a tablet.
I like the old desktop.
Windows 8 is supossed to be user friendly, but there are many things people still don't know how to do them...
Oh, I strongly disagree! Windows 8's start screen beats the old start menu any day!
Let me begin by saying that the only thing missing from Windows 7 (with the exception of Aero) is the start menu orb. You can still put icons on the desktop as well as its taskbar underneath and start your apps that way. If I want to start a desktop app only has a start screen tile and no desktop icon nor taskbar shortcut, all I do is hit the Windows key once and single click on the tile. What could be easier! In the days from Windows 95 through Windows 7, I had to click the orb, mouse up to programs, then right to the subheading, open the icons underneath, maybe another subheading, then up and down to find your icon. HOW I HATE the old start menu!! Also, often after finding my icon after searching for it, the thing was so small I might accidentally click the wrong one. No chance of that with the start screen, they're nice and big! Also, the start screen is highly configurable. You can add tiles, remove them, change them any way you want, group them.. etc. etc. You can do anything you want with it and configure it your way.
I don't buy this excuse of "people don't understand it" or "it's not what they're used to". Everything I've done since day one has a LEARNING CURVE. If somone doesn't understand something, their only solution is to learn it or be forever stuck in the past. To give you an idea, I had trouble with Samsung with a brand new Galaxy Note II. I got so fed up because their tech support department wasn't paying attention to me that I learned to both root it and install a custom ROM in the process. I had to LEARN all that, as as I saw it, I had no other option. It was learn or be forever subject to their bullshit.
Let me tell you a story. I clearly remember when they first started selling internet access, it was nothing like what you see today. Your computer ran nothing more than a terminal program and you were logged in to a Unix mainframe. If you wanted to be on the internet at all, you simply had to learn Unix. I did exactly that! Then slowly the thing went from there to the graphical interface you know today. Before, you had other computer nerds to talk to, sadly today the majority of what's on there are n00bs who can barely click a mouse. It's tragic - how I'd love to have the Unix shell back.
Added Start Menu Reviver.
Thanks for sharing. :)
With the exception of personal tastes, why in the world would anyone want to go back to the arcane, hard-to-use start menu that plagued Windows all the way from 95 to 7? Even if you never use a metro app, nothing beats the start screen Windows 8 uses.