I'm sure that most of you will agree that the new start menu interface that has been introduced into Windows Vista can seem radically different at first glance and can perhaps be considered a step backwards in terms of ease of use.
While I personally think the new Windows Vista Start menu is a great update to the series, I know for a fact that a lot of you prefer the old Windows Start menu that first debuted in Windows 95 and has pretty much stayed faithful to the original all the way up until Windows XP.
Well, I have good news for you: You can indeed resurrect the good old Classic Windows Start menu which still retains all the functionality of the Start menu featured in Windows XP! Here's how:
First we need to right click on our Windows Vista taskbar and click on Properties
Next we click the Start Menu tab to be presented with the option we have been looking for; Select the Classic Start menu button and press Apply for the changes to take effect:
Doing so will result in the classic Windows XP Start menu making a well return!
Now, if you want to, you can also further customize the classic Windows XP Start by returning to area where we discovered the Start menu toggler, under Properties > Start Menu; but instead of clicking Apply as we did before, this time if we click on Customize we will be presented with a wealth of options whereby we can tailor our Start menu to our own desires.
Go ahead and play around with a few of the settings and see what you can come up with; You might also find that combining some of the Windows XP Classic features with the newer Windows Vista can make for a very interesting Start men. Have fun!
No, this is a return to the Windows 2000 start menu. The XP start menu is a lot different. This is not the answer.
Agreed. This menu is old school.
From my endless searching of the web, it would seem that we are never going to get our beloved XP start menu back.
Way to go, Microsoft.
Agreed, the 'classic menu' is not the XP menu, this is pre-XP. Also, the new vista search bar seems to force me to use a Microsoft search solution, when previously I had my own favourite. Isn't Microsoft liable in the same way as it was with forcing peoples to use Internet Explorer with Windows as it was bundled. This is the same as far as I can see. Where's my option to replace Vista search with Google or Copernicus?
Agreed, this is not what the title suggests.
I really loved the XP cascading start menu, and now i'm forced to use the crappy and small "All Programs" list on Vista's start menu.
And why?
Because some nazis over at MicroS*** decided they don't want to give us (the users that pay their salaries) the ability to choose.
That's why i'm going for Linux... Sooner than i expected.
Agree with all the comments, this is not the "Windows XP" start menu!!!
BRING BACK the XP START MENU!!!!!!!
I HATE VISTA AND ITS START MENU WITH THE PASSION OF A GIRAFFE. XP was the shizz