Skip to main content

Stardock releases new tool to tweak the Windows 10 Start menu

Start10 Promo Video
One of the big focuses for Microsoft with the development of Windows 10, was to make it so that it felt more familiar to those that were coming from Windows 7 and older operating systems. Perhaps the biggest criticism of Windows 8 was that it felt too tablet like and hid away the more traditional looking desktop, including the Start Menu, which was MIA.

As much as the new Windows 10 looks and feels much more traditional, whilst still using some of the best parts of Windows 8, some people wish it went further, and offered an optional Windows 7-style Start Menu. Fortunately, there’s now a solution for that.

Recommended Videos

Stardock, a company known as much for reskinning operating systems as it is for its game developments, has announced Start10, a sequel to its Start8 program which added a Start button to Windows 8. Start 10 doesn’t add a new Menu, but what it does to the existing one makes it look almost identical to the one Windows 7 has.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Related: How to master the all-new Windows 10 Start Menu

This might seem like a step backwards, as it eschew’s new developments like the interactive live-tiles, but there’s a lot of customization available for those that want to delve into it. You can pin programs to the bar, reshuffle folder links and change their destinations and you can modify the color scheme too so that it matches your taskbar or its wallpaper. Or change all of them together to any color you choose.

The only downside for those considering it, is that this isn’t some free software. Stardock is charging $5 a pop for the privilege of controlling your own Star menu experience. Although that might be too much for some, for those that want an OS that works just how they want it, this might not be a bad purchase. There is a 30-day trial, however, if you’d like to give the menu a whirl before you buy.

Jon Martindale
Jon Martindale is a freelance evergreen writer and occasional section coordinator, covering how to guides, best-of lists, and…
Microsoft backs off on pressuring Windows 10 users to upgrade
Windows 11 and Windows 10 operating system logos are displayed on laptop screens.

Microsoft has announced that it will ease up the aggressive add tactic to get Windows 10 users to upgrade to Windows 11 after receiving negative backlash from users, as Windows Latest reports. There is no official word on whether stopping the full-screen multipage popups is permanent, but a plan to “share a new timeline in the coming months” was mentioned.

Windows 10 Home users saw these ads, but some Pro and Business users also saw them after rebooting their computers. Regardless of who saw them, the ads’ pause comes as the Windows 10 end-of-life date, October 14, 2025, approaches.

Read more
PC gamers still prefer Windows 10 over Windows 11
A man stands in front of a gaming PC.

Windows 11 saw a decline in the latest Steam hardware and software survey for July 2024. According to Valve's data, gamers using Microsoft's newer operating system dropped below the 46% threshold. Currently, Windows 11 accounts for approximately 45.81% of all Windows users on Steam, marking a decrease of 0.82% from the previous month.

In contrast, Windows 10 experienced an increase of 0.74%, reaching a 50.16% share. Although gaming performance is generally similar on both operating systems, a recent test by Hardware Unboxed reveals that Windows 10 may offer better performance in certain titles due to the core isolation feature, where memory integrity is enabled by default on Windows 11.

Read more
Here’s how much RAM Windows 11 actually uses
A man sits, using a laptop running the Windows 11 operating system.

Upgrading to Windows 11 comes with a few requirements, and that includes a bump in random access memory (RAM) compared with Windows 10.

Windows 11, while it introduces a host of new features, may consume more RAM than its predecessor, but the amount of memory that it uses is not universal. Below, we'll explain what RAM is, explore how much RAM Windows 11 actually uses, and how to lower that amount if your PC is having a hard time.
Windows 11: RAM usage when idle

Read more