It appears that Microsoft might give users the option to boot to the Desktop and reintroduce the Start menu in the forthcoming Windows 8 update, Windows 8.1, code-named Windows Blue.
The underlying code in Windows 8.1 hinted at this. A Russian website, Microsoft Portal,
noted that an important system file, twinui.dll, featured a line of code that allows users to disable the start screen and boot straight to the Desktop instead of the start screen.
Following this report, ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley, also
confirmed the move through her sources and added that the Redmond giant was also considering bringing back the Start button as an option with Windows Blue in addition to allowing users to disable the Metro style start screen. However, she does mention that the changes may or may not make it to the final release of the updated OS.
We had earlier
reported about a copy of Windows Blue, which was an early build, leaking online. The leak revealed new features such as resizable live tiles and a 50-50 view Snap mode, in addition to other changes including Internet Explorer 11. Microsoft is expected to release a customer preview of Windows Blue soon with the final version expected to be made available by end of Summer, according to some reports .
A number of users felt awkward using Windows 8 due to the absence of the Windows Start menu and their computer displaying the new Start screen instead of the desktop on boot. While the new start screen and charms offer a great experience on touch devices, a lot of people find them counter intuitive on non-touch devices. People who're used to previous iterations of Windows are used to seeing the Desktop screen on boot, as well as the Start menu, which had been a distinguishing feature of Windows since the days of Windows 95.