Computerworld

The best apps to restore the classic Windows Start menu and taskbar

Take back control of your PC’s Start menu and taskbar, whether you’re running Windows 10 or Windows 11. Microsoft has made a lot of changes to the Start menu and taskbar over the past few years. On ...
Windows Central

How to restore a more classic Start menu to Windows 11

On Windows 11, you can use the "Open-Shell-Menu" utility to bring back the classic Start menu. I'm not a fan of using third-party tools to tweak the behavior of the operating system, but this app ...
Windows Central

You won't believe how much the Windows Start Menu has changed in 40 years — including THAT ill-fated departure with Windows 8

On November 20, 1985, Windows 1.0 shipped for the first time, marking the beginning of a Windows era that reshaped personal computing. Today, on November 20, 2025, Microsoft is celebrating 40 years of ...
GeekWire

Inside the Windows 1.0 reunion: How a scrappy team shipped the product that changed everything, eventually

Members of the Windows 1.0 team at their 40-year reunion this week. L-R, kneeling/sitting: Joe Barello, Ed Mills, Tandy Trower, Mark Cliggett, Steve Ballmer (holding a Windows 1.0 screenshot) and Don ...