A lot of people complained and Microsoft listened. The company brought the Start button back in Windows 8.1. But the button doesn't have to stay there in your taskbar— there are hacks to re-hide it.

Open Shell, originally known as Classic Shell, is open-source software that allows you to replace the standard Start Menu on Windows 10 and Windows 8.

Even if both the Start button and the boot-to-desktop option are disabled by default in the next major Windows update, restoring the option to use both without resorting to third-party utilities ...

Patrick Marshall answers your tech questions. This week's topics cover the Start button on monitor screens failing to function and an alert sound on a PC that's becoming more frequent.

Microsoft may be moving toward bringing back the Start Button and allowing users to boot straight to the desktop with its coming Windows 8.1 release later this year.