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Windows 8.1 Start button allows you to shut down, disable hot corners, boot to desktop

Ahead of Windows 8.1's public preview release on June 26, we now know exactly how the resurrected Start button and menu will work. While it's still bad news for those of you who were hoping for the return of the Windows 7-style Start menu, there is one pleasant surprise: By right clicking the Windows 8.1 Start button you can shutdown or restart your PC.
By Sebastian Anthony
Windows 8 Start menu properties and stuff

Ahead of Windows 8.1's public preview release on June 26, we now know exactly how the resurrected Start button and menu will work. While it's still bad news for those of you who were hoping for the return of the Windows 7-style Start menu, there is one pleasant surprise: By right clicking the Windows 8.1 Start button you can shutdown or restart your PC.

Yesterday, Microsoft released the preview of Windows Server 2012 R2 to TechNet subscribers -- and, as luck would have it, Server 2012 R2 includes the exact same Start button and menu as Windows 8.1. Following the release of the Server 2012 R2 preview, it wasn't long before TechNet users started sharing screenshots of the new Start button, the Start screen -- and, most interestingly, the Start button's right-click menu and the taskbar's properties window, which is where a lot of the new functionality is buried.

As you may already know, right clicking Windows 8's bottom left corner pops up a quick-access menu for Control Panel, Run, and other power user features. In Windows 8.1, shut down and restart will be added to this menu, so that you no longer have to go through the multi-click rigmarole of using the Charms menu. Left clicking the Windows 8.1 Start button still takes you to the Metro interface, though; if you want an actual Start menu, you'll need to install a third-party app.

Windows Server 2012 R2 preview desktop

The taskbar properties window (right click > Properties) has now gained a new tab called "Navigation." This tab lets you disable the top left (task switching) and right (Charms) corners, and it's also where you will head to configure the new Start menu/button experience. You can enable and disable boot-straight-to-Desktop, showing your Desktop wallpaper in the Start screen, showing the All Apps list instead of the usual Start screen, and locking the Start screen to your main display. There is also the option to search through everything when you start typing on the Start screen, rather than by category -- a feature of the Windows 7 Start menu that many Windows 8 users miss. Curiously, there's also an option to always show Desktop apps at the top of the Apps list -- presumably this is meant as an olive branch for Desktop users who try their best to stay clear of Metro apps.

All in all, these changes should significantly improve the quality of life for mouse-and-keyboard Windows 8 users. If you already make extensive use of the taskbar, you probably don't see the Metro interface very often -- and now, with Windows 8.1, you'll see it even less. You'll still be forced to wade through it when searching for apps/settings, but that should be a fairly rare occurrence.

Microsoft's Build conference in San Francisco kicks off tomorrow, and ExtremeTech will be there to bring you all the news. Windows 8.1 is expected to be the main focus, but there should also be news about the next version of Windows Phone, and Microsoft's services that tie everything together, such as the Windows Store, Xbox Music, and other cloud-based offerings.

Now read: Windows 8.1's new features demoed (video)

[Image credit: Robert McLaws(Opens in a new window)]

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