If you’re a longtime computer user and a Tetris fan, you might remember, long ago in a land far far away, when Microsoft ...

The latest in a lineup of Start menu replacements for Windows 8, Pokki is a free, fluid tool for users who crave more than the new Start screen. Lance Whitney Contributing Writer Lance Whitney is a ...

Microsoft not only spared its classic Paint app from oblivion: it is now breathing new life into it as an app for Windows 11. The updated Paint app for Windows 11 includes refreshed "Edit Color" and ...

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Microsoft has published some Win32-based Classic Windows desktop apps, such as WordPad, XPS ...

If you miss the Start menu on Windows 8, try Classic Shell before spending a dime on commercial alternatives. You’ll probably want to stick with it. Windows 8 doesn’t have a Start button. If you don’t ...

The off-putting redesign of the Start menu is the primary reason why many hate Windows 11. Microsoft radically changed the feel and layout of the new Start menu. It's centered now, sacrificing the ...

This powerful free/donationware utility adds the features back to Windows 8 and 8.1 that Microsoft should never have taken out. Classic Shell isn’t a me-too Windows 8 fixer. This free utility’s first ...

I think the last time I played a Windows game—as in, a Microsoft game that comes baked into the Windows operating system—was back in Windows 95. Ah, FreeCell. That’s not to say that Microsoft’s games ...

Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. is a senior editor and author of Notepad, who has been covering all things Microsoft, PC, and tech for over 20 ...

Most every longtime Windows user knows the sad saga of the lowly Start menu. Born as a button in Windows 95, modified in XP and Vista, and blossoming into its most usable form in Windows 7, the Start ...