I'll just say that again so it sinks in: Windows 8 has no Start button.
What it has is a tablet-friendly Start packed with tiles. It's very pretty, and probably quite pleasant on a tablet, but fairly crummy on a current-model desktop or laptop.
Things get a lot more familiar-looking if you click the Desktop tile--ahh, the Windows we know and love--but once again, .
Which begs the question: How exactly are you supposed to navigate the Desktop without one?
Thankfully, a growing number of programs (including ) can restore Start for you. The one I'm testing now is called , and it instantly transformed Windows 8 into an operating system I can actually use on my trusty old Acer laptop.
Pokki actually works with all versions of Windows (as far back as XP), offering to replace the stock Start button and menu with its own pretty, icon-oriented system.
During installation, be sure to check the option to use Pokki as your Start menu. When that's done, just head to the Windows 8 Desktop and you'll see something that looks like an acorn where the Start button normally resides.
Click and you'll see a menu that, while not exactly identical to Windows 7, looks familiar enough. All Programs, Control Panel, Documents, a Shut Down menu--they're all there.
If you right-click the Pokki Start button and choose , you'll see a option. Yep, you guessed it: Now your Windows 8 system will start in Desktop mode instead of the Start screen, meaning you can enjoy a more traditional Windows experience.
As a huge added bonus, that's home to dozens of, well, Windows 8-style apps. You can use them or not, but they all run within the Desktop environment, so you don't have to switch back to the Start screen or anything.
From what I've seen of Pokki so far, it's a great remedy for folks who simply can't live without a Start button--or don't want to. It's free, easy to use, and downright sexy.