Windows Blue: Microsoft To Reintroduce Boot To Desktop and Start Button?

Windows 7 users will be delighted to know that Microsoft may be going back to basics by restoring the traditional boot to desktop feature and the start button to the upcoming Windows Blue operating system.

Codenamed Windows 8.1, Windows Blue will be first system update since the October 2012 release of Windows 8, which completely overhauled the Windows system that had maintained a standard look since the mid-1990s. Users have overwhelmingly rejected the Metro-Style Start menu of Windows 8, which does not include a start button and replaces traditional computer icons with live tiles.

But the tech website Neowin reported Sunday that a line of code in the twinui.dll file in the Windows 8.1 (build 9364) by Microsoft Portal reveals the upcoming OS may take users directly to a desktop when starting the system. ZDNet also spoke to an anonymous source who confirmed the Redmond, Wash.-based company is considering reinstating the boot to desktop and start button options for Windows Blue in order to make the user interface a bit more familiar.

The Windows 8 interface, intended more for touchscreen use, has been criticized for being confusing, especially when being accessed on personal computers that require a mouse. Microsoft has denied these claims, stating that Window 8 is "easy to start to learn."

While owners of touchscreen Surface tablets have adapted to the system, ZDNet says many PC users continue to use Windows 7 due to frustration with Windows 8. Others have opted to installing third party Start menu replacements such as Classic Shell or Start8.

The source says there is no guarantee that either of these features will appear on Windows Blue, adding, "Until it ships, anything can change." We will likely see Windows Blue release in August, with a public preview expected to go live in June.