電腦技術:怎樣讓Win8恢復開始菜單

The face of Windows 8-the tablet-like, tile-based Start Screen that comes up every time you start a new PC-is nicely designed and works well on touch screens. But a lot of people hate it. They do almost all of their computing in the traditional Windows desktop environment, which has been demoted to secondary status in Windows 8. And they are annoyed that Microsoft has replaced the familiar Windows Start Menu with the Start Screen in Windows 8.

現在每次啓動一臺新的PC電腦，就會進入Windows 8那平板風格、佈滿磁貼的開始屏幕(Start Screen)。這一界面設計精美，在觸摸屏上運行順暢。但很多人卻討厭它。因爲這些用戶幾乎所有的電腦操作都在傳統的Windows桌面環境下進行；而在Windows 8中，傳統桌面已經淪爲了第二界面。微軟(Microsoft)在Windows 8裏面用開始屏幕取代了這些用戶熟悉的開始菜單，他們對此感到惱火。

That means when you want to launch a new app that isn't pinned to your taskbar, you have to jump back and forth between the desktop and the Start Screen, two radically different user experiences. It drives some folks crazy. They dearly miss the Start Button, which launched the Start Menu, at the left end of the taskbar.

由於開始屏幕的存在，如果你想打開尚未固定到任務欄上的應用，你就得在桌面界面和開始屏幕這兩種截然不同的用戶體驗中不斷切換。這讓很多人感到抓狂。他們非常懷念原先任務欄左側的開始按鍵，只要一點就可以啓動開始菜單。

Microsoft is planning a revision of Windows 8, code-named 'Windows Blue, ' later this year that may smooth out the interaction between the two interfaces. But there's been no promise that the company is dumping the Start Screen, refocusing on the desktop, or restoring the Start Menu.

微軟正打算在今年晚些時候推出代號爲Windows Blue的修改版Windows 8，新系統可能會讓兩個界面之間的切換變得順暢。但目前還沒有跡象表明微軟會放棄開始屏幕，重新專注於桌面界面，或是恢復開始菜單。

If you're a desktop and Start Menu lover using Windows 8, you don't have to worry about Microsoft's plans. That's because ever since Windows 8 emerged in October, numerous third-party utilities have sprung up that restore the Start Menu, allow you to boot the PC directly into the desktop mode, and otherwise reassert the desktop's primacy over the Start Screen. They essentially allow you to use Windows as you always have.

如果你用着Windows 8，又鍾愛桌面和開始菜單，你也並不需要因爲微軟的計劃而擔心。因爲自從去年10月Windows 8發佈以來，已經有爲數衆多的第三方軟件不斷涌現，這些軟件可以恢復開始菜單，讓你可以直接開機就進入桌面模式，或者讓桌面界面取代開始屏幕重新成爲默認界面。藉助這些軟件，你可以像以往一樣使用Windows 8。

This week, I tested two of these Start Menu add-ons and found each different, but both effective. If you don't like these, there are many others to choose from.

本週，我測試了其中兩個開始菜單插件；雖然有所不同，但都行之有效。如果你不喜歡這兩個插件，那還有其他諸多軟件可以選擇。

Start8

Start8插件

This is a $5 utility I found to be the best I tried at simply restoring the old Start Menu. If the price deters you, there's a 30-day free trial. Start8 comes from a company called Stardock, which makes utilities and games.

我覺得，這款售價五美元的工具軟件是我用過的簡便恢復傳統開始菜單的最佳軟件。如果你因爲付費而猶豫，那也可以免費試用30天。Start8的開發商是一家叫Stardock的工具軟件和遊戲開發商。

As soon as I downloaded and installed Start8, the old Start Menu was back. You can choose its taskbar icon-either a Windows 8 logo, the Start8 logo or a custom image, including ones that resemble the Start icons from older versions of Windows. A nicely designed, easy-to-use settings screen allows you to customize many other features of the Start Menu, desktop and computer.

下載安裝Start8之後，原先的開始菜單就回來了。你還可以選擇任務欄圖標，可以是Windows 8標誌，也可以用Start8標誌，或者自定義圖標，包括一些類似更老版本Windows上開始按鍵的圖標。通過設計精美、簡單易用的設置屏幕，你可以自定義開始菜單、桌面和電腦的很多其他功能。

One huge feature is the ability to boot directly into the traditional desktop once you've signed into your PC. So you don't have to see the new Start Screen at all. This essentially makes your Windows 8 PC behave a lot like a Windows 7 machine. Start8 can be configured to look something like Windows 8's 'all apps' view, if you prefer, but I suspect most users will stick to its default Windows 7 style.

一個非常棒的功能是，登入PC後，你可以開機直接進入傳統的桌面，再也不是必須看到新的開始屏幕了。這讓你的Windows 8電腦運行起來很像是Windows 7。如果你喜歡，也可以設置Start8，讓界面看起來像Windows 8裏“所有應用”的外觀。但我懷疑大多數用戶都會堅持用默認的Windows 7風格界面。

The program allows you a host of other choices. You can pin apps to the top of it, show your user picture on it and change the behavior of the physical Windows key so it launches the Start8 menu instead of taking you to the dreaded Start Screen. You also can disable the various new Windows 8 controls that appear when you perform certain swipes or mouse movements.

這個軟件還可以讓你有諸多其他選擇。你可以把應用固定在它上面，在上面顯示你的用戶頭像，改變Windows物理按鍵的功能設置，以便可以直接啓動Start8菜單，而不用進入煩人的開始屏幕。你還可以取消在新Windows 8下某些動作或鼠標移動時出現的諸多功能控制。

What if you want to be able to get to the Start Screen quickly and you've disabled all the usual ways to do it? Well, Start8's menu comes by default with a link at the top to the Start Screen and it lets you directly launch the new-style Windows 8 apps.

如果你想迅速切換到開始屏幕，而你又已經取消了所有常規設置，怎麼辦？Start8的菜單頂部有個默認設置，可以連接到開始屏幕，讓你直接啓動新風格的Windows 8的應用。

Start8 worked very well and was worth $5. The company says it's been downloaded five million times since Windows 8 launched. You can download it here.

Start8用起來非常不錯，五美元是物有所值。Stardock公司宣佈，自Windows 8發佈之後，這款軟件下載量已經達到500萬次。 點擊這裏下載。

Pokki

Pokki插件

If Start8 recreates the traditional Windows Start Menu, Pokki aims to modernize it. The free product, from a company called SweetLabs, does restore the Start Menu, but with an updated look and feel, as well as a built-in app store.

如果說Start8再現了傳統的Windows開始菜單，那麼Pokki就是把開始菜單更新了。這款免費軟件由一家叫SweetLabs的公司推出，不但恢復了開始菜單，還加入了更新的外觀和體驗，並且內置了一個應用商店。

Pokki is a window that lists your program categories and recently used apps on the left, and favorite apps in a series of panels on the right. These right-hand panels, which you can flip through, resemble the screen of a smartphone or tablet, with apps represented by icons.

Pokki通過一個窗口，在左側顯示你的軟件類型以及最近打開軟件，右側以系列面板顯示你最喜歡的應用。右側的面板可以翻閱，應用以圖標顯示，很像是智能手機或平板的屏幕。

The left-hand side is a list, with major categories for Favorites (the smartphone-type view), All Apps, and the Control Panel items.

左側則是一個列表，可以顯示最愛軟件(智能手機風格界面)、所有應用以及控制面板中的項目。

There's also an app store, which was Pokki's main business before Windows 8 came along and opened the Start Menu opportunity. The apps Pokki offers are all free and many are like Web apps with the browser interface removed. I downloaded YouTube and Gmail, which behaved exactly as they did in a browser. Pokki hopes to make money from app developers.

這個軟件還內置了一個應用商店，在Window 8帶來恢復開始菜單的需求之前，這是Pokki的主要業務。Pokki提供的應用都是免費的，很多就像是去除了瀏覽器界面的網頁應用。我下載了YouTube和Gmail應用，運行起來完全跟在瀏覽器中運行一樣。Pokki希望從應用開發商那裏獲取營收。

When first installed, Pokki advertises its apps at the bottom of the Start Menu, but you can turn this off. You can't, however, turn off the icon for the Pokki app store itself, though you can move it. Apps you buy from Pokki are automatically pinned to the taskbar, though you can unpin them.

初次安裝時，Pokki會在開始菜單底部推薦應用，但你可以關閉推薦廣告。不過，你不能關閉Pokki應用商店的圖標，但可以將其進行移動。你從Pokki購買的應用會自動固定到任務欄，你也可以取消固定。

Pokki also has a smartphone-like notification system, that, in my tests, listed new messages in the Gmail app.

Pokki還有類似智能手機的通知系統，在我的測試中，會列出Gmail應用中的新郵件。

Like Start8, Pokki also allows you to boot directly into the desktop, skipping the Start Screen. You can set the Windows key to open Pokki, not the Start Screen.

和Start8一樣，Pokki也可以讓你直接開機進入桌面，跳過開始屏幕。你可以把Windows按鍵設置爲啓動Pokki，而不是開始屏幕。

To get quickly to the Start Screen, Pokki has an icon at the lower left. You can download Pokki here. The company says the product has been downloaded three million times since Windows 8 launched.

爲了迅速進入開始屏幕，Pokki在左下方設置了一個圖標。點擊這裏下載。SweetLabs公司表示， Windows 8推出之後這款軟件的下載量已經達到300萬次。

Bottom line: Whatever Microsoft does or doesn't do later this year, you can get back your Start Menu and desktop supremacy in Windows 8, right now, with these utilities.

結論：無論微軟今年晚些時候是否恢復開始菜單，現在你就可以通過這些工具，在Windows 8上回到開始菜單和桌面模式。