Start Menu Reviver is a Touch Optimized Start Menu Replacement for Windows 7 and 8

Start Menu Reviver is a Touch Optimized Start Menu Replacement for Windows 7 and 8

Start Menu Reviver is a new start menu replacement for Windows 7 and Windows 8, that succeeds at merging the design style of “Metro” with the traditional list based menu system in a way that Microsoft failed.

At first appearance, Start Menu Reviver looks more like a Windows Phone launcher than a Windows start menu. But flick the mouse to the right, and the menu expands to reveal the familiar programs list.

In the expanded state, Start Menu Reviver has three distinct columns.

The column on the left most side is thin and contains icons to open a few areas like Network, Recent documents, Search, Task, Run, and Apps. The selection appears to be a bit random for me. There is also an icon for Settings that opens a context menu, similar to the Win+X menu of Windows 8. This menu gives you access to more areas on the system like Control Panel, Personalization, Device Manager, Scheduled tasks and so on, as well as Start Menu Reviver’s own settings dialog box.

The column in the middle is Metroish with large blue tiles linking to various programs. This is the place where you pin your most used programs. The tiles are adjustable – just right click on it and then choose Edit. Now you can edit the title, the target program, tile color and the tile icon. There are more than 200 different metro tiles built into the program. If you can’t find a tile for your favorite one, you can add a custom image. Here are 2800+ metro tiles to choose from.

The column on the right, and the last one, displays a list of installed programs and folders. You can scroll through the list, sort the list alphabetically either in ascending or descending order, and use the back and forward buttons to navigate.

At the bottom of the menu is the search box. The shutdown button is on the bottom-right corner. Right-click on it to access additional shutdown options like hibernate and sleep.

Start Menu Reviver is a different type of start menu. At this moment, I can’t say whether I like it or not, because it’s impossible to give such a verdict without giving myself time to acclimatize with the program. It may appeal to some users who want just a touch of metro to their start menu, others may find it revolting. Try it and see what you make out of it.