Little changed from the Windows 98 version, but Microsoft decided to place the full Windows ME branding along the side of the menu. Windows ME might have been full of bugs and issues (it didn’t earn its nickname "Windows Mistake Edition" for nothing), but the Start menu remained a consistent and stable feature. As the desktop contained widgets and Windows users love to save documents to the desktop, the show desktop feature became a useful option to complement the taskbar, desktop, and Start menu. Quick Launch also included the "show desktop" option to quickly check the desktop and minimize open apps, even when apps were maximized to take up the entire screen. Microsoft introduced a new Quick Launch section that let Windows 98 users pin their favorite apps. The internet age was helped along by Windows 98's Start menu Most of the internet-related features were designed for the active desktop with widgets, but the Windows 98 Start menu played a small, but important role in making Windows a little more internet friendly. Microsoft added a favorites folder on the Start menu to complement the bundling of Internet Explorer with Windows 98. Beyond that, Windows 98’s Start menu ushered in the internet era. A new log off option to support 98’s new multi-user interface was added alongside the same iconography, layout, and basic functions as the Windows 95 version. Windows 98 - 2000 At first glance, the Windows 98 Start menu doesn’t look very different to the original. The Start menu was also an efficient way to store and organize a lot of quick shortcuts in one place. It kickstarted a trend in Windows that has lasted more than 20 years, and made it easy for people new to computers to easily navigate around. It negated the need to use Command Prompt for the vast majority of users, and became familiar as the first place you’d check to find documents, help, settings, or just the ability to turn your PC off. Even when other apps were used, the Start button was always visible and ready to be used to access additional apps or folders. The combination of Start button and menu meant you always activated the menu from the lower left-hand side. The menu itself became the default way to launch apps from a simple click of the Start button. Microsoft kept the idea of a list of apps in its new menu, but it was laid out into categories and neatly organized and you could simply drag and drop apps into place. Any apps that you launched in Windows 95 would sit neatly on the taskbar, making them easy to leave open and access repeatedly, and you’d find most of them from the new Start menu. The taskbar offered quick access to volume options, the time and date, and even an indication of network activity. Windows 95’s Start menu arrived alongside the taskbar. The Start menu was just that overhaul to bring Windows into the next era of computing. While Program Manager did have smaller menus, most Windows users simply launched apps and used it as a list. It was largely a basic list of apps, with no real organization. Before it arrived, Windows users could access apps through Program Manager. It was designed to make Windows easier to use, and group or organize applications in a list. Windows 95 Back in 1995, people lined up at midnight to get Microsoft’s latest release of Windows, and it was the first version, alongside the enterprise-focused Windows NT 4, to introduce the Start menu. Twenty years is a long time for any software, so let’s take a look at how exactly the Start menu, and by extension, Windows itself, has changed since Windows 95. As long as Microsoft doesn’t have any crazy ideas, it’s probably here to stay for many, many more years. The Start menu is iconic, and it’s the identity of Windows. Microsoft has tried a variety of different Start menus over the years, but the Windows 10 version is the best combination of the modern ideas the company has attempted and the classic menu. It didn’t take long for Microsoft to reverse course: the Start menu was brought back to life with Windows 10. The Start menu became so intertwined with the identity of Windows that users freaked out when it disappeared in Windows 8. It quickly became the go-to menu to find everything you needed from your PC, and it changed very little until the blue-and-green theme of Windows XP. Microsoft’s Start menu made its first appearance with Windows 95. Whether it’s launching apps, searching for documents, or simply shutting down your PC, you probably use the Start menu more than you think. It started off as a way to make Windows easier to use, and now it’s the center of how we interact with Windows on a daily basis. The simple Start menu has existed for more than 20 years now. It’s the first thing many people think of when they think of Windows, or even Microsoft.
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