Weird start menu problem, I've been searching for hours

haimmaik · 10 Aug 2016

I just Installed windows 10 pro on my new PC at work. And my start menu looks like this

Weird start menu problem, I've been searching for hours-badstartmenu.png

The icons on the left are unclear and annoying to get used to. I've been looking on the net and saw that the majority of the screenshots of the start menu on windows 10 look like this:

Weird start menu problem, I've been searching for hours-goodstartmenu.png

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Where the icons that I have on the side appear at the bottom with text next to them likes settings and downloads and stuff.

How can I change my start menu (top pic) to look like the good one (bot pic)?

dalchina · 10 Aug 2016

Hi, the 2nd picture is not a current start menu picture- and certainly not related to the anniversary edition- assuming you have the anniversary edition that is. (build 14393.51).

'All apps' has vanished from the start menu in the current build- that was in build 1511 from November 2015 until August 2nd when the new build was released. MS now lists all items the start menu finds as per your 1st picture. If you want something different, you'll need a replacement 3rd party start menu.

(I see 3 icons to the left of the list of programs in my Win 10 start menu- this is configurable in Settings, search for choose which folders..).

So your picture is of the current start menu, anniversary edition.

Suggest it's worth searching the internet for articles on what's changed in the anniversary edition.

haimmaik · 10 Aug 2016

Thank you very much!,
I installed win10 1511 and the start menu is fine. should I avoid updates to keep it that way?

p.s. I hope the guy that came up with the idea to force the start menu to look like windows mobile start menu get run over by a train.
I cba to memorize what each icon on the side means, its seriously annoying as ****.

dalchina · 10 Aug 2016

Well, it's up to you, except you would have to block all Windows updates to do that, missing security updates.

The anniversary upgrade fixes several long reported problems, introduces one minor appearance bug.

Better option- allow updates, and use a 3rd party start menu. That in Win 10- any build- is awful in my view, especially if upgrading from Win 7 start menu structures.

I use Classic Shell and can launch that or Win 10's start menu. And as I've said, you can disable many of those icons down the side in Settings.