In Windows 10, the Start menu was added again to make the Desktop more complete again. However, Microsoft did not add the Windows 7 Start Menu, instead the Start menu in Windows 10 has some features of the Start screen. Now it is possible to pin Live tiles of Modern apps and icons to the right side of the Start menu. If you customized the Start menu from the default and wish to reset it to the default layout, here is how you can do that in Windows 10.
Category: Windows 10
How to backup the Start screen layout in Windows 10
In Windows 10 Microsoft added an updated Start menu besides the Start screen. Now you are able to switch between the Start screen and Start menu. You can customize the Start screen by pinning various items and organizing it as you want. After that, it is a good idea to create a backup of your Start screen layout, so you will be able to restore its look later after you reinstall Windows or if for some reason, your Start screen settings are lost. Here is how you can do it.
How to backup the Start Menu layout in Windows 10
In Windows 10 Microsoft has revived the Start menu, which has been welcomed by many users. Compared to the Start menu in previous versions of Windows, the new menu is updated with the ability to pin live tiles of Modern apps. You can customize the Start menu in Windows 10 by pinning various items to the left side or the right side of the menu and changing its height by resizing it from the top edge. Once you have customized it to your liking, it is a good idea to create a backup of your Start menu layout, so you will be able to restore its layout later after a Windows reinstall or if your Start Menu settings accidentally get reset. Here is how you can do it.
Enable balloon notifications in Windows 10 and disable toasts
Windows 10 comes with a new feature - it shows all app and system notifications as toasts. Gone are the balloon notifications which were there since Windows 2000, you will not see a single balloon tooltip notification from software you are using! Instead, you will see a toast notification in Windows 8 style, which, probably, will work along with the new Notification Center in Windows 10. However, if you like balloon notifications and are not happy with toasts, you can restore balloon notifications back in Windows 10.
How to run Modern apps fullscreen in Windows 10
One of the changes in Windows 10 is that all Modern apps run inside a window. This makes them appear similar to classic desktop apps - now they are resizable, have a titlebar, icons on the taskbar and window caption buttons. However, since Modern apps are primarily touch-optimized, some users might prefer to run them full screen always, like they used to run in Windows 8 by default. This is very easy to do.
Enable Notification Center in Windows 10 Technical Preview
One thing I have observed about all pre-release builds of Windows is that almost all builds have secret hidden features which you can enable to test them out. The Technical Preview of Windows 10 also comes with a secret feature called Notification Center. Let's see what it is and how to enable it.
Desktop gadgets and sidebar for Windows 10
Many people including myself still love the desktop gadgets that were introduced in Windows Vista. They were removed completely in Windows 8 which made many people unhappy. Microsoft wants to push live tiles as their replacement and therefore they claim Gadgets as insecure, just like they push Store apps over Desktop apps. If you cannot imagine the Desktop without your favorite gadgets, here is how to get them back again in Windows 10. Just follow this short tutorial.
How to enable Aero Glass and transparency in Windows 10
I am sure most of you are familiar with the beautiful Aero Glass interface in Windows 7 and Windows Vista, with a fancy blur effect and transparent window borders. But in Windows 8 and later versions there is no Glass and no transparency. The operating system has no style, and the design is increasingly repulsive. Well, there is good news for all transparency funs - BigMuscle, the person who had revived the Aero Glass effect for Windows 8 using DirectX, has plans to get his project working on Windows 10!
Tip: Enable or disable submenus inside the Start menu in Windows 10
The very first implementation of the Start menu in Windows 95 was based on the concept of cascading submenus. But since Windows XP, Microsoft has constantly changed the behaviour of the Start menu, added new features and a new look. The most recent version of the Start menu which we have now in Windows 10, combines the Start menu ideas from Windows 7 with the Start screen of Windows 8. It includes live tiles as well as classic menu items. You might be interested in disabling submenus for the Start menu so that items won't be expanded automatically when you hover over them with the mouse. Here is how to enable or disable those submenus.
Add Hibernate to the Start Menu in Windows 10
In Windows 10, it is possible to add the Hibernate option to the power button menu inside the Start menu. Using that command, you can easily use hibernation instead of the shutdown command and your PC will still be powered off. The hibernation mode in Windows is very useful and time-saving as you don't have to close your open documents and apps before powering off the system. You can resume your work the next time exactly where you stopped. Here is how to add the Hibernate command to Start Menu in Windows 10.
