Windows 8 Metro Start Menu

Inspired by Windows 8, Windows 8 Metro Start Menu is a simple application that adds a Metro-based Start menu to Windows 7, thus enabling users to get comfortable with the new UI design language and prepare for upgrading to the new operating system.

Installation is not a requirement, so you can extract the program files to any location on the hard disk and just click the executable to run.

It is also possible to save Windows 8 Metro Start Menu to a pen drive or similar storage unit, in order to use it on any computer running under Windows 7, as long as it has .NET Framework installed.

What's worth taking into account is that the Windows registry does not get new entries, and no additional files are created on the disk, leaving it clean after removal.

Double-clicking the executable file immediately changes the Start icon and gives it the Metro UI look with a black background. It facilitates quick access to the "Settings," "Devices," "Share" and "Search" panels.

It displays a secondary frame with the current day, date and time, along with the battery and Internet connection status. Returning to the classical Start menu is possible by running another executable file, stored in the "Resource Files" folder, or simply by exiting the program from the tray icon.

The tool runs on a minimal amount of CPU and RAM, so it does not burden the computer's overall performance. It has a good response time and did not hang, crash or pop up error messages throughout our evaluation. Note that this Start menu is not available in Windows 8, so Windows 8 Metro Start Menu does not actually facilitate a preview for the new OS.