14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 10 build 10036 got leaked during the weekend, and since Microsoft launched the latest version nearly two months ago, plenty of users have actually rushed to download and give it a try.
Unsurprisingly, Windows 10 build 10036 does come with several improvements that are based on user feedback, and one of the areas that have been specifically tweaked to address customer complaints is the Start menu.
Ever since Microsoft launched Windows 8, which, by the way, removed the Start menu completely, the company has had a really hard time getting this feature right, so almost every single Technical Preview build that came out since October last year also brought some improvements in this regard.
This time, the Start menu comes with some subtle enhancements that are supposed to make the overall experience with this feature a bit faster, but also more effective, as it includes not only visual tweaks but also some new elements that let you access certain features of the OS faster.
Smaller Start button, better organized features
One of the things you will notice when launching the new Start menu is the addition of direct links to File Explorer, Documents, and Settings, this time without a stand-alone category, as in the previous builds. There are no icons for these links, as it happened before, and the font is smaller to keep things organized.
In addition, there is a new icon for the "All apps" section, as well as a new design for the button that allows you to expand the Start menu into a Start screen.
And probably the most important addition is the transparency effect, which is now available not only for the Start menu but also for the Start screen. And yet, while the Start screen transparency really looks good, it can be barely noticed on the Start menu, and there are no options to adjust the default level.
Obviously, the Start menu is one of the features that will most likely get more tweaks before the new OS comes out in the second half of 2015, so expect more improvements to be released in the next months.
