If you installed Windows 8 Consumer Preview and feel lost in the Metro UI, don’t freak out. It happens to most seasoned Windows 7 users who are used to seeing the Windows Start Button/Orb. In Windows 8 however, you will never find a start button again. It is gone. Forever. But after grieving for the departed button you can move on to using the brand new next-generation OS just like you did for the past year or two. We will show you how.

You have to remember that there is no start button any more. All the things on the start menu are now distributed between the Metro UI and the Windows Explorer. So, your best option would be to create shortcuts to your file locations such as downloads, work files, photos etc. on the desktop or among the tiles. Making a shortcut on your desktop is as simple as right-clicking on the icon and sending it to the desktop, which then makes a shortcut on the desktop. But creating a shortcut on the tile-page or the Start page is even easier. Just right-click on the folder and then click on Add to Start. You can then find the folder on the Start Page itself!

To create shortcuts to applications go to

%appdata%MicrosoftWindowsStart MenuPrograms 

in Windows Explorer. The folder contains application shortcuts present on the Start page. Then create a shortcut ( right-click->new->shortcut). Browse to the application folder in program files and add the .exe file of the application you want to add as the target of the shortcut. Then give a name to the shortcut. You should be able to find the shortcut on the start page now!

Keep reading for more tips on simplifying the Windows 8 experience!