Operating System:

Windows 8

Any other minimum requirements:
1GHz processor or faster processor
1GB (32bit)/ 2GB (64bit) of RAM
16GB (32bit)/ 20GB (64bit) of free hard disk space
DirectX9 graphics device with WDDM

4. Key Benefits

Get back to the frequently used programs easily.
Provide hotkeys activate and deactivate functions.
Provide multiple options for power button settings
Switch to Metro smoothly by one click.
FREE and award- winning customer support for all users.

5. Functions:

Improved Support for Windows 8
"Small font & Large font" function
Access to the usually used applications
"Deactivate hotkeys” when full-screen task is detected
Fast "Switch to Metro" function
Provide Multiple options for "Power button settings"
Provide "Search" Function
Provide multiple options for “Power” button
Added multiple language files
Improved user interface
Improved "Settings"

Vistart the free start menu for Windows 8 and older Windows versions got a "double" major update with lots of new and improved features. 
Vistart has of course all the features that you expect from a start menu and then some more. 
One of the best features in comparison of some paid alternatives like Start8 from Stardock, 
is of course that Vistart 8 is completely free while having more features and functionality.

StartIsBack is a great way to relieve your (and your users) Windows 8 pain. StartIsBack returns Windows 8 a real fully featured start menu and start button, behaving exactly like the ones in Windows 7. StartIsBack radically improves desktop usability and makes new Start screen clutter-free. StartIsBack is fully native lightweight zero-privileges program, cheap and fair, fast, stable and secure. Boot to desktop; Original fully-featured Windows 7 start menu; Desktop and Modern interfaces clearly separated; Make Start screen clutter-free; Totally native; Rich customization and configuration; And More to come! Think of it as a transition path which Microsoft should have made for Windows 8. 

Boot to desktop
Your session would start with the desktop. Always. Unlike other solutions, StartIsBack goes directly to desktop every time without flashing Start Screen even for a millisecond.

Original fully-featured Windows 7 start menu
StartIsBack restores original Windows 7 start menu with all its features: search, drag&drop, pinned and recently used apps, fully customizable settings. Start button and Start menu look and behave exactly as they used to in Windows 7.

Desktop and Modern interfaces are clearly separated
StartIsBack is the only tool which is able to provide consistency in Windows 8 by separating desktop and modern programs. Real work is done on desktop while new Start screen turns into launcher for modern apps only.

Make Start screen clutter-free
Windows 8 forces you to organize new Start screen which can quickly become a long list of mess with automatically pinned programs. This is no longer the case with StartIsBack. If you turn Start screen into Apps screen, you won't have the pain to manage two Start places.

Totally native
StartIsBack does not run any additional services or programs. It integrates into your computer smoothly. It does not require any other tools or frameworks to install and can be installed without administrative privileges. Start menu is fully localized into your language with same metrics and names Windows 7 had.

Rich customization and configuration
StartIsBack allows you to configure many aspects of appearance and behavior of Start menu and Modern UI elements. This is done in most reliable way, within attractive and easy configuration UI.

StartW8 key features

    Automatically switch to desktop immediately after signing in
    Added Windows Start menu in Windows 8 design, but Windows 7 functionality
    Activate menu with Win key
    Log off, lock and turn off buttons
    Traditional search field
    Favourite applications
    All user configurable
    Support for silent installation
    Multilanguage support (18 languages)
    Option to ignore the lower left Hot corner