Information Technology

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Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNETThe Windows 11 Start menu has frustrated many users with its clumsy layout, rigid limitations, and lack of customization. Instead of enhancing and improving the previous menu designs from Windows 7 and 10, Microsoft seemed to go backwards with a redesign that left many of us wondering, “What were they thinking?”Hit by user complaints, Microsoft has taken steps to try to revamp the menu. One option added in late 2022 lets you create folders in which to store your Start menu shortcuts. A more dramatic overhaul that strives to address some of the menu’s flaws and quirks rolled out to all Windows 11 users in October 2025. Though that update certainly improved the look and layout, the Start menu is still saddled with an awkward design.Also: Your Windows 11 Start menu is getting a design makeover – here’s how to try it firstSwitch to an alternativeIf you dislike the Start menu in Windows 11 as much as I do and want something more usable and customizable, your best bet is to switch to an alternative.Several third-party apps can replace the Windows 11 Start menu, giving it a more familiar two-column layout and helping you tweak and customize it in different ways. The program I use on my Windows 11 machines is Start11. But there are other utilities worth checking out, including StartAllBack and Open Shell Menu. More

Busà Photography/Moment via Getty Images Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source<!–> on Google. ZDNET’s key takeaways xAI’s Grokipedia is now live. Articles on the platform are written and “fact-checked” by Grok. It differs from Wikipedia in several ways, but also rips it off. On Monday, Elon Musk’s xAI launched Grokipedia, an online information repository that’s […] More

Iana Kunitsa/Moment via Getty Images Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source<!–> on Google. ZDNET’s key takeaways A system snapshot ensures you always have the means to restore. Some operating systems have built-in tools for automatic snapshots. If your OS doesn’t include a built-in tool, you should install one immediately. Have you ever updated […] More

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fotograzia / Moment / Getty Images Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source<!–> on Google. ZDNET’s key takeaways Pressure grows for software better aligned with business. Agile techniques have been stagnant for a decade. AI may speed up Agile team output. Agile has always had the best intentions: work side by side with the […] More

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