Microsoft Make “Boot To Desktop” Option Official

Yesterday Microsoft made Windows Server 2012 R2 available on its MSDN portal and it has been providing some early glimpses of new features in store for the upcoming Windows 8.1 Preview. We already know the Windows 8.1 Preview has a start button but we are also expecting new live tile size options and a dedicated setting to boot directly into the desktop skipping the start screen. With the start screen skipped and a start button reinstated many Windows 8 critics will have their points of contention “fixed”.

The screenshot above is for Windows Server 2012 R2 and features implemented on Windows Server have had a strong tradition of arriving on consumer platforms that follow, and the Windows 8.1 Preview follows Windows Server 2012 R2.

Furthermore, there are also dedicated settings to show Start on the main display when the Windows key is pressed, show the Apps view automatically when you launch Start, and to list desktop apps first in the Apps view when it’s sorted by category.

Image courtesy of Robert McLaws on Twitter