<p>Microsoft removed a variety of features from Windows 8. These features range from the widely-used like the Start menu and DVD playback to the useful-but-rarely-used, like Windows Media Center. Other features, like the Windows Briefcase, are hopefully not being used by anyone anymore. Many of these features aren't great losses to most people, but they are if you depended on them.</p><p>Luckily, Windows 8 isn't yet a locked-down mobile operating system, no matter how hard Microsoft is trying to make it into one. While many features are missing from Windows 8, you can still get them back. Most important features can be restored with high-quality alternatives, but replacements for other features like the Windows 7 Aero theme and Windows Classic theme are nowhere near as polished as Microsoft has removed the necessary theming code.Start Menu, Unified Search &amp; Boot to Desktop</p><p>Windows 8 removed the Start button and traditional Start menu, opting instead for the Start screen, which functions as a sort of full-screen Start menu. You also can't boot directly to the desktop in Windows 8, nor can you use unified search to search programs, settings, and files at once, like you could in Windows 7.</p><p>All of these features can be returned to Windows 8 by installing a third-party Start menu like the popular Start8, free Start Menu 8, or traditional ClassicShell. There will be a delay before you see the desktop every time you log in Microsoft added a delay to hinder people who try to boot to the desktop as they want you to see the Start screen every time you log in.</p><p><a href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/8-features-missing-in-windows-8-and-how-to-get-them-back/">Keep reading...</a></p>