Leaked photos of the Windows Technical Preview are shedding light on what the next version of Windows will look like. The Start Menu, which was killed off by Microsoft Corp. after Windows 7 in favor of the touch friendly Metro interface found in Windows 8, will be resurrected in Windows 9. Microsoft announced the inclusion of a new, hybrid Start Menu at its Build Conference, earlier this year. Thanks to photos and videos that have leaked, we now have a better idea of how this “smart” Start Menu will work.

In the version of Windows 9 demoed in the leaked video, the Metro style Start screen has been replaced with a traditional Windows desktop, complete with the taskbar at the bottom with frequently used app shortcuts. One new element that wasn’t in prior leaked screenshots is the search icon. It appears on the taskbar, next to the Start button. On the right side of the search icon is, at long last, the Virtual Desktop icon. Virtual desktops, a feature that allows users to create, save, and easily switch between multiple desktop configurations, has been available in competing operating systems, like Ubuntu, for some time. With it, a user could have a desktop with several image and video editing applications open and running, and then switch to a different desktop used for browsing the web, or one with a running game, waiting to resume progress. It’s a useful way to manage system resources, as well as screen real estate.

Another feature of the forthcoming OS that should help manage screen real estate is the ability to run modern, Windows 8 style apps in windowed mode. Running these apps in small windows that float on top of the desktop will make it easier to multitask. They currently only run in full screen mode, so this is a welcome change. When running in windowed mode, a dropdown menu of available functions, such as Search and Share, replaces the Charms bar from Windows 8.

Some updates to the next version of Windows come directly from Windows Phone, Microsoft’s mobile OS. Notification Center, which is pulled up from the right side of the taskbar, in the system tray area, appears to function much like its mobile counterpart. It could list everything from new comments on Facebook posts, to new messages received in Outlook. Also set to appear in the next Windows build is the Windows Phone digital assistant, Cortana. Users will be able to type questions, or ask them verbally, and receive responses and reminders from the Halo inspired app.

The Start menu itself appears to be a nimble, more convenient version of the Windows 8 Start screen. Users can pin apps to an area of the Start menu that extends to the right. Depending on the app pinned, it might be displayed as a Live Tile, or an icon. This area of the Start menu automatically resizes to accommodate the apps selected. App icons and Live Tiles can manually be moved and resized, according to the user’s preference. Users who prefer the Start screen can switch back to that mode at anytime.

While these features aren’t guaranteed to make it to the final product that’s released to customers, the fact that they’ve made it all the way to the technical preview means that there’s a fairly good chance they’ll make it to the official Windows 9 release.

photo credit: Michael Kappel via photopin cc