In Windows 8 the classic Start Menu has disappeared to make room for the new Start screen that appears when the computer starts, with all the applications installed on the computer. Microsoft introduced a new concept with the new Start screen because it provided for the installation of applications that are different from traditional programs.
Windows 8.1 does not allow you to insert anything on the Start screen which, as it is designed, remains somewhat limited to applications and programs.
It becomes, for example, impossible to add a link to a file on the Start screen to be able to open it quickly.
Having full control of the Start screen makes Windows 8.1 much more usable than you think at the beginning and you appreciate its qualities more.
With the Pin To 8 program it becomes easy to create tiles (which are called Tiles in English) for anything on the Start screen .
The action of the Pin which in Italian can be translated into " Fix ", allows you to create a shortcut on the Start screen as you would on the desktop, to quickly access the program, folder or file.
Then download Pin To 8 from the Winaero developer website, extract the archive and launch the PinTo8.exe file without making installations, choosing the one suitable for your computer: x86 for 32bit or 64bit.
Open to Pin8 you can simply choose which type of object to add to the Start screen: A file, a folder, a collection (library) or a special object .
Special objects are the various functions of Windows 8 to create a link for one or all of the Control Panel settings.
After choosing, select the file to lock and fix in the Windows 8 Start Screen and click OK.
It is therefore possible to add any type of object on the home screen, even the files that it would not be possible to link.
Without using programs, in fact, for each program or memory folder that, in Windows 8.1, you can press the right button and choose the " Add to Start " option to create the tile on the Start screen connected to that element.
Only the Add to Start item does not appear for all types of files and this is where this PinTo8 program comes in handy.
Another program called OblyTile is a bit more cumbersome to use but allows you to change the graphics of all the tiles by choosing the custom icon and the background color .
OblyTile can be used to create new tiles on the Start screen, choosing the program and the icons of the large and reduced tiles as well as the color.
If you press the button at the top of the Tile Manager you can change the icon of any app already installed.
To find icons for piasrtelle of the Start Screen you can go to Deviant Art and download the collections of soulrider, Irv94.
OblyTile allows you to create tiles from scratch, while PinTo8 simply allows you to add links to files, folders and programs to the Start screen.
READ ALSO: All the ways to customize the appearance of the Windows 8.1 Start screen
