I've completely adapted to the new Windows 8 Start Screen, and for new Windows 8 users, I recommend giving it a month or two so that you can see for yourself what you like or dislike about it.
But for some of you, having something more like the old Start Menu is what you really want. So, having said that let's take a look at one popular and free solution: Classic Shell.
First, you can download Classic Shell from here.
Installation is very quick. After it installs on of the first things it will ask you do do is pick a style for the Start Menu
I selected the last option on the right “Windows Vista/Windows 7”.\
And now I have a Start Menu again.
Compare it to the screenshot below which shows the original Windows 7 Start Menu.
And it's very configurable. Below are the screenshots of all the settings. And notice that on the Windows 8 Settings tab you can also disable the active corners.
