Microsoft restores Start button, adds search features to Windows

Microsoft Corp is restoring some old Windows features and rolling out new ones in a bid to reignite interest in its flagship operating system, after customers complained about the software's usability.

Windows 8 debuted in October for tablets and personal computers with a tile-based layout for selecting programs, replacing a desktop design that let users start programs from a button. An update later this year will restore the start button, while adding search capabilities and other features, said Jensen Harris, director of program management for Windows.

Microsoft, which redesigned its main product to appeal to users switching to mobile, touch-based computing, has failed to jump-start growth in the ailing PC market with Windows 8. While tweaking designs and adding features will help, Microsoft needs more applications running on Windows and a greater variety of low-cost machines to stem the defection of consumers to tablets.

"I'm not sure this helps them restore demand by itself," said Wes Miller, an analyst at Kirkland, Washington-based Directions on Microsoft. "Bringing people back to Windows is a question of apps and a device-cost question - right now you have to pay a premium price in general."

The update will let users set their machines to run the previous desktop design as a default, rather than the new tiled layout, Harris said.