For me the problem with the Windows 8 Start menu is that is isn't really a replacement for the start menu at all - it's a replacement for the desktop, and actually a pretty good one in my opinion. Using Start8 and setting a Windows 8 style menu to full screen with a visible task bar I'm able to come up with something along those lines, however even with this setup I still have to click the menu icon each time instead of just having it run in the background (though having a screenshot of my start menu as my desktop background does make this transition less jarring). I also lose the windows 7 style start menu though which is something I would like to keep.

This is the best I can come up with but I wondered if there were any settings in Start8 that would enable me to have a Win8 style start menu running as a desktop at all times with an over-laid task bar and Win7 Start menu. If not, is this something that could easily be added to Start8 or can anyone recommend a different tool/method to achieve this effect? Thanks for any help.