Lack of a "start menu" doesn't really affect me as I haven't clicked on a single icon in the start menu since I got Windows 7 
Just hit Windows key and type what I'm trying to run. 9 times out of 10 the program I want to run will be selected as I type it

Just hit Windows key and type what I'm trying to run. 9 times out of 10 the program I want to run will be selected as I type it











