When we last got a peek at Windows 8.1 “Blue,” most of the updates lurked under the surface: rumors of a Start button revival didnt pan out. Flash forward to Paul Thurrotts screenshots of a newer build, however, and its a different story. The leaked code has the Start button once more occupying a spot on the desktop taskbar, with behavior reportedly like what weve seen with Stardocks Start 8 utility. More throwbacks also appear to be in store. Users can now transfer their desktop wallpaper to the Start screen, and the storied boot-to-desktop option is available — if turned off by default. Microsoft hasnt acknowledged the existence of these or any Windows 8.1 features, but the rapidly approaching Build conference suggests that well learn more in the near future.

via Leaked Windows 8.1 build points to the Start buttons return.