Patrick Marshall answers your tech questions. This week's topics cover the Start button on monitor screens failing to function and an alert sound on a PC that's becoming more frequent.

Under When I press the power button option, you can define what it does when the computer is running on Battery and when it is Plugged in. Now you will see four options in the drop-down menu.

He means that when you sit down at your computer, you typically use the Start button to begin your computing session, but in the future, you'll sit down and open Copilot instead.

Microsoft may be moving toward bringing back the Start Button and allowing users to boot straight to the desktop with its coming Windows 8.1 release later this year.

If you're running Windows 8.1 today and want the Start menu back, take a look at our list of the best, least expensive, and most authentic Windows 8 Start menu replacements.

Now that you have enabled Start full screen mode, when you click on the Start button, the Start menu will be shown in full screen and overlay the entire desktop.

With Windows Blue, a k a Windows 8.1, Microsoft is re-introducing a Start Button and adding a boot-straight-to-desktop option. Here's how these may work.

With Windows Blue, aka Windows 8.1, Microsoft is reintroducing a Start button and adding a boot-straight-to-desktop option. Here's how these may work.

Microsoft Windows 8.1 Features Detailed: Start Button Revival and App Improvements Coming Microsoft details the changes coming to Windows.