Features

How do I configure Start Menu?

Either right-click Start button and click "Properties" or right-click opened Start Menu itself and choose "Properties" context menu item.

Can I use app without start menu, just for skinning / jump list / awesomeness?

Yes. You can select taskbar and start meanu styles separately.

Can StartIsBack/StartAllBack break my system?

No. If you experience issues with old app on too recent Windows update, just hold Escape key when logging in to disable all functionality.

How do I uninstall StartIsBack/StartAllBack?

As expected: go to Control Panel - Programs and Features, find StartIsBack and click Uninstall.

Trial, licensing and activation

How trial version works?

There are no limitations in trial version. After installing it runs for 30 days. If you don't activate it with license number you bought within 30 days, it will still work, but in limited mode: Start Menu will be blank and sad; every boot you'll be nagged about evaluation period over. Trial period runs for each user which have installed StartIsBack on one PC separately.

What is activation and why is it needed?

Activation is a process of validating your license online. It ties your computer to your license via online service. It is required in order to make sure license use is not abused. One license key allows you to activate a limited number of computers.

How my computer is identified?

Your computer is uniquely identified by motherboard unique number and hard disk physical serial number OS is installed to.

What if I change hardware configuration of my PC or replace it?

If you change both hard disk and motherboard, you will need to activate your license again as modified PC will count as new. You can activate your license on new PC after 30 days since you used license on the old PC, so you may need to wait while trial period is over.

Does StartIsBack/StartAllBack "phone home"?

No information is collected about your PC hardware or software. It does not use Internet connection for license validation purposes except the moment you activate it. Online activation service does not collect your IP address or any other information which could identify you or your computer. Computer unique identifiers are transferred in hash form, which does not allow anyone else to view it.
Also: automatic new version checking functionality requires Internet connection.

How many times can I reinstall / reactivate?

There is no limitation on how many times you can activate an installation on the same PC.

Does my license expire?

No, your license will never expire. New versions of the app for new OS / upgrades may require an license upgrade payment.

Doki Doki Little Ooya San -

Culturally, the concept resonates with portrayals in literature, manga, and film that examine domestic spaces as sites of emotional education. The small landlord character often functions as a catalyst: teaching responsibility, offering quiet guidance, or embodying the tension between autonomy and dependence. In many coming-of-age narratives, a younger landlord may mirror tenants’ transitions—both learning what it means to hold authority and how to maintain empathy. Conversely, when tenants grow attached to a “little ooya-san,” the landlord’s authority becomes a site of negotiation, raising questions about boundaries, consent, and the ethics of care in confined communities.

On a symbolic level, “doki doki little ooya-san” invites reflection on the human need for shelter that is more than physical. A landlord who listens, shows kindness, or fosters community transforms a house into a home; the “doki doki” in that case is a heartbeat of belonging. Conversely, an impersonal or domineering landlord can make the same walls feel alien, turning the heartbeat into anxiety. Thus, the phrase can be read as a small parable about how interpersonal qualities—tenderness, attentiveness, or their absence—shape everyday experience. doki doki little ooya san

The modifier “little” complicates the power balance embedded in “ooya-san.” A “little ooya-san” could denote a young landlord—perhaps someone who inherited property or manages a small boarding house—or it could signal affection, making the landlord more endearing and approachable than a stern bureaucratic figure. It can also imply vulnerability or inexperience, gesturing toward a landlord whose authority is nominal rather than absolute. This diminutive framing opens narrative possibilities: a hesitant caretaker learning to impose rules, a tenant-landlord relationship tinged with protectiveness, or a microcosm of intergenerational exchange where formal roles are softened by warmth and dependency. Conversely, when tenants grow attached to a “little

In sum, “doki doki little ooya-san” is a compact prompt rich in narrative and cultural possibility. It compresses affect and social role into an image that can be tender, comic, or unsettling. Whether interpreted as the flutter of a new crush, the awkward courage of a young caretaker, or the tension of domestic power, the phrase highlights how the most ordinary relationships—those formed around rent, keys, and shared kitchens—are also the ones most likely to quicken the heart. Conversely, an impersonal or domineering landlord can make

“Doki doki little ooya-san” evokes a blend of Japanese onomatopoeia, cultural roles, and evocative imagery that can support a compact, focused essay. The phrase pairs the quickened heartbeat implied by “doki doki” with “ooya-san,” a familiar Japanese term for a landlord or landlady, and the diminutive “little” that suggests intimacy, youth, or smallness. Taken together, the subject invites exploration of emotional tension in everyday domestic power dynamics, the charm and disquiet of close-knit living arrangements, and the ways smallness or youth can reframe authority.

Buy Personal Edition license

You can buy personal license with PayPal or direct card payment (with Gumroad). All payments are processed securely.

You should receive license key to your buyer e-mail address in several minutes after payment.
Please check your spam folder. If you don't receive email in reasonable time, please try resending your license key

Personal License can be used only for personal purposes. You must agree to be bound by terms of license agreement.

Business Edition license

If you want to use program at business environment, you should buy Business License.

It is perfectly suited for corporate use: 100% compatible with all Windows 7 start menu group policies and settings + has additional group policies which will help you restrict features as well as customize appearance.

Additional features provided by Business License

• Offline license activation (Only licenses for 1000PC and up).
• Priority e-mail support.
• Future optional updates.

Business Edition License Agreement

Mini-FAQ

Does Business license requires downloading special version?

No. Currently, Business license key is applicable to standard program version you download.

Can I split, resell my license key?

No. You can't resell, split, sublicense, lease or rent your license key. You may want to resell Personal Edition instead.

How do I proceed with offline activation?

Offline activation is possible with StartIsBack+ version 1.7.5 and later and only available to license keys for 1000PC or more. To use it, either:

• Prepare OS image with StartIsBack+ installed and activated online; such image won't be tied to hardware, or
• Save activation response when using 'Activate by web browser' request and use it on another PC, or
• Contact support

Buy Business Edition License Key

You should receive license key to your Paypal buyer e-mail address in several minutes after payment. Please check your spam folder.
If you don't receive email in reasonable time, please contact me

Sorry, but there are no alternate payment methods now.

Query license information

If you have lost or never received your license key, use the form below.

General support

If you have licensing or urgent support questions, please email me to

StartIsBack MSFN forum