x. Windows 95 was the first Windows with the `` Start '' button . The basic elements of the interface introduced in Windows 95 â '' including the taskbar , Start button and menu , and the Windows Explorer file manager â '' remain fundamentally unchanged in later versions of Windows , such as Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 , nearly 15 years later . The word `` Start '' was dropped from the button in Windows Vista in 2006 , with the company preferring to label the button with the Windows logo ( `` Start '' is still present as a tooltip and in the classic GUI mode ) .