Microsoft said that using the Start Menu in previous versions of Windows was "just not used that much". That was just a marketing ploy. Everyone enjoyed the fast access to "everything" from the Start Menu. I would love to see a re-release of Windows 7, perhaps call it Windows 7.5 with a smattering of the Windows 8.1 features. However, those features would need to be disabled "easily" by anyone if they didn't like them.
Great video by an individual where you can see how quickly and how much he uses the W7 Start Menu.