Comment 9 for bug 770307

@Shrenik like I said, lame workaround, you 'move your existing notes into -Start here-' by editing that note and typing in the titles of all your other notes.

As for the shortcutkeys, be sure to configure them properly. They work for me.

Preferences > Hotkeys >
[check] Listen for Hotkeys
Open "Start Here" > Alt + F12 (or sth)

(Ofcourse, if the window is already open, albeit in the background, nothing happens.)