Turning Windows 8.1 Into a Desktop Operating System

If like me you love Windows 8 for its super quick booting but hate it for Metro here are a few tricks to turn it back into a desktop operating system. Almost...

1. Boot to Desktop

I think this is pretty well known now but just in case:

1. Press Windows* + D and behold your desktop.
2. Right click on the task bar (thing at the bottom with your active programs on).
3. Select Properties
4. Select the Navigation Tab
5. Tick 'When I sign in or close ... got to the desktop instead.'
6. You may also be interested in some of the other boxes on this page that tweak other metro features.

2. Always launch IE in Desktop Mode

Fed up with IE loading differently depending on how you opened it? Whether you want it in metro or desktop mode follow these steps:

1. Install a better browser...

Or

1. Open IE in desktop mode (Press Windows* + R, type iexplore and press Enter if you are struggling)
2. Press the cog in the top right corner (not the X)
3. Select Internet Options
4. Select the Programs tab
5. Under 'Opening Internet Explorer' select 'Always in ... the desktop'
6. Also check the check box underneath.
7. Click Apply.

My drop down is disabled as IE is not my default browser.

3. Open Images and Videos in Desktop Mode

If you don't want to have to wait 30 seconds to see each picture or want to watch your videos in something that can actually play them do this:

1. Open the Control Panel (Windows* + X, P)
2. Search for Default Programs in the top right.
3. Click on 'Set your default programs'
4. Select 'Windows Photo Viewer' (or your image viewer of choice) in the list on the left.
5. Click 'Set this program as default'
6. Repeat for Windows Media Player (or your movie/music player of choice). If you want to be more specific you can pick the types of file individually by clicking 'Choose defaults for this program'

4. Turn it Off Quicker

There is actually a second start menu in Windows 8. You get to it by right clicking on the start button (or pressing Windows* + X). This menu basically gives you all the stuff from the Windows 7 start menu that isn't a program. Take a moment to read the options here. I have been digging around in the charms menu for months because I didn't. 

At the bottom of this menu you will find 'Shut down or sign out' which will let you do just that. Now you know that you can go back to my tip 1 and turn off those annoying charm menus too!

5. Clean up the New Start Menu

This will take a little more patience than the other tips so far but I think it is well worth it.

It seems that the new Metro start menu is not so detached from the Windows 7 one as it first appears. We can break down the Windows 7 start menu into 3 parts. The recent and pinned list that you see when it pops up, the 'All Programs' menu which holds everything installed on your computer and you probably don't really use, and everything else that isn't a program.

Well we know the 'everything else' is now in its own menu (Windows* + X) and the pinned stuff is obviously what appears as tiles on the Metro menu. This means that the everything else menu is now the third part of the menu - you get to it via a down arrow in the bottom left that is only visible after you move the mouse if you haven't found it.

Most people when they see this menu probably dismiss it as useless. It probably is in the state you first see it in as it is cluttered up with all sorts:

• Gimmicky metro apps like Alarms and Finance that you will never use.
• All the accessibility and obsolete communication tools that are normally buried in the All Programs menu.
• A whole load of uninstallers and read me files for the programs you have installed that were designed for a system with a very different menu structure.

If you are looking for a quick way to make this menu more useful:

You can sort the applications by recently used which will bring the ones you care about to the top.

If you want to sort it out properly then continue reading:

Uninstall the Metro Apps

Except the Store!

1. Open the menu and order the apps by name (top of the screen next to 'Apps'). 
2. The metro apps will mostly float to the left as they are not in a sub folder. Right click on one you don't like.
3. Don't press uninstall yet! Do it in bulk and save your precious time. Click on every other metro app that you don't want. Don't include Store as I don't know how you get it back!
4. Click uninstall and confirm you want to remove them all.

Clean up the computer Start Menu

The start menu is split up into a shared menu and your own personal menu. You will want to clean up both.

1. Open a file browser window (Windows* + E)
2. Enter the following in the address bar and press Enter: C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
• If this doesn't work go to the apps menu, right click on 'Character Map' and select 'Open file location'. Then go up the directories until you are in one called Programs
3. This is the root of your shared 'Apps' menu. Everything that is in this directory or below it will appear on your start menu.
4. Back it up!
• Copy and paste everything in this folder to a backup folder somewhere so that you can recover anything you didn't mean to delete.
• Note that these files are shortcuts so you won't actually be removing programs from your computer. Except Store!
5. Clean it up!
• Note that the start menu is a combination of the shared and your private menu. If you delete something and it doesn't go it may also be on your private menu.
• It also seems to take a while for the start menu to realize there has been a change!
6. Repeat for the folder: C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
• If this doesn't work go to the apps menu, right click on the icon you want to remove and select 'Open file location'. Delete it from the directory that opens.

I suggest:

• Getting rid of Accessories (excluding Calculator)
• Getting rid Windows System/Management as all these things can be accessed via Windows + X
• Getting rid of anything that is called uninstall or read me.
• Sorting the applications into meaningful folders rather than having folders for each application.

* The Windows key is is the one on your keyboard with the Windows logo on it. Between Ctrl and Alt. When I say press Windows + D I mean press this key and the D key at the same time. If there is a comma and then another key press that after the other 2. If you didn't know about the windows key before checkout these:

1. Windows + D: Takes you back to your Desktop. It minimizes all your open programs. Press it again to get back to how you were.
2. Windows + ←: Snaps the active window to fill the left half of the screen.
3. Windows + ↑: Snaps the active window to fill the whole screen.
4. Windows + →: Snaps the active window to fill the right half of the screen.
5. Windows + S: Opens the computer search thing.
6. Windows + E: Opens a new file browser window.
7. Windows + X, A: Opens the command prompt as administrator.
8. Windows + X, U, R: Restarts your computer.