Right now, Windows 8 feels like two OS’s that I’m constanty switching between. The “Start Screen” interface feels like a completely different thing than the “Desktop” interface. Yet it seems like the two are supposed to constitute a single, smooth interface. I’m not feeling it. I feel like the Desktop thing is there merely as a concession to my being used to Windows 7 and prior.
I don’t really need such a concession. I’m a big boy and I can handle change. And I kind of like the aesthetic of the Start Screen. But of course the Start Screen isn’t for everything. For getting into the file system, I need the Desktop.
So my question is, has anyone (Microsoft or anyone else) offered a way to reskin the Desktop interface so that it feels more like the Start Screen interface, while retaining the Desktop’s functions?
I know you can go the other way–reskinning the Start Screen so that it shows up in the Desktop as a “Start Menu” like prior versions of Windows. But I was hoping to modify things in the other direction.
I’m bumping this. I just got a new computer, (upgrade from XP!) and am finding this OS jarring. I’m not seeing the point of the having these two navigation systems. Any thoughts?
Yep, that. There are free alternatives but Start8 looks and feels a lot better… definitely worth the $5.
Use that, boot straight into desktop mode, and you’ll never have to see the Metro interface. Honestly there are no good apps for it anyway unless you’re using a touchscreen, and even then the apps are barely better than their Desktop equivalents.
I don’t really care which, I just want everything to start in the same way. And I want the @#^%&**ing start screen to stop $@!%^*&#ing interrupting my work every time I swipe the mouse to the left.
This is a tall order, because the desktop exists to run extant Win32-style applications - which have their own design ethic baked in.
I guess the common controls could be changed so they look a bit more Windows 8-ish, but it would be difficult to replace, say, all ‘OK’ buttons in all applications with a circular glyph with a right-pointing arrow, because by and large, OK buttons are just generic buttons that the software developer has chosen to label ‘OK’ - the Windows interface would have to ***interpret ***the actual visual look of the application at a level it does not do currently, and would be really hard to get working consistently and universally.
Microsoft has sort of achieved this for Office, because they have control of the code - so they can design-in the appropriate components.
I think what MS is hoping (or at least catering for) is for software suppliers to start developing their offerings as modern UI apps (thus making them available on RT devices too), but I’m not altogether convinced that’s an achievable goal for every category of application, especially serious applications used in the workplace.
Are you talking about the charms bar appearing when you move the mouse? Could be that you have edge swiping turned on (if you’re using a laptop trackpad) or mouse gestures set up or something. Either of those should be easy to adjust.
Warnings first of all. I’ve not used this, I’m not endorsing it, and this level of reskinning Windows involves messing with various system components, and may break stuff. If you try anything like this, back stuff up and create a system restore point before doing it.
Here’s a page for a reskin that looks like it might be what you want. Specifically, it looks to have customised the File Explorer to look like a Metro interface.
On a more general point, what you’re asking for doesn’t seem to be something that many people want, especially the sort of people that would be willing and able to make it happen. There is, for example, no way I’m aware of to run desktop programs as an app in the Metro environment.
Oh, and for those wanting to go the other way and ignore the Start screen entirely, I find Classic Shellworks fine, and is free. I’ve not tried Start8, mainly because I’m happy with the free option.
I have adapted to every MS OS from PC-DOS (unnumbered but 1.0 in retrospect) to Win 7, but I will NOT adapt to Win 8. I may never buy another computer. MS hates us old farts.
Oh, they’ll get you, my pretty. . . I ordered a Laptop with Win 7, and they sent me one with Win 8. In order to exchange it I would have had to be offline for 8-10 days.
With the exception of some dual monitor troubles I think some users are experiencing, I believe this is the case. It’s quite easy to get Windows 8 to look, feel and mostly behave like Windows 7.
The other way around- that is, getting legacy applications to behave like Modern UI apps is (IMO) pretty nearly impossible.