Windows 8 is basically very similar to Windows 7. However, when you start to use it, you can discover a series of features and functionalities including some appreciated and also surprising (such as the Task manager) while others can annoy and disappoint users more used to the traditional desktop that made Windows the world's number one operating system.
After seeing the best Windows 8 functions that are not in Windows 7 we now see some tricks to solve the most annoying problems of Windows 8 and use it in a better way, as was done with Windows 7, without hassles and without missing anything, to restore missing features such as the classic Start menu.
1) Deactivate the ribbon above the folder windows
The Windows 8 window interface now has a new menu which is the same as for Microsoft Office programs.
The so-called " Ribbon Menu " is not bad and makes the options easier to see and click.
Conversely, it takes up screen space and someone may want to turn it off.
To hide the ribbon from Windows 8 windows you can click on the arrow at the top right or press the key combination Ctrl + F1 to do it first.
You can also customize the window ribbon using the Classic Shell program which will be discussed again in the following points.
2) Disable animated tiles on the Start screen
As you can see right away, some tiles on the Start screen, such as that of news, travel and photos, are animated and show moving images.
While they may be nice, they can be confusing and distracting from work.
To deactivate the animations from the panels, simply click on them with the right mouse button and select the " Deactivate animated panel " option.
3) Add a program start menu to the desktop
Microsoft has deliberately removed the classic Start menu because it wants users to use the new Start screen with tiles.
Who does not want to get used to the new one, can restore the classic Start menu on Windows 8 with different programs such as Pokki or ClassicShell which are discussed in other articles.
READ ALSO: How the Start screen works in Windows 8
4) Quickly access Windows tools
Without installing external programs to put a classic Start menu, you can easily access all system functions by pressing the Windows-X key combination or by moving the mouse pointer in the lower left corner and pressing the right button. In the menu that opens you can open, among other things, the dos prompt also with administrator privileges, the Control Panel, the Run commands bar, event viewer, Search, File Explorer, System, Programs and features.
You can also modify the Start Win-X menu with Win-X Editor, a very useful tool to modify the menu items that appears by pressing the Windows-X key combination or by pressing the right button on the left corner at the bottom of the screen. The Win-X menu is the one with quick links to the Control Panel, the administration tools, the Command Prompt, the Run box and several other things. Now these links can be changed easily by putting links to launch programs or other utilities. You can also create groups of shortcuts and for example you can add a key to shutdown the computer from the Windows-X menu
5) Bring up the Windows administration tools on the Start screen
Without opening the Control Panel, you can see all the shortcuts to system administrator tools on the Start screen by going to the right menu (hover the cursor on the right side of the screen displaying the Start screen) and pressing Settings .
Click on " panes " and then on YES under " Show administrative tools ".
6) Hide or disable the lock screen
The Windows 8 lock screen was designed for a touchscreen tablet, but it's rather uncomfortable on a regular computer.
You can disable the screen lock from the registry.
To disable the screen lock completely, instead, you need to open Notepad and copy-paste the following code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Policies \ Microsoft \ Windows \ Personalization]
"NoLockScreen" = dword: 00000001
Save the new file with the extension .Reg (for example, with the name nobloccoschermo.reg .
Double click on the newly created .reg file, add the information to the registry and restart your computer.
The computer will now always skip the lock screen by going directly to the login.
To reactivate the lock screen in the future, delete the NoLockScreen value from the registry or set the dword value to 0.
7) As seen in another article, you can also disable the password request when Windows starts.
Go to Run (see point 4) and write the control userpasswords2 command and, in the window that opens, remove the cross from the item To use this computer, the user must enter a name and password .
8) Avoid docking windows moved sideways on the desktop
As on Windows 7, Windows 8 uses the AeroSnap function on the desktop to automatically arrange the windows at the edge of the screen.
You can disable this feature from the Accessibility Center.
Then press the combination of Windows + U keys to open the Accessibility Center and then click on the Make the mouse easier to use option.
Scroll the option window and tick the one where it says " Avoid automatic arrangement of windows when they are moved to the edges of the screen "
9) Disable the Start screen and the menus in the corners.
If, as from point 3, you add the classic Start menu to Windows 8 and if you want to use the new Microsoft operating system as you used XP, Vista and Windows 7, without therefore strange menus that open themselves at the corners of the screen and above all, without the new tiled Start screen, Classic Shell can be used.
All the details of how to use this program are in the article: Start Windows 8 with desktop and classic Start menu by disabling Metro
READ ALSO: 8 ways to customize Windows 8 (PC settings and Start Menu)
10) Play DVDs
DVD playback, for licensing reasons, does not work on Windows 8 unless you have the version with Windows Media Center
To see DVD on a computer with Windows 8, however, just install the VLC program, free and free to download.
11) Return the confirmation box when deleting files
In Windows 8, when you delete a file, you are not asked if you are sure to move it to the trash.
For safety, it would be better to restore it by right-clicking on the Trash bin icon, going to the Properties and selecting the " View delete confirmation " box
12) Show desktop
In Windows 8, the Show Desktop button on the toolbar still exists, even if it is disabled.
Then right click on the taskbar, choose Properties and in the Taskbar tab select " Use Aero Peek to preview the desktop .... ".
The desktop can always be viewed by pressing the Windows-D keys
13) In another article are listed the keyboard shortcuts and key combinations for Windows 8 which on this new operating system become decisive and fundamental for a fast and efficient use.
If you've made other types of changes to Windows 8 to make it more familiar and easy to use, let me know with a comment.
