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Windows 8 Tips and Tricks

newtekie1

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Now that Windows 8 is starting to become available in preview form, I figured a thread on some tweaks we are using would be nice.

Disable Metro UI
The Metro UI is nice for tablets, but IMO it is useless on a desktop/laptop computer. So I like to disable it.

  1. Open Regedit
  2. Navigate to "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer"
  3. Change the RPEnable key from 1 to 0
  4. Close Regedit
  5. Reboot the PC

or

Download the zip file attached to this post and run the registry files to enable or disable the Metro UI. Then reboot the PC.

This is a user specific setting, so disabling it when logged in as one user will not disable it for other users of the computer.
 

Attachments

  • Disable Metro UI.zip
    643 bytes · Views: 173
Last edited:
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Right - that was the first thing I disabled when installed Win Eight :)
 
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nice, i hope on the next version the Microsoft will place the option to disable it
 
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Windows 8 + MSI Afterburner =

:( Your computer had a problem it couldn't handle.

After it restarts we will assist you in find the the cause.

You might also search the web for " bal bla bal bla error code string:

Restart in xx (countdown)


Its still a bluescreen.

Yep, Afterburner doesn't work in Windows 8 64bit.


I will try to allow unsigned drivers and see if that helps, and ATI CCC causes a black screen and I have to hard shutdown. 11.9 Windows 7 drivers.
 
Last edited:

95Viper

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Disable Metro UI
To add to newtekie1's post, here is a nice explanation with a tool for the procedure:
Enable classic start menu on Windows 8

Here is some info on a tweaking tool in development:
Windows 8 Power Toys - An ultimate tweaker for Windows 8

If you installed the DEV tools version of Windows 8 you can simulate touch features with a mouse: Windows 8 Simulator to simulate touch features of Windows 8 with a mouse

Here is a listing of tips and trick info at MyWindowsClub.com


Also, over at TheWindowsClub there is: Metro UI Tweaker for Windows 8
 
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The problem with that statement is that Win Vista was basically totally new from the ground up. Which is why it had such a rocky start out of the gate, and why it still has a bad reputation. However, Vista with SP2 and updates, along with the fact that developers have had time to perfect software/drivers for it, means that it is a very good OS. In fact, Win 7 is almost entirely identical to Vista when it comes to how the OS actually operates, mainly because it is Vista with a minor UI improvement. Unlike Vista, Win 8 will not be a totally new OS, so your statement is flawed. It will be Win 7 with another UI upgrade. Win 8 is more like Windows XP Media Center Edition.

Vista = Windows 2000: Totally new, but a lot of people didn't like it because it had a rocky start due to people not knowing it well enough.
Win 7 = Windows XP: Win2000 had some time to update and work out the kinks, people had time to get used to it, so they reskinned it and called it XP.
Win 8 = Windows XP MCE: They took XP, it needed some updates, so they added Media Center and re-released it. Except this time they added Metro to Win 7 and called it Win 8.


There are alot of new features in the new builds. I got my copy of it just last week and finally installed it by USB last night.

I have already read the new build documentation on it, and started beating it up. I was hoping that I could get overclocking tools to work in it so I could use it for tuning my new 1100T when it arrives this week. So far no luck with the drivers, as the ATI drivers for Win 7 cause issues, as does Afterburner.

AOD and a few other tools will be tried tonight, and then when my 1100T shows I will have to try some other tests, like Prime. Then to see if F@H will work on it.
 
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Vista = Windows 2000: Totally new, but a lot of people didn't like it because it had a rocky start due to people not knowing it well enough.
Win 7 = Windows XP: Win2000 had some time to update and work out the kinks, people had time to get used to it, so they reskinned it and called it XP.
Win 8 = Windows XP MCE: They took XP, it needed some updates, so they added Media Center and re-released it. Except this time they added Metro to Win 7 and called it Win 8.

not entirely true though, they've changed the way windows looks for drivers (it managed to install the drivers of my network printers and all my accessories by itself, which is much better then XP, Vista or 7 have ever done, it's also much faster and a lot lighter on resources
 

newtekie1

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not entirely true though, they've changed the way windows looks for drivers (it managed to install the drivers of my network printers and all my accessories by itself, which is much better then XP, Vista or 7 have ever done, it's also much faster and a lot lighter on resources

As far as I can see they haven't changed the way it looks for drivers at all. It checks local driver folders for the driver, if it doesn't find it, then it checks Windows update. And since Win 7 is pulling from pretty much the same driver repository in Windows update, it finds and auto isntalls the drivers just the same.
 

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Come on people, post me some "Windows 8 Tips and Tricks".

I sub'd this thread for "Windows 8 Tips and Tricks", not a comparison/re-hash of past OS version likes and dis-likes.

I want my MTV tips and tricks!:)
 
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Just as well you added that zip folder, i couldn't remember how to open regedit without searching for it in the start menu:eek:
 
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Windows 8: Troubleshoot, restore, repair, reset, refresh

Nothing new but still someone can find these tips useful. Let's start:

a) System File Checker (sfc).​
From command line.
You can scan and verify the versions of all protected system files after restart.
sfc /scannow Scans integrity of all protected system files and repairs files with problems when possible. You can try other switches:

/VERIFYONLY
Scans integrity of all protected system files. No repair operation is performed.

/SCANFILE Scans integrity of the file with full path <file>. Repairs file if problems are identified.

/VERIFYFILE Verifies the integrity of the file with full path <file>. No repair operation is performed.

/OFFBOOTDIR For offline repair specify the location of the offline boot directory

/OFFWINDIR For offline repair specify the location of the offline windows directory


b) System restore

From Metro:

Control Panel -> More Settings -> Recovery -> Advanced Tools -> Open System Restore

From classic interface start menu or control panel:
Start -> Control Panel -> Recovery -> Advanced Tools -> Open System Restore

Shortcut:
Win+R -> rstrui -> ok

Can get this before Windows boots:
press F8 -> Troubleshoot -> Advanced Options -> System Restore

c) Refresh

As you noticed in Control Panel in Recovery section there are Reset and Refresh options.
here's Refresh:

If your PC isn't running well, reload Windows without losing your personal files.

You can get it through the shortcut

Win+R -> systemreset -> ok and click the Next button



d) Reset

If you want to give your computer away with Windows 8 on it (product key will be deactivated don't worry), you can run this option.
Like above it's in the Control Panel in Recovery section. After that you can use some software to wipe the traces, just in case.

Of course you can use this option just to get Windows 8 to its initial state to get the clean system.
 

Frick

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Just as well you added that zip folder, i couldn't remember how to open regedit without searching for it in the start menu:eek:

Hit the Windows button, then type regedit and hit enter.
 
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Windows 8 + MSI Afterburner =

:( Your computer had a problem it couldn't handle.

After it restarts we will assist you in find the the cause.

You might also search the web for " bal bla bal bla error code string:

Restart in xx (countdown)


Its still a bluescreen.

Yep, Afterburner doesn't work in Windows 8 64bit.


I will try to allow unsigned drivers and see if that helps, and ATI CCC causes a black screen and I have to hard shutdown. 11.9 Windows 7 drivers.

Software that requires low level access to drivers in a beta OS, is unlikely. Just saying from a decade of beta testing experience :)
 
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