windows 8 Windows 8 - do it yourself - add back missing features (3 of them)

[Guest LilBambi]

Here are three articles that can help you restore missing features in Windows 8 - without having to resort to using 3rd party programs to get that functionality back.

 

 

Make Windows 8 boot straight to the desktop - TechRepublic

 

Greg Shultz walks you through the steps required to make Windows 8 boot straight to the desktop using a scheduled task.

 

 

These are some simple instructions for creating a task that will open Explorer on boot so you are immediately bypassing the Windows 8 simplistic start up page and go straight to the desktop.

 

More details in the article.

 

Rather than have it open Explorer every time I boot to get me to the Desktop, I just created a shortcut on the simplistic start up page to a program I use very frequently and click that when I want to immediately go to the Desktop. I would imagine one could also create a start up task to that program rather than Explorer.exe for the startup task.

 

 

Add a self-made Start button to the Windows 8 desktop - TechRepublic

 

 

Greg Shultz shows you how to create the CLSID shortcut to the Apps screen and set it up like a Start button.

 

Details in the article.

 

 

Shutdown Windows 8 right from the desktop - TechRepublic

 

 

As you know, the Start menu in Windows not only provided you with a way to launch your application but also a way to shut down your computer. For example, in Windows 7 there is a Shut down as well as a pop-up menu that displays six other related options: Switch user, Log off, Lock, Restart, Sleep, and Hibernate.

 

Details in the article.

[Corrine]

Don't forget the WinPatrol 2013 trick. If you want Windows 8 to boot directly to the desktop, add explorer.exe to start-up with WinPatrol. (Additional information in my blog post, including a link to Bill's update: Introducing WinPatrol 2013, Enhanced for Windows 8 ~ Security Garden)

 

Bill Pytlovany is working on a very interesting addition to WinPatrol that all versions of Windows will appreciate, including a special option for Windows 8.

[Guest LilBambi]

Thanks for posting that Corrine!

[Ed_P]

I created my own Start Menu on the Windows 8 taskbar.

 

First I created a subfolder in the Users/userid/ folder.

Then I created a series of shortcuts in it for the utilities I frequently use:

Command Prompt - windows/system32/cmd.exe

Control Panel - windows.system32/control.exe

Device Mgmt - windows/system32/devmgmt.msc

Disk Mgmt - windows/system32/diskmgmt.msc

Notepad - windows/notepad.exe

Task Manager - windows/system32/Taskmgr.exe

And finally one to the subfolder itself. - User/userid/Start

Then I right clicked on the Taskbar, selected Toolbars and New Toolbar, to which I pointed to my new folder.

I unlocked the Taskbar

I then dragged the new toolbar to the left hand corner, shrunk it, relocked the taskbar and voila, a personalized Start menu.

Edited January 8, 2013 by Ed_P

[goretsky]

Hello,

 

A couple of old articles from my blog for Windows 7 (seem to work under Windows 8, too):

• How to simulate a "Classic" Windows XP/Windows 2000 style Start Menu under Windows 7
  
• Adding the "Run" command to a Start Menu Toolbar under Windows 8
  

I suppose I should update these and the others into a more comprehensive Windows 8 tweaking tutorial at some point...

 

Regards,

 

Aryeh Goretsky

[Ed_P]

I like the "Run" command link. I added it to my "Start menu". Thanks

 

And the one I saw for tweaking the Windows 7 Explorer default I've made to my Windows 7 system.

Edited January 9, 2013 by Ed_P

[Guest LilBambi]

I do too. The Run command is necessary.

[Ed_P]

And RegEdit!! How could I have forgotten RegEdit - window\system32\regedt32.exe

 

And yes all references to Windows\ can be changed to %windir%\ though there are few who don't have their Windows 8 on/in C:\Windows.

 

So I now have Start shortcuts for:

• Command Prompt - windows\system32\cmd.exe
  
• Control Panel - windows\system32\control.exe
  
• Device Mgmt - windows\system32\devmgmt.msc
  
• Disk Mgmt - windows\system32\diskmgmt.msc
  
• Notepad - windows\notepad.exe
  
• RegEdit - window\system32\regedt32.exe
  
• Run... - window\explorer.exe shell:::{2559a1f3-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}
  
• Task Manager - windows\system32\Taskmgr.exe
  
• And finally one to the subfolder itself. - User\userid\Start
  

[Ed_P]

Good grief, what have I started?? :'(

• Calculator - windows\system32\calc.exe
  
• Paint - windows\system32\mspaint.exe