Win 8 disable to Win 7

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Rick Bergeron - CPF

Rick Bergeron - CPF

SGF, Supreme Grumble Framer
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Hi Mike

Can you help? I call myself following the path you've posted several times to get to the point to disable the Win8 interface. Attached is the screenprint showing the path that I followed. I also searched the registry for RPenabled and there was no match to the search.

I've attached a screenprint showing the path that I've followed. New HP Pavillion G7 laptop. I was going to do all the setup on it before moving to the Dell desktop.

Ideas? places to look? It's ok to say your a dummy and followed the wrong path if that's what I did.

TNX
Rick

I don't want to say Win8 sux but it certainly has such a different feel that out of the box, it is not quite as user friendly as I would expect.
===============================
Look for Win8 registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER Software Microsoft Windows Current Version Explorer

The key to look for is: RPEnabled
​
win8registry.jpg
​
 
Apparently that worked in the betas(which is what im still running here - since March), but they have since removed it from the final version.

Sorry for the false hope
Mike
 
I saw some of those found in a Google search but I put more faith in known recommendations here than found in a Google search. Most of those links also just take you to the solution that worked in the pre-release versions. I did see one that was a paid software app. I am surprised after this length of time that a different registry hack hasn't been published.

I don't feel like learning something new like Win8, especially only to teach Kathleen how to work her new laptop. If it comes down to that, I'll just take it back to Costco before my 90 days run out for a full refund. Heck, it took me half an hour just to get to a screen to set the darn clock to the correct time.

I guess that I lucked up on the Dell XPS that I bought today along with the laptop cuz it has Win7 :smiley:

TNX for trying

Rick
 
I suspect a future update will make this possible, because the response has been so cold to the new interface. (which is promoting their own tablets and phones)

I think win7 will remain the #1 OS for some time :) Don't get me wrong windows 8 is faster and very nice, but the front end seems to be in the way of getting things done efficiently :) (and I say that after using it daily for more than 8 months)

Mike
 
That's a bummer. I almost certainly wouldn't have gone for v8 if I had known that... :icon20:
Click to expand...

Me too but I couldn't pass up the deal on the laptop.

I did find an app or something on the cnet UK site that did something to restore the Win7 appearance but

RED warning screens started flashing when I went to the download site.

When I said download anyway

RED warning flashed again about suspicious activity within the file.

I guess that we'll just give the standard Win8 interface a fair test until either we can't stand it or return it within the Costco no questions asked 90 day window.
 
TNX Jeff,

That's 1/3 the price that HP wants for a comparable app or the full retail for a copy of Win7 to install over Win8. I spent nearly an hour with HP support because the entire left side USB ports were dead. Magically, a BIOS update fixed that. Why would a manufacturer ship a product with DEAD ports that could be fixed with a BIOS update?

I just tried to install a POP email account into Win8. Not gonna happen in Win8. I'm not sure that I'm up for being tech support for Thunderbird yet but then the downside to that is tech support to the Cloud version of Outlook. Actually, it's not bad but the couple of negatives I found are show stoppers there too.
 
Rick, just wanted to let you know that your not alone in finding Win8 hard to use and confusing. I just got my new all in one yesterday and it took me quite a while to figure out simple navigation and even more time to figure out how to turn off the pc.
 
David N Waldmann said:
I'm not sure what you mean. Is there a Win8 Mail app? Or do you mean regular Outlook (2007, 2010, 2013?)?. Something else?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what it is. It's one of those squarebox apps and most likely Outlook.com, the webbased version of Outlook. You must have a MSFT ID (hotmail.com, live.com, outlook.com, etc) to "SignIn" the first time before you can setup any additional email accounts to use. From what I could see, gmail, hotmail, yahoomail, etc could be added. POP accounts specifically cannot be accomodated. IMAP and another type that I was not familiar were OK. I have used the Outlook.com email and actually could like it but I didn't have any problems with setting a POP account within it. I could probably configure our POP accounts to be IMAP if I had the energy or willpower to go through the drill.

We've been using (and very happy with ) Windows Live Mail which is essentially Outlook Express v14. I was so frustrated that I didn't look to see if Outlook was even installed. It could have been.

I will probably warm up to Win8 since it appears to be forced upon the world. It's one of those things.... As an employer, I am providing my employees a tool to use. Learning to use the tools provided are a condition of employment. Griping and/or not learning to use the tools provided are reason for termination. I just happen to be the employer and employee.

With the only Win8 computer in the house and business being Kathleen's laptop, I really don't have time to invest in learning enough to be 24/7 tech support. It has been difficult with her old laptop being the only computer around here with Vista installed.

I must also admit that I have not clicked more than the first "Learn how to navigate the new Windows 8" chapter. The chapter headings for subsequent areas indicate they'll be helpful.
 
It's really not too bad. You can still have the Desktop and do almost anything you need there. The only thing I'm really not liking so far is that the Windows Key brings up the new Metro interface rather than a searchable Start Menu. You can get a search box (for Apps, Settings, or Files), but you have to move the cursor to the upper right corner of the screen, which is a bit of a pain. Maybe there's a shortcut...

Edit: Just discovered that typing in the Start screen automatically starts searching...
 
It's starting to grow on me too. Kathleen is a bit frustrated with some aspects and likes others.

Have you seen the Win8 Mice where you use your finger on the mouse as though you were on a touch screen? or something to that effect.

Since I am the 24/7 support for her laptop, I figured that I probably should have Win8 on the desktop.

Word of Caution: When the MSFT upgrade advisor says that some hardware is not compatable, believe MSFT, not DELL. Dell support said, that new XPS-8500 will run "AWESOME" with Win8. Just upgrade and ignore the MSFT warnings.

Also, the Dell coupon code for upgrade fails and MSFT doesn't give any warning. MSFT just charges the CC full price and emails a receipt. Dell just says "Duh, tough sh!t"

After 2 online sessions, 3 hours later, the hardware is still AFU. Mouse, Keyboard and display are now intermittent and just black out or freeze for 3-10 seconds every couple of minutes.

I assumed that the upgrade would leave the Dell factory restore partition intact and could go back to Win7 at any time. NOPE, the upgrade wipes the factory restore partition and re-writes it to Win8.

Verdict is the machine is going back to Costco tomorrow for an exchange.
 
Rick Bergeron - CPF said:
Have you seen the Win8 Mice where you use your finger on the mouse as though you were on a touch screen? or something to that effect.
Click to expand...

Do you mean a Touch Mouse (like Apple's)? Or is it some feature in Win8 itself?
 
Steve Collins said:
Well, I couldn't stand not having a Start menu anymore...
Click to expand...

I'm curious what you use the Start Menu for?

Since Win7 I only ever used it to find a program by pressing the Win key and then start typing the name. And I didn't do that much, since all my everyday programs (and files) are pinned to the taskbar. Win8 has the same functionality, the exact same steps - just looks different.

If you get bogged down and can't remember the actual name of the program (like maybe the scanner program that's part of the HP Printer suite), you can just make a shortcut to C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs and you will have a traditional folder view of all your programs. Or, press Start, and then Right-click and then click "All Apps" in the lower right corner - it will show you all the programs, grouped by folder. It's a different look but the same info arranged in the same way.
 
David N Waldmann said:
Do you mean a Touch Mouse (like Apple's)? Or is it some feature in Win8 itself?
Click to expand...

Yes, it is described as a Touch Mouse with Windows 8 gestures. I'm not sure if the features are handled by mouse software or Win8 software.
 
They're actually functional with Win7 as well. I tried one out but didn't like it. I actually got one, then a replacement, but returned both because they were very jumpy. Also, with the buttons reversed (I'm a lefty), the right-click didn't work properly. The "touch" part of them is not any big deal, IMO, it's more like the way a touch (mouse) pad works as opposed to a touchscreen.
 
David N Waldmann said:
I'm curious what you use the Start Menu for?

Since Win7 I only ever used it to find a program by pressing the Win key and then start typing the name. And I didn't do that much, since all my everyday programs (and files) are pinned to the taskbar. Win8 has the same functionality, the exact same steps - just looks different.

If you get bogged down and can't remember the actual name of the program (like maybe the scanner program that's part of the HP Printer suite), you can just make a shortcut to C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs and you will have a traditional folder view of all your programs. Or, press Start, and then Right-click and then click "All Apps" in the lower right corner - it will show you all the programs, grouped by folder. It's a different look but the same info arranged in the same way.
Click to expand...

First of all, I'm used to the Start menu and the model it represents, namely having one easily accessed place to go for everything on the system. Metro, at a minimum, adds an extra step, and a meaningless one at that (IMO), to what it takes to access what I want. And in many cases, it makes what used to be simple needlessly difficult. Accessing Control Panel, for example, involves right clicking in Metro, clicking on an unnecessary link to get a full list, scrolling a half mile to the right to finally get it. Prior to Metro, you just opened the Start menu and clicked on Control Panel. So the Start menu represents a more efficient and less time consuming alternative to Metro.

All Metro seems to do is hide everything I want behind a primitive looking, dumbed down copy of a tablet interface. I'm a bit of a curmudgeon who resents being forced to reinvent the wheel for gratuitous reasons, which is all this Metro thing represents to me.

I was a software engineer for 30 years, 25 of which was on Microsoft OS platforms (DOS, OS/2, various Windows versions since Windows 386), so I have a strong preference for having nothing stand between me and what I want to access on my system. IMO, Metro is yet another flavor of Microsoft Bob and that dumb animated paper clip from Microsoft Office that just gets in the way while insulting your intelligence and wasting your time.

I'm sure Windows 8 will dominate the Windows world for years to come, and I will learn to live with it, but I will also find ways around the roadblocks, just as I found my way around Vista's User Account Control and that stupid animated paper clip.

BTW: I use the Windows toolbar to organize common links into categories, with each category being a popup menu of links, like so:

DesktopMenu.jpg

So, for most app access, I use these menus instead of the Start menu. This set of menus is another, perhaps more important reason, why I see Metro as a meaningless roadblock, since it stands in the way of the desktop and direct access to my menus.

In terms of actual use, I generally use the Start menu to access stuff I don't use as often and to get to the Run edit box to enter commands.

I may be wrong, but I suspect that Metro will be short-lived, either morphing into something that actually serves a useful purpose, or quietly disappearing in a future OS update.

In any case, I found a way around the roadblock and am much happier now. :)
 
Steve - I'm not trying to convert you, and if you've found a method that works that's what's important. But, if for nothing other than enlightening future viewers as well as clarifying to myself why Metro is not as bad as I thought it was:

Steve Collins said:
First of all, I'm used to the Start menu and the model it represents, namely having one easily accessed place to go for everything on the system. Metro, at a minimum, adds an extra step, and a meaningless one at that (IMO), to what it takes to access what I want. And in many cases, it makes what used to be simple needlessly difficult. Accessing Control Panel, for example, involves right clicking in Metro, clicking on an unnecessary link to get a full list, scrolling a half mile to the right to finally get it. Prior to Metro, you just opened the Start menu and clicked on Control Panel. So the Start menu represents a more efficient and less time consuming alternative to Metro.
Click to expand...

Three key strokes opens the Control Panel in Metro:
<win>
c
<enter>

I'd be pretty sure, that as a 30+ year computer user you prefer the keyboard to the mouse, and would agree that 3 keystrokes is faster than two mouse clicks.


Steve Collins said:
I have a strong preference for having nothing stand between me and what I want to access on my system.
Click to expand...
Yeah, it's a bummer you can't do much from a command prompt anymore... :p


Steve Collins said:
IMO, Metro is yet another flavor of Microsoft Bob and that dumb animated paper clip from Microsoft Office that just gets in the way while insulting your intelligence and wasting your time.
Click to expand...
The saving grace of Metro (IMO) is that you really don't need to use it in the way it was (apparently) intended. I've only been using my system for a couple days now, but as I'm getting to understand what it is, and what's available, 99.9% of the time I just have a Win7-like desktop and use it like one.

Steve Collins said:
BTW: I use the Windows toolbar to organize common links into categories, with each category being a popup menu of links, like so:

So, for most app access, I use these menus instead of the Start menu. This set of menus is another, perhaps more important reason, why I see Metro as a meaningless roadblock, since it stands in the way of the desktop and direct access to my menus.
Click to expand...

Win8 has the same feature. In fact, you could add a Toolbar that looks at "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs" and you will have a current list of applications in traditional Start Menu format, including the Control Panel...

Steve Collins said:
In terms of actual use, I generally use the Start menu to access stuff I don't use as often and to get to the Run edit box to enter commands.
Click to expand...

The Run box is slightly further away than than Control Panel - 4 keystrokes:
<win>
ru
<Enter>

Steve Collins said:
In any case, I found a way around the roadblock and am much happier now. :)
Click to expand...
And that's the most important thing.
:beer:
 
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