I am confused. Just tried to set a new pc. It,s got W8. What a bloody mess. It looks like some ad for a kids mobile phone. Worked some of it out but the online techy stuff is beyond me. I think it now will open to a desk top as proper machines do but I cannot get a start button that does what I need. All I get is the mobile ad type window. How do I switch it off even? Where is the small start button in the bottom corner and how do I hit it to get an instant off button not that sodding great screen. I can’t even get the good old start menu. Genuinely wish I hadn’t bothered with it.
Can anyone answer the above questions so that I can at least use it to find out to set it up please?

Make it easy on yourself. Install this.

Upgrade to 8.1, it puts the Start button back. Though really, it does exactly what the Windows key on your keyboard does if you need that functionality.

Are you sure about that Cougar? I’ve got 8.1 and was in the same situation as the OP. Nearly threw the thing out the window before I discovered Classic Shell.

I’ve just settled into a routine of not using any of the tiles and just starting to type to search for what I want to do, or press the windows button to take me to my desk top.

Small start button in the bottom corner? Get with the times dude!

Certainly upgrade to 8.1

Pair down the Metro Scren to stuff you actually use. Just think of it as a big start menu – that’s all it is.

If you need to find anything, file, programe or setting just press the windows button and start typing the name of it.

Pin file manager to the task bar.

IMO Win8.1 is a great OS, it’s got an easy learning curve which takes only a couple of goes to get used too – I hate using 7 now, it seems old fashioned and overly complex.

Rolling out 4500 8.1 desktops to a business right now. We’ve locked metro up in a cupboard. Unfortunately we’ll have to let it out again soon as we’ve also got 1500 surface pros to deploy. Prior to disabling metro the workstation build totally failed the “dad test”.

Classic shell is pretty good. Hopefully it’s not the source of our random untraceable memory leaks.

Ta . windows button? I’ll assume that this is handy. I know where it is but doubt I have ever used it. Did get somewhere last night. The only thing I recognise is internet explorer and the only other icon I need and thus want is Word. Currently can’t stick the office icon to the desk top. Have managed to get a nice pic of an ISDT Enfield as a background though.

You dont need to stick icons everywhere in Win8. All you need to do is hit the start button and in the Tiles window start typing what you need. First few characters in the search results will guess and save you typing the full thing.

Quite handy.

Anything advert related is not part of Windows, just to point that out.

Make sure it’s 8.1, it should default to desktop in start for a desktop/laptop PC (defaults to Start for tablets), but you can configure it.

On the desktop, pin frequent used apps to the task bar, shortcuts on the desktop to others you want easy access to.

The ‘desktop’ tile remember always takes you to the desktop if you’re stuck on the Start screen. Plus the Windows key on your keyboard will go to the Start screen and press it again and you get the desktop. Think Start screen as just a big Start menu.

Right click on the desktop Start button for a menu of other things like Control Panel etc.

Just use it in desktop mode and largely ignore the Start screen and job done. It’ll feel much like it was in Win 7/XP.

The plus side is the fast boot and shutdown, more stability and better recovery from crashes. Really 8.1 is no where near as bad as people think. You just need to get over the change from the dated Win95 start menu 😉

But to keep everyone happy, you’ve got a free upgrade to Windows 10 at the end of July. You should see a new icon in the system tray or will do soon. Click on that and you get the offer to free update when available. Win 10 addresses all the luddite complaints by bringing back a sort of start menu and a bunch of further improvements plus brings in the replacement for IE. It’s looking quite nice.

Ps all those tiles actually make way more sense on a tablet.

Ta. I wouldn’t know what an app is. My old pc which might have been 7 or XP. It let me have a nice simple screen the second it started. The desk top. I had about 3 icons. IE, documents and Word. Didn’t need anymore. The thing booted, I saw the 3 things I wanted and clicked. Currently I seem to have to go through more levels to get anywhere which is retrograde in my opinion.
That page that looks like a smart phone ad is just not needed. Hateful.
The W95 setup was first class if I remember.
Why have to type what I need if I can click.
GRRRR

app = piece of software (including MS word etc)

the page that looks like a smartphone can be customised so you only have a few tiles on it – each of those is a start button just as you’d expect (and they’ll only need 1 click, so you’re way ahead !)

As I say, you can get it to boot start straight to the desktop, and it should by default for a desktop PC, but you need to be sure it’s on 8.1 so check you have all the updates.

Pair down the Metro Scren to stuff you actually use

Pare?
Exactly what I did. Nuked every single icon, except the one to start desktop, and the one to start one single game (should it ever boot up in to that view by default)

I wouldn’t know what an app is

While the word application has been used for a long time to mean program in user space, the hipsters stole the term, so they can use it for a program that you “experience” and fondle (along with your double skinny whoppa mocca frappa in Starbucks), rather than a program that you actually “use”.

don’t know what Windows 10 will give me? No way am I going to pay for it. All I use windows for is to click 1 icon to start a game (that sadly is not available on consoles). Spose I might hit the upgrade. I’m certainly not going to be “experiencing” windows (not using it beyond what I hope is 1 single mouseclick).
W8.1 is stupid.

Thanks so far. Now would anyone like to take all these posts and simplify them please.
Got another problem. I know damn well that I have 2 accounts set ups as I had an open to choose earlier but now I don’t appear to. switching the damn thing on only offered my account, which had been the last one active earlier. Just how did that happen and how do I get to choose when it first starts?
Also how do I close the IE box. No red and white cross, just a little black one down at the bottom but that doesn’t shut down. I am currently stuck on IE as I cannot see a way out.
😥 And I have no menus across the top to labelled favourites etc.

You can still get a screen with three icons on it. Not complicated.

You can’t blame Microsoft for trying to move things on. If they didn’t we’d all be typing commands into DOS still.

right click on the top of the IE screen and drag it down to the bottom – window should close

Correction, LEFT click/hold

“You can still get a screen with three icons on it. Not complicated”
HOW?

see the screen that looks like a phone ?

one of the tiles probably has a picture of your enfield desktop – it’ll take you there

almost all the other tiles on that phone screen can be deleted (not sure how – right clik maybe?)

when you’re on that screen there should also be an arrow somehwere (bottom left?) that will take you to the list of all installed apps. Go there and pin any you fancy to the start screen (and maybe elsewhere too)

seriously, just have a go – I’ve only used W8 at my mum’s house. SHe likes it better than 7 because it’s easy

“You can still get a screen with three icons on it. Not complicated”
HOW?

delete all the other icons 😉

don’t know what Windows 10 will give me? No way am I going to pay for it.

it’s free for any user of 7, 8 or 8.1, when it’s released.

Also how do I close the IE box. No red and white cross, just a little black one down at the bottom but that doesn’t shut down. I am currently stuck on IE as I cannot see a way out.

I guess you’re in what’s called Modern IE. That’s the “app” version launched from one of the tiles and is really intended for tablet use (and to be honest it’s the best browser available for touch use and I’m saying that as a Chrome fan, but Chrome just runs badly with touch. Anyway, that’s another matter).

If you actually are on Windows 8.1 and not 8, move the mouse to the top right and a cross will appear to close it.

Best thing is to make certain you are on 8.1 first. If you aren’t seeing the close button with the mouse hovered on top right, then you probably are still on 8.0 and you need to update to 8.1 to have a happier experience. Still check out…

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/which-operating-system

If on 8.1 you should then be booting to the desktop by default. From there you can launch the normal desktop version of IE complete with normal close icon etc, search for Google Chrome, download and install that and forget about IE.

Again, if you want the desktop, click on the ‘desktop’ tile. Ignore all the other tiles if you are using it on a desktop or laptop PC (basically anything that isn’t touch only and uses a mouse or touchpad).

p.s. Upgrading 8.0 to 8.1 – http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-8/update-from-windows-8-tutorial

Apparently the version of 8 that I am using isn’t update able to 8.1 Dell

Wrong. It does say 8.1 in properties.
Why Chrome? My past experiences have not been good.
I have created an old style desk top but I still can’t avoid going through that horrible lego page.
Can’t find anything that looks like a good old start menu which lets me go to programs, accessories and then all the system tools etc.

All that stuff is there on the start page, just arranged differently.

[/url]

Woohoo. Getting there. The only snag now is that for some reason my home page has swapped to something I have never heard of and the usual way to get Google back there isn’t working. Hmmm
More importantly freecell wasn’t pre installed and the downloaded version is different. Yet to break that to the wife. 🙄

Use google to find out how to change your internet homepage, very easy.

Sounds like something you installed or that came with your computer has changed it…

Dell’s do come with some preinstalled garbage of their own, but they’ve been reasonably good in recent years. Only usually McAffee that you want to get rid of. Usually the browser home page will be whatever the default is, so likely MSN.

Need to launch IE in the desktop, go to the settings icon at the top right (looks like a cog), Internet Options, and you can set the home page.

If you just go to Google it will often offer to set it as home page anyway (and likely offer Chrome as a download).

Yeah. Mostly there and I guess I’ll get used to the rest. Thanks
Now, whats all this about Chrome?
Did try it when it first appeared but it just messed everything up. Suspect I should have run it by its self instead of just clicking at it wildly.
Your thoughts please. Currently just IE to Google

Chrome is another browser, it’s a bit better than IE but I wouldn’t bother with changing if you are a little uncertain about this stuff. IE works well enough.