how to make windows 8 look and act like windows 7

I TOTALLY AGREE with you. I too, am SO DISAPPOINTED in Windows 8. I HATE IT.

"Click the Desktop tile on your Start screen. That's the "Windows 7 interface"."

After trying Windows 8 for a couple of months I decided to unistall and go back to Wiondows 7.

There were so many things I needed to be able to do that vanished in 8.  Just because you can see a desktop does not mean you still had access to all the tools that used to be there.

Control panel was gone, access to msconfig vanished, notepad no longer existed and many others just went bye-bye for no reason I can see.  Add to that the insanity of using a touch screen format for computers that did not have a touch screen was the icing on the cake.

I recommend anyone who is using a non-touch screen machine would be well suited to stay with 7.

Tablets will probably be the only platform able to use this OS best.

I just have to say that as far as I'm concerned 8 is a JOKE.  I'm a bit old school and tend to use key strokes to do everything.  I never kept icons on my desktop, just used the flag key and single letter strokes to get my programs started and work in them, rarely even touch the mouse or touch pad.  My computer is a TOOL not a TOY.  I use it strictly for work and communication.  I've worked with a new win8 POS for 3 days now and I'm boxing it up and returning it.  I don't care who manufatured it, they didn't program the OS.  this OS is garbage, the sales people all touted it because it's just like the "Xbox" but that doesn't help because I don't use one of those and I don't use a "smart" phone either.  How 'bout Microsoft taking people like me into consideration?

Hi,

There is no Start Button or Start Menu in Windows 8.

Where is the Start menu?

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/where-is-start-menu

Customize the Start Screen

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/start-screen#1TC=t1

Windows 8 does not have the Classic look available.

3rd party programs can help :

StarDock - Start8 - is $4.99 US

http://www.stardock.com/products/start8/

Free

Classic Shell

http://www.classicshell.net/

Pokki

https://www.pokki.com/windows-8-start-menu

From the Start Screen - Right Click then on lower right - All Apps

In the Windows Store there is a free program called "Windows 8 Cheat Keys" which is a good

tutorial especially for those without a Touch Screen. It would be even better if it were inteactive

so that clicking on a "Hotkey" description would also perform that function.

I keep a text file of Windows 8 Hotkeys on the Desktop which is handy. Too bad that is also not

interactive. It is 8-Keys and is accessible on my SkyDrive.

My SkyDrive

https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=9ac481c015daee85&sc=documents&id=9AC481C015DAEE85%21125

Sure which some enterprising programmer would create a combination of "Windows 8 Cheat Keys"

and 8-keys so the actions would run from both the Start Screen as an App and from the DeskTop as a

an Application.

Hope this helps.

Rob Brown - Microsoft MVP <- profile - Windows Expert - Consumer : Bicycle <- Mark Twain said it right!

AK_666 is right. I like Metro UI but there should be a choice for Classic Start or Modern Start. However, I believe it did not happen because nobody would take time to learn new things. Modern UI wouldn't be so famous then.

Regards