Can we disable the charms bar in Windows 8?

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I understand that you feel defensive about a product/company you work for, but across the board, the way it is expressed, makes customers feel unheard. 

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Looking at Drew1903's community profile - I have to ask where you got the "product/company you work for" part?

This is, for the most part (likely close to 99.99% - great up-time number, BTW, if it was that), a peer-to-peer, volunteer based open forum.  I don't think (get the impression at all) that Drew1903 works for or only with any given product.  Windows 8.1 is likely one of many.

I think that is one thing that gets misunderstood and/or missed completely.  Those you are likely conversing with here are people, just like you, who have their own opinions and experiences.  Although there are some Microsoft 'employees' (I use that term loosely - since, as far as I can tell, most are actually more like 'call center' type employees, maybe even for a company that is hired to represent Microsoft here and not an internal section - but that is all guesses) here - most are like you and I - people who either have questions or want to share their knowledge with others.

I could live with all the other awful features, but charms is intolerable. I have tried all the advice in this thread and it STILL randomly pops up in the middle of doing stuff. It is most annoying during gaming that uses edge scrolling. Every time I have to go to the right to do ANYTHING, it closes my gaming window. 

I come by negative reaction by first-hand experience, not hearsay. This OS is miserable to work with. I have bypassed my computer to go straight to desktop, but when charms pops up, EVEN WHEN I AM NO WHERE NEAR THE RIGHT SIDE OF MY COMPUTER, it assumes I am choosing options when I am trying to get rid of it, and automatically loads the app screen, at which point I have to click the desk top app to get back to my desk top.

I don't like folders on my bottom task bar. Control panel is not simple to get to. I used to be able to click  start/control panel, and there I was. The ONLY way I can get to it now is to right click my desk top, open properties for that, and then click control panel. 

You say win8 came with big blocks of info, but only if you know how to access it, and no booklet came with the computer. When I get to those blocks of info, there is no way to get out of it without clicking control, alt, delete and opening the task manager.

I will grant you the security, but it is too secure. I had to look online to figure out how to shut off the required password. I am an adult and quite capable of deciding how much security I want and need. This should have been an option just as the charms bar should have been an option, and just as classic shell should have been an option.

I am not a Luddite. I like my technology. I even like change though you imply those of us who dislike this system must not. What I don't like is change that makes a product more challenging to use and is fraught with issues.

You say MS listens to it's customers, and perhaps it does, but the down talk to members on forums like these doesn't make it sound so. You sound like you're on a high horse and we're all idiot peons with no common sense. I understand that you feel defensive about a product/company you work for, but across the board, the way it is expressed, makes customers feel unheard.

Who wants to buy from a company who is so poorly reflected in places like this? We have legitimate dislikes and complaints. Poo-pooing them and talking down to us is only going to send us elsewhere for our computing needs. Assuming a person doesn't like change, or is lacking technological know-how, along with the "you're all idiots for not thinking this is the best machine yet" attitude is dismissive and does not engender feelings of being heard. It is possible to defend a product without the attitude.

I have always been a loyal MS fan. I really don't like Apple. But quite honestly, if future products aren't better than this one before my windows 7 product bites the dust, I will switch to them because this product is a nightmare.

I completely agree. Just because we tell MS the product is inferior to its previous versions does not make us idiots with computers. I was excited about Windows 8 until I bought and actually used it. No one told me anything about it before I bought it. I came to the conclusion of it not being a good product all on my own. I am a tech geek and LOVE the latest and newest gadgets and get them as soon as I can, but W8 will now make me extra leery on buying anything with Windows on it now. I think W8 has lost a lot of customers and someone who tells me they tested the product out just makes me realize your opinion is biased. You need to take off the rose colored glasses and actually listen to what we are saying here. These are your customers here, not just any joe schmo off the street but people who actually buy your products. I tried everything too on disabling the charms and it DOES NOT work. I want my pc to work for me, I don't want to have to work extra hard for my pc to work for me.