Can we disable the charms bar in Windows 8?

Drew, my dear chap,

I am the pleased owner of a Lenovo G585 laptop which I have had since last year.

I am NOT a luddite and generally look forward to new developments in all sorts of things with great enthusiasm. Also, I have been a computer user (home and professionally) for many years. I was very frustrated and angry when I first used this computer (W8) it was very clumsy and seemed to have characteristics which were far more difficult to use than my previous W7. These characteristics seemed to have been included with the sole intention of making work a **** of a lot more time consuming. Whereas one was used to almost forgetting the computer to concentrate on work, this new OS demanded ones exclusive attention, wasting enormous amounts of (non available) time.

I have stuck with it in spite of, at times, being sorely tempted to literally throw the thing out of the window and I think it and I have arrived at a sort of compromise except for these blessed so called' charms'

I did contact a number of MS engineers about the 'charms' , they all repeated the mantra ''we have no plans to remove or change this feature.'' A couple of them did make suggestions to try to help. Nothing worked on this computer except the suggestion that has made the problem easier to work with and that was to abandon the touch pad and use an ordinary mouse!!!

Would you please concede that using the touch pad (as I should be able to do) I DO NOT NEED TO BE REMINDED OF THE TIME AND THE SETTINGS etc every 10-15 seconds

Regards M.Cutlan

1st of all this is not a reply to Ken, per se but, one cannot add to a thread w/out replying to an existing entry...

I have taken a number of days deciding whether to write this or not and after wrestling w/ the idea have, obviously, decided to not bite my tongue but, instead, speak freely.  I have, also, read most of the entries in this thread over several days.

I have, as well, read a immense amount of material over about 2 years or more since I first started Beta Testing Windows 8 for Microsoft and whilst I have written, for the duration in some 5 or more Tech Forums.  In addition there were a plethora of 'articles', written by people who supposedly, knew their subject, before & as Windows8 was released.  At that time there was a lot of rubbish being said and sadly people were sucked in to a lot of the 'reports', falsehoods, inaccuracies & myths that were being propagated.  Comments like Win8 is weird, unworkable, unusable, has no Desktop, is not make for non-Touch or laptops or PCs but, only Touch or mobile devices or that Windows 8 offered no improvement over previous Windows, had useless junk nobody wanted, could not be navigated and more.

Then there were others who perceived Windows 8 to be exciting, innovative, modern and progressive... a step towards to future of computing.  At the onset I suggested the biggest obstacle or welcome mat to Win8 was attitude.... honestly, I still, believe this, as much as ever.

We tried to explain, enlighten, instruct, CORRECT and guide people.  But, to be candid, and no offence meant, it seems we talk & write but, people don't read or listen. 

That said, here I go...

Windows 8 is somewhat different but, different does not equal bad. Yes, one has to discover & learn something new, a new OS but, that is not a bad thing, either.   (some) Human beings seems to have a really hard time w/ change and that can be a bad thing.  Others embrace change and that can be a good thing.  However, to say Windows 8 is hard to learn is false.  Out of the box Win8 gives BIG blocks of info specific to functions required to operate the OS, to find & do things.  (Yet people say nothing tells then what, where or how.)  The HELP and HELP + TIPS sections in Win8 are brilliant, clear, easy to understand and there to be used for one's assistance.  This stuff, native to the OS is only valuable IF one looks at it!  Plus, on the web or from MS itself or from Forums, education IS readily & easily available.

One should be aware of what makes Win8 so good & better that prior Operating Systems.  I am not going to list everything nor go into deep techy explanations.  I will list a few things that give it value.

Extremely stable

Extremely secure

Extremely fast

Extremely easy to navigate

Installs very fast & simply

Will run on not very robust gear

Extremely flexible & customizable

Filled w/ choices & options

Search is terrific. Including the ability to just type what one seeks on Start or ALL Applications.

Offers a lot natively, requiring less 3rd Party items to be added, Reader & Flash are examples

Extremely 'smart'.  ( like installing printers by itself, no 'software' discs needed )

Does more towards maintaining & repairing itself than ever before.

Handles resources impressively & better than ever (CPU usage, graphics, RAM, all better managed)

Anyway, now, let me address some of the misconceptions & or things that can make Windows 8 a pleasant experience.

As a quick aside, I had quit using the Windows 7 start menu long before Windows 8 appeared.

Win8 works just fine without Touch.

Win8 works just fine on a conventional PC or laptop.

Win8 does have a traditional Desktop

The End User is not obliged to use Store APPs or the Start screen.

The Charms Bar is useful BUT, does not need to be in one's way nor pop out accidentally.

It is possible to live 100% on Desktop, accessing everything from there & never changing screens

One can boot to Desktop

A person needs to be aware of and use the Power Users menu ( someone mentioned 10 steps to find Control Panel... wrong!  Rt Clk to Power Users menu & go directly to Control Panel & more w/ finger-tip access & 1 Click.

Adding 3rd Party pre-Windows 8 start stuff is not necessary!

Here's another myth... "Microsoft doesn't listen or care"... absolutely false.  They need their customers and they need happy, productive customers.  Ergo, Windows 8.1 and 8.1.1.  A cornucopia of things responding to what people wanted or did not like, a bunch of stuff to appeal to mouse/keyboard Folks.

Here's some cool, likeable, tips, suggestions:

Use the Desktop Toolbar

Use the Favorites Bar and Links Toolbar

Use the ability to Pin both Store APPs and whatever else you like to the Taskbar

Remember that Rt Clk is your friend.

Remember & use the functions in the Charms Bar, especially, remembering it is dedicated to whatever is open @ the time.; if it's Desktop, it's everything for your computer; if it's the Weather APP, it's everything for that.

A mouse scroll-wheel will move 'modern' screens laterally... Start, Photos, the Store, et al.  This MS does not tell Folks.

And here's a neat one they don't tell you.  It is possible to have a 'folder' on the Taskbar which open a normal window w/ all the same content as the ALL Applications screen.  It can be Sorted how you like and have whatever View you like.  Now, you, really, never have to leave Desktop!

One can have Win8 such that there is less digging and fewer clicks, time & effort to find things and do things.

Think about this... we are all running the same OS.  My Charms Bar never pops out unless & until I ask for it.  Someone said Notepad is slow to open... I can have a million things on the go (running & Open) yet opening Notepad takes a fraction of a second. Nothing ever crashes or hangs.  And there IS a start button, even though, it just does the same as the Windows Key.  And it IS a cinch to shut down or reboot, again, by using the Power Users menu.

To blindly let negative, hearsay sway, deter or intimidate a person is not necessary or helpful.  Windows 8 is good and it is easy and it can be a real fun, impressive, joy to use.  It really is not complicated or strange.  Different, maybe. But, maybe the most needed thing is a different (more positive, open-minded) attitude.

Of all the clients to whom I have sold Win8 and Win8 machines or worked w/ them in conjunction w/ upgrading, w/out exception, they were understanding it, using it, navigating it and enjoying it w/in a very few minutes.  That wee bit of time spend is worth it, the destination is worth the journey.  Windows 8 is that much of an enhancement over anything we had before it.  It is, indeed, a turning point on the road of present & future computing and responds to what our evolving world demands and where technology is going. 

Cheers,

Drew