How to disable gestures (charms bar, edge swipes, etc...) without changing the registry

Mine is an HP, nice and new whatever it is. 

Anyway that advice didn't work but put me on the right track.

Go to settings, than to control panel, then to 'taskbar and navigation', then choose tab 'navigation' and your first little option box says' when I put....@ etc. Untick it.

Yipee!

I have also downloaded free 'Classic Shell' which gives you back a sane start button, well worth the effort - and don't worry, you don't lose the wretched windows 8 sceen entirely, it just becomes an option.

"WHY did you have to go and reinvent the wheel microsoft?  Geez. When something's not broke, you don't fix it!"

So perfectly put, litlrooh!

The sad truth is that Microsoft, no matter how many people say that - and no matter how many times they say it - is, for the most part, DEAF to their most ardent users/buyers.

I can remember easily when Win7 first came out, and the commercials that accompanied it.  They emphasized that Microsoft had listened to its users, and that a "leaner," more straightforward windows was what users wanted (not the bloated, bug-ridden Vista that originally replaced XP).  So for a short while, everyone was happy again -- then Microsoft imposed what was essentially a mobile type interface on EVERYONE. 

Even now, with 8.1, yeah - they listened, but not enough.

Another problem that I have with 8.1 is that some apps, like MS Money 98 will no longer work with it.

I had actually considered buying an upgrade to Money 98 years ago, but when I found out that the files for my accounts that have all my important information on them cannot be transferred, I decided against it.  What this means is that all the tax information (for example) that I may need in the future will be gone if I ever upgrade.  Can you imagine the EXTREME inconvenience this causes?

There used to be a widely respected courtesy of software manufacturers to make old files "upwardly compatible" with the new releases of programs, but Microsoft deep-sixed that time-honored practice too.

And the sad thing is that it is because a lot of us have always preferred Windows over other operating systems.  Microsoft doesn't respect that, but abuses us almost with every new release by introducing truly idiotic changes (along with good ones).

Oh well  . . . . .

I did this and it did not work.   I am extremely frustrated with this feature because it pops out when my mouse is in the CENTER of the page.  And if I try to slide the mouse to make it move, the charms bar pops out and I can't move the mouse. I swipe over and over and the mouse pointer does not move, it just pops the stupid Charms menu in and out.  I am SICK of dealing with this and microsoft should have thought about this when they invented it.  

The start menu ALSO pops up out of nowhere when my mouse pointer was CLEARLY in the center of the page.  This has GOT TO STOP. I cannot use this laptop with these annoying and disruptive features.  And of course, the whole entire navigation of W 8/8.1 has changed, so I can't find anything to fix it myself.  More money in Microsoft's coffers I guess.

I also HATE the fact that Windows 8 and 8.1 are nothing like Windows 7 and all the previous versions.  When I want to use the calculator, I can't see what I"m calculating because the calculator has to take up the entire page, covering everything else.  Why? What purpose does that serve except to make it all the harder to use?  This version is NOT user friendly and not even compatible with my other devices.  

WHY did you have to go and reinvent the wheel microsoft?  Geez. When something's not broke, you don't fix it!

I dont seem to find "Application Gestures" when i go into mouse settings. How do i get them?