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

OK I FOUND A FIX.  PLEASE NOTE THIS IS FOR WINDOWS 10 USERS THAT ONLY HAVE THE GENERIC TOUCHPAD DRIVERS. After 4 and a half hours of trolling around I found the solution.  The way this works is like a macro function.  When you swipe down it triggers the keyboard hotkey (which is the windows key + h).

So the solution is to simply disable this function which requires going into the registry.  I managed to find a program called Sharp Keys (http://www.randyrants.com/category/sharpkeys/).  This program will automatically adjust the required registry settings to disable a hotkey function.  Just run it and do the following:

• Click ok on the first screen
• Select Add
• In the "Map this key" select Type Key
• Press your windows key + h
• Select ok
• Then in the "To This Key" select Turn Key Off
• Select Ok
• Select "Write to Regestry"
• Reboot computer
• Then smile as the stupid function is turned off.

I hope this helps.

THANK YOU!!!! 

THANK YOU!!!!

THANK YOU!!!!

Thanks for this solution. Windows 8 or 8.1 drove me completely crazy. Mainly because of the charm bar popping up being completely useless. After 8 months of agony I dropped my PC in the corner and went to the store to buy an Apple. The Lenovo with windows is for my kids but you make my life as Admin :-) a lot more pleasant!

I bought a Lenovo Iaptop Z580 with Windows 8 four weeks ago. BIG MISTAKE! I can't get rid of this

(UN)charm(ING) black bar at the side and the popup clock which jumps out frequently and annoyingly

when I'm trying to get work done. Did Microsoft ever test this heap of junk on consumers before they

released it? I'll wait till next month, when they release Windows 8.1 (Blue), in the hope that they've actually listened to their customers and fixed these and other issues before I take the OS out.

If you install the default Windows touchpad drivers. then you don't have the features of the manufacturer's drivers. Which includes swipe. It's the easiest way to get rid of this annoying feature, which is NOT a Windows 8 feature.

 

If you have a synaptics touchpad and you don't have these options in the control panel, then you have to install the synaptics drivers.

http://drivers.synaptics.com/Synaptics_v16_3_15_1_C_XP32_Vista32_Win7-32_XP64_Vista64_Win7-64_Signed_Acme_Inc.zip

Can i say a massive thank you for this link. I just received my Lenovo z580 (same laptop as the other guy) today and after less than an hour that bar was driving me insane. Anytime I swiped from right to left it would appear and often take me back to Start.

Not only this but the Lenovo mousepad software seems to be a bit "sticky" and sluggish at the best of times however this link seemed to solve both of these issues.

Thanks.

I appreciate you response, ChrisBorgia.  If I could only find the Control Panel! 

I have an HP Envy...and right now I don't envy myself or any other that has to get around these bizarre Charms and Swipes, etc.  Whoever designed this stuff should be fired.  So ridiculous!

If anyone has an Envy and knows how to simply disarm these items, without going into the Registry, please Reply. I have this computer for a trial 60 days....and thinking an Apple product might be better than this headache,

Thanks!

Paul

Hi ChrisBorgia,

Thank you for your valuable suggestion; this will help other people to resolve the issue.

For any Windows related assistance in the future, feel free to contact us and we will be glad to help.