Bypass the Windows 8 start screen

 

Don’t like the Windows 8 requirement to boot to the Metro start screen?
This simple tip will show you how to boot directly to the desktop in Windows 8.

Windows 8 sports a new interface called Metro which is touch screen capable and works on all Windows devices including Windows Phone, tablets and traditional desktop and laptops. The new OS boots into a new Start Screen where your applications are displayed as tiles. However, most current desktops and laptops don’t have touch screen capability and users have found the new Start Screen an annoyance, preferring to work on the traditional Windows desktop. Microsoft did not include a way to boot directly to desktop in the final release version of Windows 8. We will use the Windows Task scheduler to run a task on startup to bring the user directly to the desktop.

  1. Save all data and close all programs.
  2. On the desktop, move the mouse to the top right or bottom right corner of the screen to bring up the Charm Bar and select the Search icon.
  3. Type Task Scheduler into the Search bar, it will appear on the left of the screen under Apps. Click on Task Scheduler to start the program and bring you back to the desktop.
  4. Select Create Task (under the Actions menu on the right side of the Task Scheduler.  The Create Task window opens.
  5. Click the Triggers Tab at screen top and Select New at screen bottom.
  6. Select At log on from the Begin the Task drop down menu. Click OK button at screen bottom. You will be returned to the Create a Task window.
  7. Select the Action Tab at screen top and Select New at screen bottom. Type C:\Windows\explorer.exe in the Program/script text box. Click OK button at screen bottom. You will be returned to the Create a Task window. If you are running Windows 8 on a desktop, skip to step 9.
  8. If you are running Windows 8 on a Laptop, Select the Conditions Tab at screen top and clear the Check Box next to Start the task on if the computer is on AC power. Click OK button at screen bottom. You will be returned to the Create a Task window.
  9. Click OK button at screen bottom to close the Create a Task window. You will be returned to the Task Scheduler window.
  10. Select Task Scheduler Library at screen right. Scroll down the window at screen top center until you see the name of your new task. Restart your computer.

 

charms

Start-Apps

task-scheduler

create-task

trigger

at-log-on

action-tab

explorer

laptop

finished-task

Browse the Tech-Notes archive. Bookmark the permalink.