How to make Windows 8.1’s ‘Metro’ screen disappear

Good news for Windows 8 users who prefer working exclusively in desktop mode: It’s much easier to get rid of the “Metro” view on Windows 8.1 than it was to get rid of Clippy. ZDNet’s Ed Bott has written a very helpful and succinct “Metro hater’s guide” for the recently released Windows 8.1 preview that will all but ensure that you’ll never have to see another “Live Tile” again if you don’t want to. The guide has just a few simple steps: First, uninstall all unwanted preloaded Metro-based apps; second, adjust the settings on the Start screen so that you’re taken directly to the “All Apps” screen instead of the Metro interface when you click the Start button; and finally, pin your most-used desktop apps to the taskbar and make sure to set your favorite desktop apps as defaults. Bott says that the process is “probably more complicated than it needs to be, but the end result should be a system that is far more tolerant of your desktop habits, with far less Metro style.”