The Metro style is what stands behind Window 8's innovative user interface, one that may not be of everybody's taste. Removing this feature from the latest Microsoft operating system leaves the user with a modified version of Windows 7 user interface that is more unstable. There are several ways disabling the Metro UI and all of them do not leave permanent scars. If you change your mind, you can always revert to the classic Windows 8 view, by modifying some parameters in our steps.
You must know that in the following procedure we are going to play with some registry entries and this may hurt the computer from now on. Windows 8 is still in a preview only mode, not even in the public beta. This version was created more for developers, to get them a head start on what's going to happen in a couple of months.
If you've spent some time with Windows 8, you probably noticed that while exiting the Metro UI a classic Windows 7 interface expects you. The only big difference stands in the Start button, which now has the role of getting the Metro interface back. Using our steps we will bring back the classic Start button, "permanently" disabling its current purpose. At any time you can change the value of the register and bring back the new view, by following the same steps. Here is what you need to do:
1. First, press the
Start + R buttons, to open the Run menu.
2. In the Run window, type "
regedit" and hit
Enter.
3. Now scroll on the top of the list and double click on "
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE". This will expand the folder.
4. Do the same for "
SOFTWARE ".
5. In the list, search for "Microsoft" and open it.
6. Now using the same procedure, navigate to
Windows ->
CurrentVersion->
Explorer and some registry entries will appear in the right side of the screen.
7. Click on the one called "
RPenabled" and change its value from "1" to "
0".
This will make the Metro UI vanish and the classic Windows 7 interface will appear as shown below. To revert the changes modify the value back to 1.
Those who want an easier approach can download the Start Menu Selector, a program that can be found on DeviantArt that acts like a switch, changing the new Start menu into the classic one, at a push of a button. The software basically completes the same steps presented above, disabling the Metro UI in the process.
Simply download the program from
here, extract it and double click its .exe file. A quick option has been added when you right-click anywhere on the desktop, allowing you to switch between the two elements, as shown below. You should probably run the file using Administrator rights to make sure it launches properly.
