Disable Metro in Windows 8 Developer Preview

September 14th, 2011 by Dustin

For many, the Metro interface is a problem and would like to have the desktop similar to Windows 7 and other previous versions. Here is a registry edit to disable Metro UI.

1. Open regedit by typing regedit at the Start screen.

2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer

3. Modify the RPEnabled key to a “0” instead of the default “1”.

4. To return to the Metro UI, just change the value back to a “1”.

Dustin is the Head Editor of MSTechPages and has been awarded the 2011 Microsoft Community Contributor award. He is in the process of finishing up a book about Windows 7 Tips and Tweaks. Also, a free ebook for Windows 8 keyboard shortcuts is available on this site, with more printable "cheat sheets" coming soon. You can also find him in the Microsoft Community forums (also as a Community Moderator), Tech Support Guy forums, HardForum, and The Windows Club forums, among several others.

Dustin

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Posted in Knowledge Base, Windows 8

Anonymous

^^
Jpalo

Umm, how would I login after reboot, as there is nothing visible on startup screen now that I have diabled Metro UI? (I actually had to connect to my machine using RDC and revert the registry change as I couldn’t figure out wayt to login).
- Alfonso
  
  I had the same problem, I had to recover using windows restore to boot again (Pressing F8 like crazy during a couple of boots).
- Cworth33
  
  Try pressing “esc” or click and drag upwards…the pre welcome screen doesn’t have any buttons on it.
http://maxgoodman.myopenid.com/ MaxGoodman

disabling the metro ui, also seems to disable the ribbon on windows explorer. It also disables the file management improvements listed in this post. http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2011/08/23/improving-our-file-management-basics-copy-move-rename-and-delete.aspx
Ethaniel

Worked like a charm, although virtually disables all interface enhancements, including Ribbon in Windows Explorer.
kjs

RPEnabled = 0
Is not the way to disable the Metro UI. That setting seems to enable the hidden, super secrete ”windows 7″ mode.
http://twitter.com/atecdag Dagmawi

There’s something seriously wrong with Microsoft and their UI team when users are using registry hacks to disable a feature that’s supposed to be the centerpiece of Microsoft’s new operating system.
- http://twitter.com/Carbon1212 Carbon1212
  
  Why would they want developers to disable this easily. They want the to use it and think different when designing apps of the future.I’m sure there will be an easy way to disable it on the final version if people just can’t get used to it.
  MS is smart to force feed this in a “DEVELOPER” preview.
  - http://twitter.com/atecdag Dagmawi
    
    Nine months after your comment, that change has not come.
    - http://www.mstechpages.com/ Dustin Harper
      
      Yea, I figured it would be changed myself, too. They are really getting a lot of negative feedback with the new UI.
- Jagauthier
  
  It’s a developer preview. There’s a long road to release. Don’t judge too soon.
- BillGates
  
  Because business will HAVE to go to Windows 8, and you can’t force millions of office users to switch to tiles because home users think its “cool”.
  - Desktop
    
    Home Desktop users DONT think its “cool”…. Tablet users do, and rightly so. Just get it off our desktops plz!
Wat

Doesn’t disable the metro UI (it’s still tied to windows key), but does disable most of the actual improvements, fail
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1016818916 Anton Van Wamelen

it tasted like shit…
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1016818916 Anton Van Wamelen

it tasted like &é”‘”&é or else
Tom Cowley

After changing this registry, you can open task manager, which will appear as the ‘Windows 7′ Version. If you then close the application ‘Start Menu’ this apears to shut down the metro interface. At this point you can change the registry back to the original value, and you’re left with all the other enhancements, minus the metro interface.
- Me
  
  Works until you reboot, then it comes back. You have to do it each time. That is a deal-breaker for me.
  - John
    
    It shouldnt be too hard to come up with a script/program that you set to launch on startup to kill the ‘Start Menu’ task.
  - John
    
    It shouldnt be too hard to come up with a script/program that you set to launch on startup to kill the ‘Start Menu’ task.
William

This will also kill explorer (it won’t open anymore), and also kills all the other enhancements.

PS: This will bring the “Microsoft Confidential” message back.
Anonymous

There has been a couple third party tools to do the same thing, along with an option to keep the ribbon Explorer:
http://winaero.com/download.php?view.15
http://www.thewindowsclub.com/metro-ui-tweaker-windows-8-released <– this one is full featured and allows a lot of custom options with MetroUI.
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http://www.facebook.com/Jacky444 Jaka Prasnikar

There is a high chance Microsoft gona fuck up another OS for their PC users, I don’t see what they want to do with tablets, mobiles while I’d prefer Linux based OS on my Tablet/Mobile. I seriously don’t see what they’re doing here.

seems ill seriously have to start thinking to change to Linux which have very nice GUI now aswell.
- Dustin
  
  Linux can have a great GUI, depending on which windows manager you choose. You can go with the simple and very non graphic intensive or you can go with all the bells and whistles with Compiz Fusion addon. But, you can do the same using third party tools with Windows, too. Until the beta is released, I’ll leave my final judgement open. The MetroUI works excellent on the Windows Phone 7, BTW. Much easier to use than the iPhone, in my opinion. More stable than Android, too.
  - Jeffrey
    
    WHY TYHE HELL DO I CARE ABOUT IDIOTIC WINDOWS PHONE, YOU WORK FOR THIS PILE OF RUBBISH & PROMOTE CLEARLY RETARDED PRODUCT DESIGNED FOR PEOPLE WITH IQ LEVEL BELOW 60!!! METRO UI IS AN ABOMINATION FOR ALL INTELLIGENT ADULTS!!!
    YOU GO TO HELL ALONG WITH WINDOWS NOW.
    I’VE BEEN MICROSOFT SUPPORTED FOR MANY MANY YEARS, NOW THIS IS IT.
    AS IF VISTA WASN’T ENOUGH, HERE COMES UI CLEARLY MEANT FOR KIDS & HOUSEWIVES, WITH ITS HUGE IDIOTIC TILES AND INABILITY TO MULTITASK PROPERLY WITH CONTROLS AT HANDS NOT BURRIED UNDER A PILE OF BROWN SHIT BECAUSE “MANY CUSTOMERS GET LOST WHEN FACED WITH A DIFFICULT TAKS OF USING THEIR BRAINS”.
    - Vijer
      
      Yep for sure, a horrible UI designed for 12 year old boys. But on the bright side its a boon for developers, no longer will they need to design a cool icon for their app, now all they need is an ugly rectangle that can have live updates. Yah like I need to be constantly updated that twatter has a bunch of twats posting 10 word brain farts. ”hey I just pissed myself watching the Oscars” .. “Really? Me too” … “Hey now I am going to shit myself cause I can twat you my lame 10 word thought”. Sorry to all of you twatter fans.
      - Aleke
        
        I’m sorry but you just seem like a fool. I was agreeing with you until you said that shit about twitter. You’re only updated on the tweets from people you follow, not everyone in the world. If you don’t like it, don’t use it, but don’t bash it if you don’t know what you’re talking about.
      - Vijer
        
        No Aleke, I know you only get tweets from the idiots you subscribe too. But only morons sit around sending 10 word thoughts back and forth as if it has meaning or importance. And the idea that you need a live update on your screen, whether it is on your mobile or computer is just plain stupid. But that is why Americas youth will end up with shit in the end, sending 10 word brainless comments back and forth is more important to them than anything of real substance, like getting an education.
Nathan

don’t do the change i did it now i can’t log in ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

so very sad
guest

Great we can an interface that’s not a headache but it causes things not to work right.

At this point I’d rather have the Xbox 360 dashboard as my interface.
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MeMyselfAndI

Amazing… You actually MUST to do a regedit to disable this “feature”??? And if you do, it break half of everything else!? This interface is so incredibly frustrating. It feels like it was made for dumb 10 years old of mental age user. The log-on screen is hidden underneath a useless picture. I had to discover by pure mistake you need to scroll the image out of the way to type your password. Imagine that; I need 5 steps just to shut down the PC! LMAO. Or am I? I CAN’T close any metro apps!!!!! I simply went to the control panel to fool around and was stuck there for a long time until I finally found I must use ALT-TAB to go back to the desktop! ALT-F4, ESC, CTRL-X, nothing works! (I almost punch my monitor in sheer rage and total disbelief) The whole thing is deeply counterintuitive. Everything useful is buried under tons of useless cute logo that take half the screen estate. I HATE when a product FORCE me to do thing in a specific way instead of setting me free to do whatever I want. How much are you paying those 160+ IQ think-tank genius to come up with such an abomination? Took me about 10 minutes to hate this product to the point of no return. After 11 minutes, I was so mentally disturbed, I could have killed someone with my bare hands. Where is that bottle of Prosak? I need a quadruple dose + a double Scotch right away…
- http://www.mstechpages.com Dustin
  
  This was a developer preview, not even a beta. It was designed for developers to use to program applications for the new Metro interface. It was not meant to be used as a full fledged OS. I expect that you will be able to disable the feature when the beta is released later next month, without using a registry hack.
- Guy
  
  Just press the windows button
  - Guest
    
    I’ve installed it on an old Laptop on purpose – it doesn’t have a Windows button…
    - Zoogderrick2
      
      press ctrl + esc then
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Adam

Windows 8 is a pile of moneky shit
Robert Gallagher

Metro UI/Interface is designed for retarded peop;e with IQ level below 63. I loed Microsoft, promoted it, defended it against Linux, but nw I must say – it entered decadence stage. Like Roman Empire. UI is clearly for housewives, kids, and imbelciels/cretins/morons.
Very primitive. Stupid
I am an Engineer, I can pedict people with brains will spit and reject Metro UI with a passion.
P.S. F U. Microsoft after so many years of promoting Microsoft, EVEN I have to say this Metro is garbage.
They also damaged Windows Explorer in Vista, and I was one of factors in helping to retore its WinXP functionality (I wrote to MS repeatedly)., it’s still crippled in Windows7 as folders jump unexpectedly when expanded in certain condition.
Whatever.
Not only Vista was 1st step towards diaster, alleviated by mor eor less OK Windows7, now WIndows8 makes 2nd step towards IDIOCY.
Complete IDIOCY.
Metro UI is clearly for very dumb people unable to control their own windows and computers, so they need it “digested” like it is 1980′s and Windows 1.0 !!!
- Scrab Scrabottini
  
  Let me guess? The only way they can improve Windows is by continuing to sell Windows XP? People like you should die.
  - BlargLargen
    
    Actually..people like you should die…metro UI is ridiculous and should be confined to phones. Not real computers. Except for those meant for computer illiterate fools such as yourself.
    - http://www.facebook.com/RichardJohnThomas Richard John Thomas
      
      My phone can handle Windows 8 and I see it being very attractive on my phone. But my god on my PC right now; WTF? The first thing I did was install Google Chrome off my external HDD and google how to turn this Metro piece of shit off….
    - http://www.facebook.com/RichardJohnThomas Richard John Thomas
      
      My phone can handle Windows 8 and I see it being very attractive on my phone. But my god on my PC right now; WTF? The first thing I did was install Google Chrome off my external HDD and google how to turn this Metro piece of shit off….
  - Vijer
    
    No you guessed wrong, the only way they can improve Windows is to make it faster and get rid of the registry and SHARED DLL’s.
    
    Shared DLL’s what idiot thought it would be a good idea to allow developers to modify DLL’s? Developers don’t know how to modify a DLL safely and shouldn’t be allowed to. Install a program to test it and maybe it installs a 100 files, and countless registry entries and modifies a DLL or two. Then after testing it you realize the developer isn’t too smart, and that app is kind of crappy, so you uninstall the app, but guess what? The uninstall routine only removes 70 of the files, 69% of the Registry entries and doesn’t even try to revert the modified DLL’s to their original state. That is the design FLAW MS should be fixing instead of adding crap like Metro.Adding HORRIBLE UI’s is not an improvement. Windows 7 was a big improvement over XP and a no brainer compared to Vista but MS added some dumb features to W7 too that can’t be turned off easily if at all. But hey you go ahead and keep pushing those horrible rectangles.
    - madurax86
      
      Cool but not that cool, see this is the age that MS and alot of companies are trying make their developer share larger. Google took a jump in Java ocean, there were a lot of developers there already so Android got a jump start on developers. MS aims for C# and Javascript..etc they are going to get managed code developers in to developing apps that you use in Windows everyday, before it wasnt like this C/C++ or .NET devs were developing for Windows now its watered down for a huge developer share and they know shit about DLLs, and registry both of these are introduced for performance but now they won’t be so in the near future. MS might consider locking down the OS directory all in all but there are huge design faults to fix.
    - Gundermanc
      
      You apparently dont know anything about programming. You cant modify a “shared DLL.” You can only make references to it, or install updates. Besides, every OS uses shared files of some time. Windows uses DLLS, MAC uses libraries, linux uses .so files, and android uses .so and ZIP libraries. Shared libraries (in this case DLLS) are where the operating system is stored. No share DLLS means no operating system. perhaps you should research before you spout off. I happen to be a programmer.
      - Sifeo
        
        Wait what? Android IS linux…
  - bubbles15
    
    That’s a fanatically silly statement. Personally I find Metro an annoyance, it is frustrating. It seems Microsoft are caught up in their own dreams and have forgotten about users. Heck, managing files on Windows vista, 7 and 8 is a nightmare – they’re scattered all over the place.
    
    Windows XP got out of the way. Windows ista and onward get *in* the way. An OS is just that: an operating system. it is not the system.
- A ENGINEAR
  
  you are mad , as you are ENGINE- NEAR U KNOW THAT U CAN DEVELOP APPS IN WINDOWS 8 . WINDOWS 8 ROCKS AS IT IS CP . FINAL RELEASE WILL BE BETTER
  - http://www.facebook.com/people/Timothy-Edwards/1379738908 Timothy Edwards
    
    Im pretty sure an engineer knows how to spell the word…”engineer”. You are a straight up retard. No engineer has grammar that horrible. Windows 8 definently does NOT rock. It’s a huge pile of shit. The UI itself is terrible, and If they don’t fix it, im sticking with windows7 and dual booting with Linux.
- http://www.facebook.com/gunnerk Gunner Krause
  
  Just a reminder, please do not feed the trolls.
Rob

I too an not really liking it, but this definately looks like it’s for a phone or tablet. It will be interesting to see what the professional or enterprise version looks like, as I don’t think it will go over too well if we will need to retrain employees on how to use their computers again.
Michael

People… the Metro UI is designed around a Multi-Touch interface, for most DESKTOP users this will not be the interface you will use. It you have a Tablet, or Multi-Touch capable display on your desktop/laptop then the UI is there to make things faster/easier to access.
Michael

People… the Metro UI is designed around a Multi-Touch interface, for most DESKTOP users this will not be the interface you will use. It you have a Tablet, or Multi-Touch capable display on your desktop/laptop then the UI is there to make things faster/easier to access.
Slarabee

Seem this regedit no longer works on the consumer preview build… I was late to the party.

Thing is the very fact that you could shut off the metro crap with a reg edit of one key shows me that win 8 is not much more than win 7 with a new wrapper on it that is designed for monkeys. Great big awful buttons… start menu is gone… It is just a mess.

Looks to me like a blatant control move. Make everything difficult to navigate and try to lock up users like they are on phones that have not been rooted.

Man am I glad Linux has come so far over the years. Will be running Ubuntu or Debian 6 for most of my tasks.

As for the guy down the page defending metro and telling another commenter to die well… MS is not the bgin all and end of computing by any stretch. No reason to get so excited. As far as XP goes it is fairly stable unless it gets infected by one of any number of exploits. I like Win 7 but cannot see any real gains in the OS over XP other than some minor multimedia improvements, better wireless network handling and of course using a ton of memory to do very little.

That said so far Win 8 seems easier on memory usage but it does appear to be a crappy version of win 7.

Wish I could get the metro shut off but alas that reg edit does not work on the build I am running.
- http://www.mstechpages.com/ Dustin Harper
  
  I’m looking for a new registry hack to go back to the old style (Windows 7), but no luck so far.
  
  Metro UI isn’t BAD, it’s just different to cause a huge learning curve and initial lack of efficiency. It’s VERY good on a tablet or phone. But, for the desktop, in the words of Randy on American Idol “I’m just not feeling it, dog”.
h4xed

I agree with Robert as well. Metro UI is completely horrible. Can’t believe they’d release something like this, after already experiencing a big ass mistake with Windows Vista, and now they come with some slide up wallpaper to log on to the computer. Gotta log off and then turn off/restart? I can use Mac OS X better than Windows 8 and I’ve used Mac OS maybe once or twice.
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James Wood

Uh oh, that value doesn’t exist in the customer preview – hmmmm. Any thoughts on how to disable it now?
Eric Kaercher

Bring back Microsoft Bob! It’s actually USEABLE!
- http://www.mstechpages.com/ Dustin Harper
  
  Actually, a Bob-like type of interface might be more popular than MetroUI at this point. I like it, but I’m definitely in the minority, I’ve found.
Private

My god What are they thinking, my first thought was what a train wreck! after an hour I realised it was Far worse than that. Unintuitive, inconsistent,fug ugly,and will be a complete disaster for business without massive amendments in group policy if that is even allowed. Can you imagine trying to support it! Just move your mouse to the bottem left corner and the start will appear,no? left a bit , up a bit, down, Still no, press the windows button then,can’t find it?, next to the control,can’t find it?,marked ctrl,can’t find it? brrrr…….. user shoots themself…
this is going to make Vista appear like the pinnacle of operating system design in comparison.From a home user point of view passed it to my wife, who has used computers as a normal user, only interested in doing the things she wants to and no interest in how it looks etc.I cannot possibly put her comments in writing but I am sure 100 designers and marketers within microsoft had their ears burn!
For Gods sake smother this piece of junk before you release it!
Not so much a developer preview as a suicide note!
- Zack
  
  Your post made me laugh because my wife had EXACTLY the same reaction. She’s a very typical PC user- just wants to get on the computer, get her tasks done and then go about her business. When the OS itself starts getting annoying and in the way, it’s not cool or neat to people like her. In fact, just the idea of me installing it on her computer made her angry! Wow- way to go Microsoft!
  
  As others here have said, this is classic Microsoft living in their little dream bubble where they are direct competitors with the iPad, and now they’re daydreaming of wrecking the whole Windows flagship in order to feed their tablet hoop-dream. They’re completely out of touch with their users- people like my wife don’t want their laptop or desktop to function like a 3rd rate iPad- if she wanted an iPad she’d go get an iPad, not some cheap imitation from Microsoft. Common people don’t care about Microsoft- it’s just some company that makes the OS that runs on their laptops or desktops. The OS is something they expect to stay out of their way and let them run programs that are the real reason they have the computer. MS and their iPad/app-store wanna be hoop dreams don’t matter a hill of beans.
  
  I predict a huge failure, except among some kids who might like all the bright colors, and people of below average intelligence that prefer an OS that assumes they aren’t very bright.
  
  Other than that, Apple has got to be loving this. I’m planning on just getting a MacBook for my next computer and my wife is considering one as well. Think of Apple as a life raft off the sinking Titanic that is Microsoft.
Foxtrot33

I don’t understand all the constant bickering, the OS is identical to 7, the layout of the UI has changed slightly, it isn’t as drastic as people are claiming. I have used the consumer preview for several days now and I cant find everything with absolute ease, don’t be fooled by Microsoft’s attempt to please the Apple Hipster’s by going streamline with giant tiles designated for brain dead consumers. It is the same OS, trust me once you start looking around it hasn’t really changed at all, It is however much faster then 7, in fact its blazing fast. With that said, I am more then certain MS will allow users to disable Metro, They have always provided such option’s, I cant imagine that they would force this annoying start menu on people because people will not accept it.
- Foxtrot33
  
  I *can find everything with ease, thats what I meant
Smaths101

Metro on a desktop? Whose brainwave was that?
Dave

Nope. doesn’t work with Consumer Preview.
Yanger

hmmm.. it’s not working for me.. running W8DP x64
Whinshaw

This really doesn’t work well, it doesn’t give you back the old functionality. It just clears the new crap away. Really MS just needs to kill Bob 2.0 with fire. The entitled, spoiled brat, hipsters with their Playskool Macs that made these design changes should all be fired.

Making MS Bob 2.0 (Metro) so tied into the OS when it clearly didn’t have to be setup that way is just stupid in the extreme. I guarantee that if Metro is part of the Enterprise edition that my state will skip MS Bob 2.0 and if MS is too stupid to remove it for Windows 9 that Windows 9 will be skipped as well. Don’t think that it won’t happen.
- http://www.mstechpages.com/ Dustin Harper
  
  I’ve heard from several organizations that they are skipping Windows 8 because of the MetroUI. It isn’t a professional UI, even with a touchscreen. They are still on Windows XP, and skipped Vista and 7. I think they may end up testing and eventually deploying 7 if the RTM stays with MetroUI as a requirement. As much as I tried to like it on the desktop, it’s just not happening. MetroUI SUCKS on the desktop. It really does. Even after giving it time through the DP and CP, it’s just not working. Tablet – HELL YES! Phone – AWESOME! Desktop – AW, HELL NO!
- http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001665515099 Asok Smith
  
  Indeed, this just bypasses Metro UI when you logon. It does not actually disable or remove Metro UI, but at least it saves a click for each login and you don’t have to look at Metro UI.
  
  And of course, perhaps more importantly, you have to install ViStart to get a Start Menu back. Classic Shell’s Classic Start Menu is better than ViStart but it has not yet been ported for W8 CP.
  - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001665515099 Asok Smith
    
    Just wanted to note that Classic Shell 3.5.0 has just been released, and
    it now works beautifully on Windows 8 Consumer Preview, providing a highly
    functional and highly customizable Start Menu, as well as allowing one
    to substantially augment the Explorer ribbon, providing the ability to
    add a whole row of traditional Explorer function icons. I think Classic
    Shell is a much better alternative than ViStart. In fact, I like
    Classic Shell better than than the Vista and Windows 7 Start Menus
    anyway. Classic Shell can be downloaded at:
    
    https://sourceforge.net/projects/classicshell/files/latest/download
JOP

When I see Metro UI, I get the same feeling as I got the first time I installed Vista.
Does Microsoft really want to go down this road – AGAIN?!

You should get a question during install – “Want to use Metro UI Yes / No”
W8 can become a good product, just dont fuck it up with forcing Metro UI onto everyone.
Cseger

That key is not available in my registry
- http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001665515099 Asok Smith
  
  The HKLM key is there, but to clarify, if you wish to use the HKCU key instead, that has to be added, as that key doesn’t initially exist by default.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001665515099 Asok Smith

OK, I made another stab at disabling Metro UI in Windows 8
Consumer Preview.

Methods that work to bypass or disable Metro UI in Windows 8
Developer Preview do not work in Windows 8 Consumer Preview. Also, methods
based on using the Task Manager and methods that are based on a showdesktop.scf
don’t work either.

However, I discovered that overriding the default registry
value:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionWinlogon]

“Shell”=explorer.exe

with

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionWinlogon]

“Shell”=”explorer.exe
/select,explorer.exe”

does in fact automatically skip past Metro UI (under most
circumstances). Metro UI isn’t actually disabled, but it is bypassed without
having to manually click on the Metro UI

“Desktop” icon.

One can also do this override on a per-user basis by adding
the following key to individual login profiles:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionWinlogon]

“Shell”=”explorer.exe
/select,explorer.exe”

In this latter case, you could dip your toe in the water by
creating a new login id to experiment on before applying the change system-wide
with the first case.

Note that in either case, after one logs on, it takes a
couple of seconds for the desktop background to appear after the initial root
folder for the user appears.

Also, note that this method leaves a vestigial explorer.exe
process that remains in the background until a logoff occurs.

I also made two .reg files, one for the HKLM change and one
for the HKCU change, which can be used to apply the desired change. These are
in a zipped folder that can be downloaded from:

http://www.reliancepc.com/menu/tips/Downloads/GoToClassicDesktopRegFiles.zip

(Needless to say, if you decide to give this a try, be
careful, do a system restore point, and be prepared to enter Safe Mode [if you
can figure out how], or understand how to bring up the Task Manager with
Ctrl-Alt-Del and start regedit.exe with Administrative privileges if you happen
to get in real trouble, i.e., no desktop appears at all.)

I also recommend that you disable the hateful lock screen
via gpedit.msc by going to:

Local Computer Policy -> Computer Configuration ->
Administrative Templates -> Control Panel -> Personalization ->
“Do not display the lock screen” and setting that to
“Enabled”.

Finally, download and install ViStart to get a Start Menu
back. Once you’ve done all three of these things W8 starts to become usable for
actual enterprise-level work as opposed to pointlessly farting around with a
toy interface that badly emulates a credit-card sized personal communication
touch-screen interface like Android.
Darrin

This Metro UI makes me want to buy a MAC!
- Brawlband
  
  I’ve put up Windows crap for years and this Metro garbage is such an insult to intelligence and productivity that I too am going to switch over to Mac.
http://www.facebook.com/Teknoman117 Nathaniel Lewis

I seem to have had the same reaction as everyone else here. Personally I am a Mac person, but I decided to check out Windows 8. When the Metro UI thing came up, I was just horrified. I was thinking that Microsoft had made some questionable decisions in the past, but come on, this is pretty bad. I hope for there sake that they don’t force this on people. We over in iWorld are worried about Mac OS X becoming tablet like, but it seems Microsoft is doing just that for Windows 8 as of now. I don’t want metro UI on a desktop….
Ihatemetro

It doesn’t work in the consumer preview. I don’t know why they are getting rid of it. If they really like their metro thing then just make it a hidden option like this, and don’t force the metro tablet bullcrap down our throats. I think Microsoft is paying attention to their OS and their project and visions, not their customers and ease of use.
Prabhat2342

Horrible, Are microsoft people sick? They have made an operating system (consumer preview) that is totally not user friendly, oh my god…
- http://www.mstechpages.com/ Dustin Harper
  
  This mirrors what people said with Windows 95, XP….
  - JMCinNC
    
    That’s a flat lie.
    
    People weren’t upset by the UI’s evolution. There’s not much difference between Windows 3.1 interface to that of the Windows 7 interface.
    
    People hated Windows 95 when it came out because you needed so much more computer to run it. The UI changes from 3.1 or NT weren’t that major, but if you tried to run 95 on a computer with 1MB of RAM…well, that didn’t work. If you had an adequate machine the first release of ’95 was a rocket, if occasionally unstable. The next releases were more stable, but the kernel was slower. I used 95 until we switched to NT around 98.
    
    When XP came out there were no drivers for it. Windows XP in the 64 bit flavor was still garbage when Vista 64 (which wasn’t all that bad) replaced it.
    
    This release is not evolutionary. It is totally different than anything Xerox, Apple, Microsoft, or any of the gui based Linux packages offered.
    
    The question is why?
    
    What Microsoft fails to understand is that I could care less what the operating system really looks like. I don’t own a MS phone, nor do I own an MS tablet. I have no interest.
    
    I can also manage my files all by myself. I take that back…No one in business manages his files by himself. You conform to a naming and filing structure. What I do need is to run multiple programs at a time, and I need to access information from several at the same time just to do my job. If I need to know what the weather in Boston is, I can Google it.
    - http://www.mstechpages.com/ Dustin Harper
      
      Yea, Win95 was a dog when released. But, there were a lot of people pissed about the Start button. It was inefficient, slow and different. It would never work.
      
      XP was too much like a Fisher Price interface. Too cartoony. That’s what the critics were saying at the time.
      
      Lies? Not really from what I heard at the time. Changes from 95-7 were minor, mostly with small color changes or rounded corners or other little things. The change from Win 1-3.11 was WAY more dramatic. Going from 16 color to 256 and higher was a huge difference.
      - Mugwomp
        
        I can’t find a single “XP was too much like a Fisher Price interface” quote to support your claim.
        
        Though I can’t help but notice your “XP was too much like a Fisher Price interface” is basically parroting what people are saying about Windows 8.
      - http://www.mstechpages.com/ Dustin Harper
        
        http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r3054233-Those-who-call-XP-s-interface-Fisher-Price
Pingback: Windows 8 tulee, mutta onko siitä mihinkään?
R Lough

try again…. there is no such RPEnabled Key in that directory chain.
R Lough

Matter of Fact… there is no RPEnabled in the entire registry… what gives with the listing above. And YES… Metro UI is the best thing ever… FOR APPLE. Watch PC users flee for their lives.
Papap

dosnt work
Etwolf

I don’t tweet, I don’t use
facebook, I don’t use my pc for gaming or any form of entertainment.
( and if I want to know what the weather is doing I’ll look out the
window )I use my pc as a serious creativescientific tool.
Windows 8 has just reduced the pc to a glorified IPad.Would any
business seriously consider an O.S. with this metro farce getting in
the way, sure it looks flashy and a really “Fluid”
user experience for brain dead social networking fucktards,but of
no value what so ever to the serious pc user. Is this the Bill
Gates tribute to Steve Jobs. ( Love OSX though, I just wish it
was available legally to run on machines with a BIOS instead of EFI,
I don’t like paying stupid prices for under specified Macs )Please
restrict this high school cheer leaders wet dream of an O.S. to
tablets of the fun but useless variety for people whose entire
existence revolves around their smart phone and serve us up a serious
O.S. with genuine under the hood improvements instead of smoke and
mirrors flash. Preferably while Microsoft still has some
credibility.I’m still using some hardware not supported (
adequately ) under any distribution of Linux, but once that hardware
is replaced, bye bye Windows. Unless Microsoft comes up with an O.S.
to change my mind.No more Windows H8 please ! ( taste my
venom ).
- JMCinNC
  
  Exactly…One question I’ve never asked myself is, “How do I turn my $6000 workstation into a smartphone?”
Pingback: Windows 8 tulee, mutta onko siitä mihinkään?
Whymsbuildwin8

the only reason windows 8 looks like that is because iphone, ipad, android phone and tablet. The most important thing for these companies is data mining. Data being YOUR personal data. Apple and Google got the biggest piece of the pie and liking it. Microsoft wants to get in the action and sell you some crap in their “App Store.” Believe you me, our society is slowly being controlled, our brains is being destroyed. Innovation my ass. Yes, go ahead buy another Iphone app or google app and soon ms app… play another round of angry birds…
Let me be absolutely clear, again, this has nothing to do with the UI design. This is about how these corporations can get very personal with, my friends, you. And with such amazing securities with these internet, government, your private data is totally safe… Sure, please file your taxes online, save personal information to google doc. Don’t you love it?!!!
KenMacMillan

This bullshit tweak doesn’t work. Even tried adding it to “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorer”, didn’t work. Tried it as a 32 bit value & as a 64 bit value, didn’t work.
- http://www.mstechpages.com Dustin
  
  It was only for Developer Preview and was stopped after that. The only option now is third party tools.
javctn

HOLY SMOKE!!!!!! What a mess!!! Look if it is designed by pre school kids. This is not nice , how can Microsoft do this. This is also the end of Microsoft in the phone market. I think it suck… again what a mess. You force me to Linux and android…
pooface

where is the RPEnabled key

Disable Metro in Windows 8 Developer Preview

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