Bypassing the Start Screen
One of the newest feature that was implemented on Windows 8 is the Start Screen. This might be a good feature to some but there will also be those who will get confused with it especially the ones who got used with some of the previous versions of Windows like Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7 which does not have the feature yet. Microsoft recently added the Start Screen to their latest operating system version in an effort to merge the tablet world to the world of PCs which most of us have already got so familiar with. Using this recently added feature might look complicated at first but if you take a little time exploring it, you’ll find it fun, easy and very useful as well.
The Start Screen: What’s it Used For?
If it is your first time to use Windows 8, you might have noticed the absence of the Start Button at the extreme-left side of the task bar and when you try pressing the “Windows Key”, what appears is the “Start Screen” containing all the apps and shortcuts of the programs that are installed on your computer. The “Start Screen” is Windows 8’s replacement of the old “Start Button”. Once you are on this screen, all you need to do is click on the tile (for modern apps) or the shortcuts (for traditional desktop programs) to open them. To see all the other apps, programs, settings and locations on your Windows 8 computer, simply right-click an empty space on the Start Screen and at the bottom of it, a horizontal bar will appear with an option labeled “All apps” located at its extreme-right end which you need to click and after doing so, you will be directed to a screen containing a categorized list of all the stuff stored on your machine’s hard drive.
Still Confused? Load the Desktop Straight Away!
Working a straight way through the Start Screen may still be difficult to novice and standard users so we will now show you a way on how you can bypass this new feature so you can boot directly to the desktop screen. Just follow the steps shown below to do this tweak.
Step 1: Create a New Text Document
The very first step is creating a new text document with “Notepad”. To do this, just access the desktop screen and open the “Documents” library using File Explorer. Once you are on it, simply right-click on an empty space and point the mouse to the “New” option that appears on the right-click menu. You will then see another options box where you need to select “Text Document”. This text document will later on be turned into a tiny program which we will use so you can directly boot to the desktop screen.
Step 2: Type the Script on the New Text Document
The next step will now involve typing the command script on to the new notepad document we created in Step 1. This step is essential and you need to get things right to ensure that the program will work later on.
Step 3: Save the Text File
Now that the command has been entered to the New Text Document you created, it is time to save it, if you have no clue of how you can do it, just follow the steps shown on the screenshot below. Later on, we will do some tweaks on the “Folder Options”.
Step 4: Change the Folder Options
Now, the next step would involve some changes on the “Folder Options”. To do this, you first need to access the “Charms”. Just point your mouse to the upper-right corner of the screen then drag it downwards and you’ll see a black bar with five icons overlaid on it. From these icons, simply click on the first one on top labeled “Search” and the search screen will now appear on the right-edge of the screen. Now, you’ll need to type “Folder” on the “Search Box” and click on “Settings” below it. The search results will then appear on the left portion of the screen and from here, simply select “Folder Options”.
Once the “Folder Options” Window appears, just click on the “View” tab on the top portion, there will be a box labeled “Advance settings” where you need to scroll down until you see the option that says “Hide extensions for known files”. This option needs to be disabled simply by clicking on it to remove the check mark from the box located on its left by then hit the “Apply” and “OK” buttons at the bottom to save the changes done.
Step 5: Tweak the Text Document’s File Type
Now that everything is set, you need to go back to the “Documents” library and change the file type that you have saved earlier which contains the command script. To do this, simply point the mouse on it then hit the right-click button of the mouse then select the “Rename” option from the right-click menu that appears. The name of the text will then be highlighted, once this happens just press on the “Del” key then the name of the file will disappear but the file extension “.txt” will remain, to remove this, just keep pressing the “Del” key until everything gets deleted.
Step 6: Open Task Scheduler and Create a Task
Now, you’ll need to access the “Search” charm again like you did earlier, type in “Task” then hit “Settings” below the search input box. On the left portion of the screen, you’ll need to select the result that says “Schedule tasks” and the “Task Scheduler” Window will now open.
On the “Task Scheduler” Window, you’ll need to click on a tab on top that says “Action” then on the options box that appears, click on “Create Basic Task…”. Now, you will see a new Window asking you to input a name. Just assign the name that you want such as “DesktopBoot” then hit “Next”. On the Window that follows, select “When I log on” and hit again the “Next” button. Another Window will then appear, from here, simply select “Start a program” then hit “Next” again. On the Window that follows, you will need to browse to your “Documents” library and select the “bootdesktop.scf” file and finally, click on “Next” then “Finish”.
Boot to the Desktop Screen Straight Away!
After the last step, you can now close the “Task Scheduler” Window and restart your Windows 8 computer. Once your machine boots up, it will take you directly to the Desktop Screen instead of getting to the Start Screen first. If you want to restore things as they were before you made the changes simply open the Task Scheduler again, find the task that you named “DesktopBoot” then right-click on it and choose “Disable”.