A most striking change in Microsoft’s new operating system Windows 8 is its new Metro Start Screen with live widgets and app shortcuts. It is designed for easier use on a touch screen; however, it is still more responsive and easier to use with a keyboard and mouse. If you always prefer traditional desktop rather than the new Metro Start Screen, here is how to skip the Metro in Windows 8 Desktop.
If you’re one of those who want to automatically skip the Metro start screen and go straight to the desktop, just follow the simple trick given below.
Open Notepad on your Windows 8 computer (right-click the desktop and select New > Text Document) and enter the following command.
[Shell]
Command=2
IconFile=Explorer.exe,3[Taskbar]
Command=ToggleDesktop
Then, save the file and rename it to start.scf (you can select a different name, but the extension needs to be .scf).
Now go to Windows auto start folder (C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup) and move the start.scf file to that folder. Don’t forget to enable “Hidden Items” (see screenshot below) to see the auto start folder.
This is the simplest solution; however, you can also use the Windows task scheduler to load the file. Go here to learn how it is. Now next time you log on, you’ll be brought straight to your desktop instead of the Start Menu.
Note: Though this trick will let you go straight to the Windows 8 desktop, you will still see the Metro Start Screen for a moment depending on your system configuration. [Via]
