http://www.howtogeek.com/167013/how-to-optimize-windows-8.

1-for-a-desktop-pc/

Boot to Desktop

After going out of their way to prevent boot-to-desktop tricks and third-party
Start buttons from working during Windows 8's development, Microsoft has now
relented. Windows 8.1 includes an option that lets you boot to the desktop so you
don�t have to see that tiled interface anymore. You don�t have to install third-
party software or mess around with complex hacks involving the Task Scheduler just
to boot to the desktop.

To enable this option, right-click the taskbar, select Properties, click the
Navigation tab, and check the �Go to the desktop instead of Start when I sign in�
option.

Disable Annoying Hot Corners

You�ll see many other new options under the Navigation tab. For desktop users, some
of the most important are the �When I point to the upper-right corner, show the
charms� and �When I click the upper-left corner, switch between my recent apps�
options.

Unchecking these options will prevent the app switcher and charms from appearing
when you move your mouse near the top-left and top-right corners of the screen,
something that happens frequently when using full-screen apps and games on a
Windows 8 desktop. These just get in the way, as they aren�t at all useful for
desktop users.

You�ll still be able to open the app switcher and charms with hotkeys (Windows Key
+ Tab and Windows Key + C) and by moving your mouse cursor to the bottom-left and
bottom-right corners of the screen and moving it upwards along the edge. However,
you�re much less likely to trigger these hot corners accidentally.

Make the Start Screen Feel Less Foreign

The Start screen feels completely alien in Windows 8. Press the Windows key and
you�re whooshed from your desktop to a completely different environment with a
completely different background that�s separate from your desktop background. If
you want to set a custom background for your Start screen, well, you can�t � you
can only choose from among the handful of weird Start screen backgrounds that
Steven Sinofsky decided to give you.

Windows 8.1 deals with this by providing an option to �Show my desktop background
on Start.� It sounds like a small change, but using the same background on your
Start screen makes it feel much less out of place. When you go to the Start screen,
it will look as if the tiles (or list of installed apps) are hovering over your
desktop rather than existing in a different environment.

Turn the Start Screen Into a Desktop Apps List

Okay, you�ve gone through all these options but there�s still a problem � that
damned tiled interface appears whenever you click Windows 8.1's new Start button.
Fortunately, there�s now a way to hide it so you never have to see those live tiles
again. Live tiles don�t work with desktop apps anyway, so they�re only useful for
tablet users who actually use Modern apps.

First, check the �Show the Apps view automatically when I go to Start� option in
the Navigation pane. Click the Start button and you�ll now see a list of your
installed apps � no live tiles.

You�ll probably also want to check the �List desktop apps first in the Apps view
when it�s sorted by category� option, then open the Start screen, click the drop-
down box, and sort it by category. You can also opt to show your most frequently
used apps first, so it will work like the frequently used apps list in Windows 7's
Start menu. Windows will remember this setting.

Click the Start button and you�ll see your installed desktop apps first in the
list, with Modern apps hidden near the end. It�s now like a full-screen Start menu.
You can still click the little arrow at the bottom to go back to the live tiles,
but you never have to see them again if you don�t want to.

You will probably also want to leave the �Search everywhere instead of just my apps
when I search from the Apps view� check box enabled. This will allow you to also
search your settings and files when you start typing at the Apps screen.

Shut Down From the Start Button

Windows 8.1 extends the �power user menu� that appears when you right-click your
Start button or press Windows Key + X. You can now find Shut Down, Restart, and
other power options here. In other words, you can now shut down your computer right
from the Start button again � you just have to right-click it instead of left-click
it.

This menu also still provides quick access to other frequently used system
configuration options, like the Control Panel.

Use Unified Search

Windows 7's unified search was split into a clunky
different categories � apps, settings, and files �
reunites Windows search into a unified experience.
Windows will search your installed apps, settings,
through different categories.
interface containing three
in Windows 8. Windows 8.1 now
Search at your Start screen and
and files without any clicking

You can now perform searches without leaving the desktop, too. Want to quickly
launch an app or open a file with search? In Windows 8, this required you leave
your work behind to use the full-screen Start menu. In Windows 8.1, you can simply
press Windows Key + S to open the search sidebar and perform searches without
leaving your desktop.

Fixing Other Annoyances

Windows 8.1 doesn�t fix some of Windows 8's other annoyances, so there�s still a
tablet-style lock screen and opening media files from the desktop will whisk you
away to the Modern environment. To fix these annoyances, read our guide to
banishing the modern environment on Windows 8.

It�s clear that Windows 8.1 isn�t a complete reversal for Microsoft. Microsoft
hasn�t backed down on some of Windows 8's most controversial changes, like the
full-screen Start experience, Modern apps designed for tablets, and restricting
sideloading to only allow Microsoft-approved apps to run in the new environment.

However, Microsoft has backed down on their complete hostility to desktop users and
seems to actually realize that keyboard and mouse users are important, too. Windows
8.1 includes many options that should have been in Windows 8, and it�s a much less
jarring experience. If you can get used to the new Start menu interface, you�ll be
able to use all of Windows 8's great desktop improvements and security improvements
without having to install third-party Start menus.