Tag Archives: Charms Bar

Turn Off App Switcher & Charms Bar Hot Corners In Windows 8

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Hot Corners is one of the major new features in Windows 8. They are basically the four corners of the screen that bring App Switcher, Charms Bar and Start Tile into focus when you move the mouse pointer over their pertaining areas. App Switcher appears when you move the cursor to the top-left; likewise Charms Bar resides on the right edge and appears when the pointer touches the top or bottom-right corners. However, both the top-left and right corners can be quite distracting and annoying under certain circumstances. We have covered a few tools to disable these corners, but if you’re looking for a way to prevent the Charms bar and Switcher from appearing via hot corners without entirely disabling them with a tool, a simple registry hack can do this job. Read More

Get Windows 8 Start Screen & Charms Bar In Windows 7

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Even before its release, Windows 8 has been under a lot of scrutiny, by both users and critics of the operating system. One of the major points of this discussion has always been the removal or Start Orb and its replacement by the control center for everything new, the Start Screen. Now, instead of clicking the start orb to access installed software, users have to use the Start Screen and search for the items stored in their computer. It would be safe to say that Windows has seen, effectively, a replacement of the Desktop with the Metro Start Screen, and now Desktop is also just another app. We have covered apps that allow you to avoid the Start Screen, bring the Start Orb back to Windows 8 and provide users with a comfortable and well known environment to work in. Today, we have a tool called WinMetro that does exactly the opposite and brings the Windows 8 Start Screen in Windows 7. It allows you to get a taste of the Start Screen, get to see and experience the live tiles, and play around a replica of the Charms bar. Read More

Customize Windows 8 Charms Bar With My WCP CharmBar Customizer

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When Redmond based tech giant first unveiled Windows 8 Consumer Preview, the reaction was somewhat mixed from users and critics alike. Some would even call the OS being doomed, as Microsoft has revamped the operating system we all loved since childhood. Metro UI is so far the biggest step forward MS has taken, which merge both desktop and tablet use. As the OS is hybrid, its optimized for both desktops and touch screen devices. Even though the company excluded some useful features in Windows 8 (Windows Start Orb, for instance), some new additions have also been made, making the OS appealing as a whole. Among the various new toolbars and options included in the Windows 8, Charms Bar is one of the major additions to the UI. It changes the way we interact with the system and access different options. You can read a detailed review of the Windows 8 Charms Bar. Microsoft has aimed to increase the usability of Windows, but has not included options to edit the UI much, other than the basic Start Screen color and wallpaper texture options. However, you don't need be worried much as My WCP CharmBar Customizer can do this for you. It is a portable tweaking tool for the Windows 8 Charms Bar that lets you customize the way it looks. Read on to find out more about how it works. Read More

Where Is The Start Menu In Windows 8?

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Ever since the Consumer Preview of Windows 8 became available, the complaint that most users daring enough to test the new OS have come up with is that there is no Start Orb (or menu, or button, whichever you prefer). This aspect of the new OS became even more erratic than before, since the Developer builds of Windows 8 did come with a Start Menu of sorts, but with the Consumer Preview (Microsoft’s terminology for a beta), it got stripped out completely. Instead, what you now get is a beautiful, alive and convenient – yes, very convenient – Start Screen that forms a major portion of Windows 8's new look and feel. Read More

Add Bluetooth Devices In Windows 8 Without Installing 3rd Party Software Or Drivers

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Among other things that might need exploring in Windows 8, there are the Bluetooth settings. Gone are the days when you needed to install 3rd party Bluetooth drivers or software to connect your Bluetooth device with your PC. Windows 8, by default, includes built-in Bluetooth software, but unlike Windows 7, it allows you to manage all devices easily from PC Settings. This is a simple step-by-step guide to adding and managing your Bluetooth devices and sending files from your system via a Bluetooth connection. We touched briefly on this topic in our comprehensive post on Windows 8 PC Settings, but here is the complete drill down for you. Read More

Windows 8 Charms Bar: System-Wide Access To Search, Sharing, Settings & Basic Actions

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A lot of things have been revamped in Windows 8. A very massive and very noticeable difference in Windows 8 is the removal of the Start Orb from desktop. Even though the Developers Preview had the Start Orb in the lower left corner of the screen, Microsoft has completely removed it from the Consumer Preview. A very prominent feature related to UI of the system included in the Windows 8 is the Charms Bar. We will discuss how to access the Charms bar and the functionalities that it offers. Read More