Computers

Annoying Windows 8 features that won't appear in Windows 10

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Microsoft has killed several annoying Windows 8 features in Windows 10, here's a look at a few of them
Full screen Windows 8 New app
Windows 8 Start screen
The Modern and desktop versions of IE in Windows 8
The Charms bar in Windows 8
Recent apps bar and the Charms bar in Windows 8
Action Center in Windows 10
Microsoft has killed several annoying Windows 8 features in Windows 10, here's a look at a few of them
Full screen Windows 8 New app
Windows 8 Start screen
The Modern and desktop versions of IE in Windows 8
The Charms bar in Windows 8
Recent apps bar and the Charms bar in Windows 8
Action Center in Windows 10
Microsoft has killed several annoying Windows 8 features in Windows 10, here's a look at a few of them
View gallery - 14 images

Windows 8 was a nightmare for many consumers from day one, and largely still is. Microsoft took a risk by releasing Windows 8 hoping to lead the touch-based device market into the future. However, it was met with resistance from most users, even after the release of three major updates for the OS. Here's a look at the annoyances of Windows 8 that are gone and won't be missed in Windows 10.

Start Screen

Windows 8 Start screen

When Windows 8 was first launched, the biggest complaint was the lack of a Start menu. Instead, it had a Start screen with a bunch of app tiles on it. The first Windows 8.1 update brought back a Start button, but no menu. The Start screen in Windows 10 is completely gone and is replaced by a new Start menu, which can be toggled full-screen and back. It does have elements of the Modern UI, but you can customize it how you like, and even get rid of Modern-style apps if you want.

Corner-based navigation

Recent apps bar and the Charms bar in Windows 8

Corner-based navigation makes sense on a touch device, but not a traditional computer. It's irritating to have touch features like the recent apps bar (shown above) pop up because your mouse pointer is in the corner of the screen. This feature is gone in Windows 10, while a new feature called Virtual Desktops is there if you need an easy way to access other apps. And long time Windows users will be glad to know that Alt + Tab still works.

Charms bar

The Charms bar in Windows 8

The Charms bar is gone, never to be seen again. While Microsoft did tout this as one of the prominent new features in Windows 8, it was hidden and designed for touch-based devices. It was rarely used by desktop users, and due to Corner-based navigation, it poped up at inconvenient times and gets in the way.

Action Center in Windows 10

It's been replaced by a notification pane that Microsoft calls Action Center. It provides you with notifications from apps, recent emails, and system notifications, while also allowing you to quickly pull up common actions like Wi-Fi, display settings, and Tablet mode. If you're on a touch device, swipe in from the right to bring it up. If not, click its icon located on the taskbar next to the clock.

Full screen modern apps

Full screen Windows 8 New app

By default in Windows 8, certain files are associated with Modern apps that launch full screen with no way to resize them. But now all Modern apps are resizable, and float on the desktop, which alleviates the headache of fighting between the two environments.

Two different versions of Internet Explorer

The Modern and desktop versions of IE in Windows 8

Having a Modern and desktop version of Internet Explorer is extremely confusing, and often times you don't know which version is going to pop up. The idea of two different versions of IE has been killed off. It's worth noting, though, that Microsoft is bringing in a new browser, code-named Spartan. We haven't seen much of it yet, and we're not sure exactly how it will integrate with the classic version of IE. But it should be better than the dual personality mess of IE in Windows 8.

In the end

With Windows 8, Microsoft gambled with the idea that the touch-only computing age was set to dominate, and it left many of its users upset and frustrated. We showed you some tips on how to keep the Modern UI out of your way, but people shouldn't have to go to such lengths to make their computer work the way they want. The good news is that if you're using Windows 7, making the transition to Windows 10 will be much easier.

Windows 8 is a clunky operating system that wasn't received well by the public, but we've been using the Windows 10 tech preview for a while now, and can assure you it's no Windows 8, and it's nice to see the most annoying aspects of it have been killed off.

View gallery - 14 images
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16 comments
Tom Lee Mullins
I am looking forward to Windows 10. I do not care for Windows 8 or 8.1. Since I have Win 8.1 on my computer, I read I can upgrade for free; which I plan on doing once it is available.
Wesley Bruce
Can you pop a calculator up on top of a browser and make it small enough to find the numbers you want to check in the calculation? That's the one most important earlier windows feature that's missing and it drives me crazy because I can't remember numbers well.
Peter Kelly
I'm fascinated by the many complaints concerning Windows 8/8.1.
Certainly there were some annoying quirks, introduced with Windows 7, but for the most part you could run it just the same as XP!
I know some of the admin side changed too, which necessitated learning the different ways of doing pretty much the same thing, but in my experience it has been as solid as a rock. Indeed, I don't think I've had a single BSOD since I first upgraded from 7.
To be fair to Microsoft, building on XP was always going to be difficult in light of changing technology and the adoption of Tablets. And while Tablets have boomed, the uptake is slowing substantially as people find the limitations of power and battery life.
Vista was a dog and 7 was its dinner (how slow can an OS be???), but I think 8 is actually pretty good, so I'm very optimistic about 10 if they have made it better!
Richard Unger
If it aint broke don't fix it. I had W8 for 30 Mins and dumped it for Windows 7. For now I'm staying on Windows 7.
morphick
Did they clean up the WinSXS-eating-your-free-space mess?
Michael Muchmore
These things are not annoying if you become accustomed to them. It's darned handy to ALWAYS have access to settings, sharing and so on from the charms. Same goes for always access to all apps with the Start screen. If you spend more than a half our with the OS, you see that it's a far more efficient interface than Windows 7 or before. Once you realize the Start screen is simply a full window version of the Start menu, it doesn't bother you at all, and you come to rely on it. Windows 10 seems to be a mishmash of old and new, while 8.x was carefully thought out to be consistent and touch-friendly.
martinkopplow
Only a few days experience with Windows 8 made trash it and become a Linux user. I found that many things MS apparently wanted to build into it already existed there. I will not return to Windows anytime soon, be it 9 or 10. At MS they focus on the media side too much and forget people need to actually work with the stuff they build.
Atul Malhotra
While I agree tablets are a pretty darn uselss product for the apalling battery backups, I have never faced any majot issues with using Win 8.1 on my Windows tab. For my non touc screen desktops, I stick to my trusty old friend, Win Xp, and I ain't changing it anytime soon !
Mark Keller
I just used the "Desktop" and avoided the apps screen altogether.
Ken Dawson
This is great news! These were the most annoying thing in Windows 8 (and the main reason I refused to upgrade). My systems are still running Windows 7. I've been waiting for an update like this to come along. Let's hope Microsoft can deliver the version of Windows that everyone wanted in the first place.