The Metro hater's guide to the Windows 8.1 Preview

Summary: Are you a desktop diehard? If you've got no use for the Start screen and Metro-style apps, I have some good news for you. Windows 8.1 has a handful of interface tweaks you can make that will put the Windows desktop back in charge. Here's what you need to do to make the preview work like Windows 7 (almost).

The Metro hater's guide to the Windows 8.1 Preview | ZDNet

 

[Hopachi]

If you need to get into safe mode can you now simply tap F 8 at boot up, like you can in Windows 7,Vista, XP?

No.
You get there through "advanced startup" options.
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/4924-advanced-startup-settings-boot-windows-8-a.html

 

[Tews]

I found a neat program that will allow you to boot into the advanced boot options each time you start your computer. Boot UI Tuner is a small program that you only need to run once to see the advanced boot options screen!

With help of Boot UI Tuner you will be able:
to enable advanced options of boot menu - such options as safe mode, debugging and so on will be available before every boot of your Windows 8;
to enable editing of boot options - this allows you to specify an addition options for kernel. They are similar to good old boot.ini features;
to disable blue Windows Logo during boot;
to disable spinning circle during boot;
to disable text messages during boot - messages like “Please wait”, “Updating registry – 10%” and so on;
to disable whole modern boot UI and turn it into legacy mode;
to enable or disable verbose sign in messages.

WinAero: Boot UI Tuner

 

[James Carlson]

That looks good..

but I wonder if it will actually fix all the problems. To do that I guess they would need to get rid of Metro. I have that thing.

 

[BRKING]

You guys know I was just kidding right?

Sadly, no. No they didn't.