So i have become accustomed to/began using the apps screen as my start screen persay. With the right combination of options it functions the same as having a start button would.
The problem im having is that windows 8 makes it extremely difficult to rename/organize/customize this for the most part.
In particular I am trying to hide/get rid of pcsettings icon without losing the functionality of the pc settings option on the charms bar. I cant understand why deleting the shortcut for example causes the functionality there to disappear but i digress.
Another big issue is the inability to hide some of the un-uninstallable icons. Camera app for example. Right click and try to set as hidden, which is a concession/bandaid that is ok as opposed to being able to remove it outright. BS but i can live w/ it. (already found the registry entry to disable onedrive. Didnt want to lose it completely but since they cram it down your throat w/ auto run and no ability to hide taskbar icons etc) Im getting off topic The hidden option is grayed out completely on Desktop, Camera, PC Settings, and a few others. As i mentioned earlier they can be deleted which will remove them from the apps menu, but I lose functionality in places id rather not.
Finally, last but certainly not least. I'm trying to put all my games under a folder called (you guessed it) games!! If i sort by category they all end up in seperate folders under the name(s) of the developer. ie: /Blizzard/World of Warcraft and /Square Enix/FFXIV. I didnt have much trouble until I ran into a single game, in this case.. wow.
For some reason, unbeknownst to me - these shortcuts function as more than shortcuts. Deleting some totally break apps, others do not. Windows 8 has seemingly seperated some installed program's shortcuts to C:\Users\Kevin\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs and some of them to C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs. I have no idea why it differentiates nor how to reconcile what needs to belong where. It has been mostly a trial and error. Sometimes I will create a folder in one /programs subdir and get nothing. I move it to the other one of the two and POOF my folder shows up.
In this case, as i mentioned I created games. It ended up not showing in the apps menu unless it was in the first of the two i listed. Coincidentally all my games BUT wow were installed under the 2nd filetree. I moved those over and had no luck. However I created shortcuts and moved THOSE over while keeping the original shortcuts and bam! I now had NCsoft/Wildstar and SquareEnix/FFXIV gone and simply Games/Wildstar and Games/Square Enix (even though I moved them both over INSIDE the former folder). I know this is getting complicated so I apologize.
Anyhow, long story short... as i said Blizzard/WoW is by default on the same side as the newly created "Games" folder. I tried simply shifting it into there with the rest of the new shortcuts. Nothing, still shows as seperate on the apps menu. I tried making a shortcut and having essentially 2 blizzard/wow's in the same filetree (one under programs, one under games) and that seems to work but only part time lol. Sometimes it seems to group them all under games, other times it seems to revert to showing the first 2 under games and wow under blizzard and on its own.
Long story short - if anyone can help me understand wth M$ is doing and how to arrange/remove/customize the folders in the start menu manually - id be elated!!
Thats all
The problem im having is that windows 8 makes it extremely difficult to rename/organize/customize this for the most part.
In particular I am trying to hide/get rid of pcsettings icon without losing the functionality of the pc settings option on the charms bar. I cant understand why deleting the shortcut for example causes the functionality there to disappear but i digress.
Another big issue is the inability to hide some of the un-uninstallable icons. Camera app for example. Right click and try to set as hidden, which is a concession/bandaid that is ok as opposed to being able to remove it outright. BS but i can live w/ it. (already found the registry entry to disable onedrive. Didnt want to lose it completely but since they cram it down your throat w/ auto run and no ability to hide taskbar icons etc) Im getting off topic The hidden option is grayed out completely on Desktop, Camera, PC Settings, and a few others. As i mentioned earlier they can be deleted which will remove them from the apps menu, but I lose functionality in places id rather not.
Finally, last but certainly not least. I'm trying to put all my games under a folder called (you guessed it) games!! If i sort by category they all end up in seperate folders under the name(s) of the developer. ie: /Blizzard/World of Warcraft and /Square Enix/FFXIV. I didnt have much trouble until I ran into a single game, in this case.. wow.
For some reason, unbeknownst to me - these shortcuts function as more than shortcuts. Deleting some totally break apps, others do not. Windows 8 has seemingly seperated some installed program's shortcuts to C:\Users\Kevin\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs and some of them to C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs. I have no idea why it differentiates nor how to reconcile what needs to belong where. It has been mostly a trial and error. Sometimes I will create a folder in one /programs subdir and get nothing. I move it to the other one of the two and POOF my folder shows up.
In this case, as i mentioned I created games. It ended up not showing in the apps menu unless it was in the first of the two i listed. Coincidentally all my games BUT wow were installed under the 2nd filetree. I moved those over and had no luck. However I created shortcuts and moved THOSE over while keeping the original shortcuts and bam! I now had NCsoft/Wildstar and SquareEnix/FFXIV gone and simply Games/Wildstar and Games/Square Enix (even though I moved them both over INSIDE the former folder). I know this is getting complicated so I apologize.
Anyhow, long story short... as i said Blizzard/WoW is by default on the same side as the newly created "Games" folder. I tried simply shifting it into there with the rest of the new shortcuts. Nothing, still shows as seperate on the apps menu. I tried making a shortcut and having essentially 2 blizzard/wow's in the same filetree (one under programs, one under games) and that seems to work but only part time lol. Sometimes it seems to group them all under games, other times it seems to revert to showing the first 2 under games and wow under blizzard and on its own.
Long story short - if anyone can help me understand wth M$ is doing and how to arrange/remove/customize the folders in the start menu manually - id be elated!!
Thats all
My Computer
System One
-
- OS
- Windows 8.1 Enterprise x64
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- CPU
- Intel i7 4790K
- Motherboard
- Gigabyte Z87X - OC Force
- Memory
- Corsair Dominator Platinum 2133 (32GB)
- Graphics Card(s)
- EVGA GTX TITAN SC x4
- Monitor(s) Displays
- Dell U2713H x3
- Screen Resolution
- 4680x2560
- Hard Drives
- Samsung 840 EVO x2 (512GB)
Seagate Barracuda x2 (4TB)
- PSU
- EVGA NEX1500 Supernova x2
- Case
- Corsair Obsidian 900D
- Cooling
- EK Supremacy & XSPC RX360
- Keyboard
- Razer Deathstalker Ultimate
- Mouse
- Razer Naga Epic
- Internet Speed
- AT&T Uverse 45Mbp/s
- Browser
- Chromium x64