Solved Can't get rid of charms and clock on 8.1; tried everything

Penrose55

New Member
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12
Installed Windows 8.1 and have customized it heavily, including disabling all swipe options, but still can't get rid of the following problem.

I have an ASUS laptop with a Synaptics PS/2 Port Compatible Touchpad. The right side of the touchpad has an embedded scroll bar and I use it heavily (so I don't want to disable it entirely). In the Desktop, the Charms slide in from the right and the clock comes up from below whenever I accidentally tap the right scroll bar and move the cursor left. I do this all the time involuntarily. The level of annoying is hard to put into words.

So I embarked on a mission to disable this behavior, but have come up empty. I've used all of the recommended PC settings, gone to the Synaptics device in Control Panel and disabled EdgeMotion, altered numerous registry entries including the one suggested in eightforums (the charms bar hint, but it doesn't remove the Charms bar entirely). I also downloaded and ran winaero and that didn't work because it only affects some swipe behavior, but not all.

According to Microsoft, this terrible UI behavior on a laptop is normal and not configurable. However, on the positive side, the tech support person implied that there is a solution and that I can get that solution by paying for premium technical support. No way! This irritating thing should be configurable by the user and my guess is that one of you guru's out there has figured it out. At least that's what I'm hoping. Please help, really frustrated I can't fix this myself.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS/U56E
    CPU
    Intel Core i5
    Motherboard
    2450
    Memory
    6.00 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel 3000 HD
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and MalwareBytes

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
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    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
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    Internet Explorer 11
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    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Have you looked at Classic Shell? It not only gives you the start menu back, it can disable the charms bar.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP h8 envy 1534
    CPU
    AMD FX-6200 (3.8GHz)
    Motherboard
    M3970AM-HP (Angelica2) (Gigabyte)
    Memory
    10GB DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Eyefinity Radeon HD 7570
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Kaskersky Internet Security 2016
Hi Brink. I had tried both and neither worked.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS/U56E
    CPU
    Intel Core i5
    Motherboard
    2450
    Memory
    6.00 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel 3000 HD
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and MalwareBytes
Hi Odos270, I take a look at Classic Shell and report back. Thx.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS/U56E
    CPU
    Intel Core i5
    Motherboard
    2450
    Memory
    6.00 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel 3000 HD
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and MalwareBytes
Update: Classic Shell is wonderful! It doesn't, however, seem to give me a way of removing that swipe behavior for the trackpad. If there's a way to do it, I can't find it. I went to the forums and it looks like Classic Shell can't fix it, but I like it so much I'm going to keep it.

Maybe I'll try ASUS to see if they have a solution to rid myself of Charms.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS/U56E
    CPU
    Intel Core i5
    Motherboard
    2450
    Memory
    6.00 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel 3000 HD
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and MalwareBytes
K, with Classic Shell installed, right click the start button and then click "Settings". Then choose "Windows 8.1 Settings". If you want the Charms Bar gone, it should look like below. HTH.

Classic.jpg
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP h8 envy 1534
    CPU
    AMD FX-6200 (3.8GHz)
    Motherboard
    M3970AM-HP (Angelica2) (Gigabyte)
    Memory
    10GB DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Eyefinity Radeon HD 7570
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Kaskersky Internet Security 2016
I have an ASUS K75DE. My Touch Pad doesn't have a dedicated scroll bar section. I still got the Charms Bar coming up when I didn't want it though. I had to turn the edge swipes off in the ASUS Smart Gesture Utility to stop it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
Hi Odos270 -- that still didn't work. The problem is that edges are already off, but the trackpad behavior is alive. Love Classic tho' and will use it going forward.

Hi Alphanumeric -- I was thinking the solution might be with Asus and I've been reading about Smart Gesture. I'll give it a try and report back to see if it works. Many thanks y'all!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS/U56E
    CPU
    Intel Core i5
    Motherboard
    2450
    Memory
    6.00 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel 3000 HD
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and MalwareBytes
I had no choice but to install and use it. Without it I have no scroll function on my touchpad. It uses two finger scroll and does not have a dedicated scroll bar on it. On the plus side I do like most of the features/gestures it adds like pinch zoom etc.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
Hi Alphanumeric -- Looks like there is no Smart Gesture for my model, U56E. My trackpad works fine and I have scrolling, shrinking and expanding, as is. Maybe that's why Smart Gesture isn't used on this model.

I truly wonder why Microsoft's special incantation for killing Charms on the Desktop is such a secret. Next stop I'm going to try the Synaptics website to see if they have any suggestions.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS/U56E
    CPU
    Intel Core i5
    Motherboard
    2450
    Memory
    6.00 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel 3000 HD
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and MalwareBytes
Hi Alphanumeric -- Looks like there is no Smart Gesture for my model, U56E. My trackpad works fine and I have scrolling, shrinking and expanding, as is. Maybe that's why Smart Gesture isn't used on this model.

I truly wonder why Microsoft's special incantation for killing Charms on the Desktop is such a secret. Next stop I'm going to try the Synaptics website to see if they have any suggestions.

It sounds like you could be right and its not needed for your laptop. I don't have any other suggestions at this time.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
Update: Classic Shell is wonderful! It doesn't, however, seem to give me a way of removing that swipe behavior for the trackpad. If there's a way to do it, I can't find it. I went to the forums and it looks like Classic Shell can't fix it, but I like it so much I'm going to keep it.

Maybe I'll try ASUS to see if they have a solution to rid myself of Charms.

Here's how you can disable the trackpad swipes which activate the charms: How to disable Metro edge swipes and touch charm gestures for trackpads (touchpads) in Windows 8.1 and Windows 8 | Winaero
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows
    Other Info
    I do the testing and give feedback on User Experience and ideas for Classic Shell.
Classic Shell and Desktop swipes still bring up Charms.

Hi XPClient,

Thank you for the feedback and I'm mightily impressed that someone from Classic Shell's QA group wrote me back. Nice! I'm delighted with CS.

The solution listed, however, doesn't work on my machine. I see a slightly different UI for the Synaptics Edge control which I have unchecked, but I still get those *&^#! Charms coming in from the right on the Desktop view.

Let me show you what see.
There are two places in which I have turned off Edge behavior:
EdgeControl.JPG and Scrolling.JPG

Yet I still get the charms whenever my finger accidentally taps and moves left along the embedded scroll bar on the track pad. I wish you could see this because I just did it again! Good grief!

Kudos to your team for saving Microsoft from themselves. ;)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS/U56E
    CPU
    Intel Core i5
    Motherboard
    2450
    Memory
    6.00 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel 3000 HD
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and MalwareBytes
Yup same here.. my previous install however killed it... can't think what I did dfferent though:think:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    PC-DOS v1.0
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    IBM
    CPU
    Intel 8088, 4.77MHz
    Memory
    16K, 640K max
    Graphics Card(s)
    What's that?
    Sound Card
    Not quite
    Screen Resolution
    80 X 24 text
    Hard Drives
    dual 160KB 5.25-inch disk drives
That's a sign of hope Superfly. If an install killed it, then there's a way to get rid of the thing. I'm not ready to concede defeat yet.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS/U56E
    CPU
    Intel Core i5
    Motherboard
    2450
    Memory
    6.00 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel 3000 HD
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and MalwareBytes
Have you also disabled them via Classic Shell's Start Menu settings -> Windows 8.1 Settings tab -> Disable active corners to All?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows
    Other Info
    I do the testing and give feedback on User Experience and ideas for Classic Shell.
Yep, did that right after checking out the installation. Vexing, isn't it? I still have to visit Synaptics website info. Haven't had a chance to do that yet. Keep your thoughts coming ... one of them might just work!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS/U56E
    CPU
    Intel Core i5
    Motherboard
    2450
    Memory
    6.00 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel 3000 HD
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and MalwareBytes
Yes it's perplexing. There has to be a way to disable them. Btw what is your version of Synaptics drivers? You could try installing a different one?

You said above you tried registry tweaks so I guess you already tried this (have you tried adding to both keys, TouchPadPS2 and TouchPadPS2_1?):

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Synaptics\SynTPEnh\ZoneConfig\TouchPadPS2\Right Edge Pull]
“ActionType”=dword:00000000
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Synaptics\SynTPEnh\ZoneConfig\TouchPadPS2\Left Edge Pull]
“ActionType”=dword:00000000
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Synaptics\SynTPEnh\ZoneConfig\TouchPadPS2\Right Edge Pull Extended Zone]
“ActionType”=dword:00000000
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Synaptics\SynTPEnh\ZoneConfig\TouchPadPS2\Top Edge Pull]
“ActionType”=dword:00000000


[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Synaptics\SynTPEnh\ZoneConfig\TouchPadPS2_1\Right Edge Pull]
"ActionType"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Synaptics\SynTPEnh\ZoneConfig\TouchPadPS2_1\Left Edge Pull]
"ActionType"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Synaptics\SynTPEnh\ZoneConfig\TouchPadPS2_1\Right Edge Pull Extended Zone]
"ActionType"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Synaptics\SynTPEnh\ZoneConfig\TouchPadPS2_1\Top Edge Pull]
"ActionType"=dword:00000000


Reboot might be required after this.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows
    Other Info
    I do the testing and give feedback on User Experience and ideas for Classic Shell.
Yup, I made those registry changes, rebooted, and it was still the same. My Synaptics driver is Version 17.0.8.2 and changing it is the only option I've got left. Probably will try this today, although the last time I changed a driver, I was in a different Hell for about a week and a half. Oh well... here goes.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS/U56E
    CPU
    Intel Core i5
    Motherboard
    2450
    Memory
    6.00 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel 3000 HD
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and MalwareBytes
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