Boot directly to the Windows 8 desktop – Skip Metro Suite

I said the following:

It is clear to me that forcing users who just aren’t ready for Metro to see it every day is going to be an overwhelming turn off. People spend a lot of money for a PC, they should be able to configure it the way they want. It would be a sign of self confidence if Microsoft acquiesced and let users have this option. The truth is, if they don’t, a new hacker app (start in desktop) will be created and will instantly be the number one selling app for Windows 8. It’s a no brainer to let users choose.

Now it seems there’s a mini industry being created based on avoiding the Windows 8 Metro Start Screen. I just finished writing about the solution that was found on the Neowin forums. Now, there’s something new. This one’s called Skip Metro Suite and it’s from the folks at WinAero.com. Skip Metro Suite’s primary function is to get you straight to the desktop after you log on to Windows 8. Once installed, you reboot, log on to Windows and the Start screen briefly appears before giving way to the classic desktop. Skip Metro Suite also offers some bonus functionality too. It allows you to get rid of the Windows 8 hotspots and charm bar in Windows 8. The good news is, you can still access both the task switcher and charms bar with the appropriate keyboard shortcuts, namely [Win] + [Tab] and [Win] + [C] respectively. I’m sure there will be even more of these solutions coming down the pipeline soon. Skip Metro Suite 1.0.0 is a freeware download for PCs running the Windows 8 Release Preview or Windows 8 RTM.]]>