Windows 8 Tips only thread

The one complaint that I had with Windows 8 is that with the introduction of the new boot loader that decreased the speed that the OS starts it can be very difficult to get into safe mode if Windows does not start normally. Needing to use the shift+F8 combo in such a small window of time borders on the absurd.

Good thing is that one can go back to the former method (just the F8 key) pretty easily: at an elevated command prompt (which will get you to the C:\Windows\System32> prompt) copy and paste this:

bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy legacy

and if you decide to go back to torturing yourself,

bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy standard

to reverse the change.

 

Permanently disable recently opened programs and items from appearing in Jump Lists​

Jump lists can be found via Right-click File Explorer (explorer.exe). This area is often used for custom Jump List entries (Pinned items) or Recently opened items (Accessed).

Recommendation: Disable recent program and item entries from appearing in Jump Lists​

Recent Enabled/Default OS Settings:



The more activity you do on your computer (Viewing files), the longer the Recent files list gets. This can get extremely cluttered after awhile, especially when combining with your custom Jump List entries (Pinned)

Custom (Pinned) with Recent Disabled/Modified Settings:

Want to disable it? Here's how...​

Step 1: Hit Windows Key and "R" on your keyboard (This will bring up your run function)

Step 2: In the Run window, type "control.exe" (This will bring up Control Panel)

Step 3: In Control Panel, click on "Taskbar" (This will bring up the Taskbar window). In the Taskbar Window, Click the "Jump Lists" Tab, deselect the following under the Privacy category...

• Store recently opened programs
  
• Store and display recently opened items in Jump Lists

Step 4: Click the "OK" button to apply the above changes


After applying these changes, Jump Lists will no longer display recently opened files or recently opened programs, Just the custom entries that are set (Pinned). For those who create custom Jump List entries (such as myself) will find this tweak quite useful

 

EDIT 06/04/2013 - Leave the Sensor Monitoring Service at it's default values, only disable if you don't use Location Services (Modern UI Apps).

 

I wouldn't recommend tweaking; you're not going to get much benefit, and you're almost certain to start encountering problems.

If you're the type that gets frustrated with problems like crashes, then you absolutely should not try to tweak the system.

I would also say that if you need instructions, then you probably shouldn't do it. The price of faster hardware, even if just faster RAM or an SSD, is well worth the hours of frustration that tweaking is likely to cause.

On the other hand, 'metro' apps are sandboxed (appcontainer). Take a look at something like ModernMix, and you have an extra layer of security for your PDFs (and whatever else) without much change to how you use the app.

 

10 Windows 8 tips, tricks and hacks
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9236188/10_Windows_8_tips_tricks_and_hacks?source=rcteaser