[Howto] Disable auto-pinning of applications to Metro Start screen

[nitins60]

Hi,

When I install any application, many of it's modules are automatically getting pinned to Start Screen.

If I install Wifi driver, 4-5 shortcuts are getting pinned to Metro startup screen

for Tuneup Utilities, around 30-40.

How to disable this by default.

[neufuse Veteran]

welcome to the first complaint I had about the metro screen... at least in the start menu you had a hiearchy of stuff that you could pin only what you wanted to see on the main start page... this right now seems to take anything that would of been a start menu group or item and make it a tile... which is annoying

I have a few toolkits that littearly install groups of a hundred or so tools into the start menu, organized in groups... in the metro start screen when I installed it felt like I just lost all ability to do anything with the screen because it was so full

[nitins60]

I believe two things immediately needs to be taken care of

1. This metro behavior

2. Start Button

Not but least, I want colorful Windows 8 Logo ;)

[HawkMan]

Well in the future when your drivers are Windows 8 certified, they won't pin any shortcuts to the start screen, they'll all end up in the settings or all programs menu, and those drivers that may need a icon there, will only place the one you need not the other ones.

[neufuse Veteran]

Well in the future when your drivers are Windows 8 certified, they won't pin any shortcuts to the start screen, they'll all end up in the settings or all programs menu, and those drivers that may need a icon there, will only place the one you need not the other ones.

oh comon, you know companies will want to put all their stuff in the front light it's just how some companies are

[soumyasch]

Well in the future when your drivers are Windows 8 certified, they won't pin any shortcuts to the start screen, they'll all end up in the settings or all programs menu, and those drivers that may need a icon there, will only place the one you need not the other ones.

Then I'll ask for the start screen in the future. Right now, give me my start menu back, MS!!

[HawkMan]

Then you'll have to stick to Windows 7, the start menu is deprecated in Windows 8

[Danielle1989]

Then you'll have to stick to Windows 7, the start menu is deprecated in Windows 8

This

[Fraud OS 11]

Just wait a few more days and Classic Shell will be up and running on Windows 8, complete with the Start button and search even if MS doesn't restore the Start Menu:

[lalalawawawa]

^ wow, that is so awesome. It totally goes with the philosophy of Windows 8 "alive and connected".

NOT!

[FalseAgent]

Just wait a few more days and Classic Shell will be up and running on Windows 8, complete with the Start button and search even if MS doesn't restore the Start Menu:

This looks better to use with a mouse...but hell no, there's no way i'm going to use that horrible looking thing.

[Fraud OS 11]

This looks better to use with a mouse...but hell no, there's no way i'm going to use that horrible looking thing.

^ wow, that is so awesome. It totally goes with the philosophy of Windows 8 "alive and connected".

NOT!

Then you two must also be really hating the Windows 7 Start menu as on it, the Start menu is the only launcher available. Or you might be using alternative third party launchers :x or keep all the programs installed your computer pinned to the Taskbar. :p Or you using cmd.exe /Explorer.exe to launch all of your programs. :p :p

[BeerFan]

Just wait a few more days and Classic Shell will be up and running on Windows 8, complete with the Start button and search even if MS doesn't restore the Start Menu:

Looks like dog vomit to me (but to each their own!), but i would think a lot of users would gain functionality with this.

[techguy77]

If there is not auto pinning how else you would access it? It is logical Microsoft did this however i suggest every time you install application and gets pinned you pin it to taskbar or create shortcut to desktop and remove from Metro. I would suggest removing uninstallling everything from Metro except for Desktop Pin. I guess you will have to live with Metro being loaded after you login but that's about it, you should be able to stay on Desktop if you create all shortcuts you need. As far as search goes well it will take you to metro but you could browse to it rather. Search in Windows 8 is useless anyway. Don't use live account to login to Windows 8 but create local account. Last thing is that i would trust Microsoft to login using live account to my PC. No thanks.

[HawkMan]

Well you ony pin the stuff you need fast access to, same as pinning to the start menu, except the start screen can pin a whole lot more. And for the rest, there the all apps buttons at the bottom of the start screen.

And how is search in win8 useless? It works excellently and instantly, and it separates settings from apps unlike win 7.

As for the live account, it is a local account it just means you use the same password as live and you automatically get signed in to live services, and it synchronizes backgrounds, themes and settings across computers. What's not to trus?

[giantpotato]

Well you ony pin the stuff you need fast access to, same as pinning to the start menu, except the start screen can pin a whole lot more. And for the rest, there the all apps buttons at the bottom of the start screen.

This. I used to think the Start Screen was the equivalent of 'All Programs', but without folders. It's not, and it's not supposed to be used that way. It's the equivalent of the first menu that pops up in the Win7 Start menu, where you can pin applications you access frequently. The list of 'all programs' is still available and categorized the same way as the folders are in Windows 7. You can remove/unpin stuff you don't need (like readme's and uninstallers) from the start screen, and they will still be available in the 'All Programs' list.