Metro UI Tweaker. You can disable the Ribbon interface and enable the Start Menu. Metro UI Tweaker requires the .NET Framework v 3.5.1 on your copy of the Windows 8 Developer Preview which you can enable if you go to Control Panel, More Settings, Programs, Programs and Features, Turn Windows features on or off. Then select .NET Framework 3.5.1 from list. Windows Update will then proceed to download some updates from Microsoft. After the updates download and install, you’re all set! In addition to enabling the Start Menu and disabling the Ribbon UI, Metro UI Tweaker can also disable the lock screen and Metro Task Manager UI. After you’ve performed all these tweaks, Windows 8 looks remarkably like…Windows 7. The only changes that actually add functionality to Windows 8 are the changes that allow you to add all the power options to the Metro Start Menu, i.e. Sleep, Shutdown, Lock, etc. You can also add any programs that you want to the Metro Start Menu, which is also useful if you have programs in the “Classic Desktop” mode that can’t normally be added to the Metro Start Screen. Personally, I only use the power option tweaks. I’ve wanted these ever since I started using the Windows 8 Developer Preview. It’s just so much more convenient then having to click on your username at the top of the screen, click on “Log off,” then wait for your computer to log off, and then shutting down. Other then that, all the other tweaks are pretty much useless. They make you system look like Windows 7, which you can have any day. Not to mention the fact that Windows 7 is a LOT more stable than Windows 8 Developer Preview. Why would you want to make Windows 8 look like Windows 7? The whole point of going through all the trouble of getting Windows 8 is so that you could test out the new Metro user interface. The only other tweak that I think some people would like is the Windows Explorer Ribbon tweak. Personally, I don’t mind the new Ribbon interface. I’ve actually been on Ribbon’s side ever since I first saw it in Microsoft Office 2007. It shows a bunch of hidden features that I wouldn’t normally know about. But that’s beside the point. I know a lot of people despise the Ribbon interface and hate it even more now that it’s come to Explorer. This is one way to easily disable it. Overall, Metro UI Tweaker is a good start to the great world of tweaking the Metro user interface. It will probably be more useful to people when the final version of Windows 8 comes out and they decide that they don’t like the Metro UI, but as just a word of caution, Metro UI Tweaker makes very deep changes to your system and before enabling the Start Menu or anything along those lines, make sure that you back up your hard drive.]]>
i have been using metro tweaker as well, it nice compared to others.
The ribbon UI started in office 2003, not 2007 😉
I believe it did start in 2007 http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/help/accessibility-and-the-ribbon-HA010351127.aspx
Great utility, I’ve been using the Developer Preview and it seems quite stable to me. One question though. Does anyone know how long it will remain active. I installed it on a spare laptop and would like a little warning when MS will “pull the plug”.
win 8 developer’s preview is valid till 8th of march 2012…