Kathie from San Leandro writes:
Is there a way to get the classic screen in windows 8 instead of the tiles and charms?
Sure is, Kathie and it’s pretty easy. Simply tap the Desktop tile on the Metro/Modern Screen and you’ll head straight to the familiar Windows Desktop.
Or press the Windows logo key 
+ D.
If you don’t see the desktop tile on your start screen, search desktop in the search box.
You’ll see the Desktop icon appear to the left. Select it.
Down at the bottom of the screen, select the option to pin that program to the Start Screen.
The Desktop tile will now appear on your Start Screen.
~ Cynthia
This helped me a lot. As an older XP user, it is difficult for me to navigate this new W-8 system.
I don’t know if windows 8.1 is still available for free, but get windows 8.1, then right click on the desktop taskbar. Select Properties. Then on the Navigation tab, put a check mark on “Go to the desktop instead of Start when I sign in”. No more annoying Start Screen!
Steve I believe what She and many others are looking for is, Classic Shell, it is a program that stops the Windows 8 Metro screen from the get go and takes to the familar start screen and desktop they had in Windows XP, Vista and 7 without chanceing the funtionality of Windows 8 and can be customized by the user and is easy to setup. I’ve been use Classic Shell for more than a year now and enjoy the ease because I also still have computers with Windows XP. So I don’t get confused jumping back and forth.
This might be a little off the subject but i was wondering is it possible to put a different windows program on a computer that came with windows 8. My Girlfriend is having a fit trying to learn windows 8 whic i happen to like quite a bit, but she would rather have windws 7 instead of win8. So can i just get rid of win8 completely and put wim7 on her laptop.
Thank for any advise you might be able to give me on the subject and as always great job and great advise……