Bend Windows 8 to your will with these free tools

November 04, 2012

Suggesting that reviews of Windows 8 have been mixed is a bit of an understatement, but you don’t have to take my word for it; Microsoft's bold new operating system is available right now, and if you spend some time with it I wager there are elements of the operating system that you absolutely love (the speed!) and parts you might love to tie a rock to and fling into the nearest large body of water (the Start Screen!) If you're still on the fence about Windows 8, we have a few tips and tricks that might sweeten you on this already inexpensive upgrade. The PC permits unparalleled levels of customization, and third-party developers haven’t been sitting idly by, waiting with baited breath for Microsoft’s latest operating system to launch; they’ve been busy building new tools for tweaking your new operating system. Specifically, they’ve been working hard to create a number of different apps designed to reduce or eliminate Windows 8’s biggest annoyances, in addition to apps that allow you to customize Windows 8 more meaningfully than Microsoft permits by default. So if you miss the Start button from Windows 7, if you’re an Apple fan who needs a little more visual consistency to ease your transition to Windows territory (or just install it on a virtual machine), or if you’re tired of looking at the same ol’ lock and start screens on Window 8, we have a great list of free utilities that you can use to bend Windows 8 to your will. Let’s get started! Unleash a Lion with the OS X Skin Pack Here’s a fun but controversial tweak for your Windows 8 operating system — if you’re an Apple enthusiast attempting to make the full plunge to a more productive OS, or if you drool with jealousy at your friends various MacDevices, then the OS X Skin pack is your ticket to a fully functioning Windows 8/OS X hybrid operating system. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Link: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2011537/bend-windows-8-to-your-will-with-these-free-tools.html