Trying to Get Started With Windows 8.1

Question

I'm not a troll, I'm just a crotchety, oldster trying to figure out how to get Windows 8.1 to fit my workflow.  I've been using Windows 7 for the last bunch of years, so I'm a bit late to the Windows 8 party, but I'm building a new PC and figured I'd
move to 8.1 instead of continuing with 7...
I liked the XP interface - extremely easy to find the application I wanted because things were hierarchical. Windows 7 was more bothersome, but I got used to it.  So far, after 3 days, I'm still struggling with Windows 8.1, so I figure I'll get some
guidance here...
I did a rummage, but didn't find much on how I should change my workflow to make it easier in 8.1.  In Windows 7 I had a desktop with icons for less frequently used applications, a taskbar with frequently used applications pinned, and a start menu (3rd
party) with EVERYTHING organized hierarchically so it was easy to find what I need. I'm trying to use 8.1 without adding a bunch of 3rd party stuff to make it look more like older interfaces that were organized differently.
In Windows 8, I appear to have the equivalent of THREE desktops, all different, none with any hierarchical organization.  
I'm not seeing the advantage of the Start screen...  Are the boxes, of whatever size, just the equivalent of icons or do they do something better?  And I only appear to be able to organize horizontally, which means I'm limited to six named groups.
On the Apps screen, I already have a large number of my apps, despite deleting a bunch of the "modern" things.  They exceed the width of the 24" monitor I'm using for setup.  There doesn't seem to be any hierarchy there, either. 
So, for example, for Office I have at least 12 icons/apps/whatevers.  Including the ones I CARE about, like Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Outlook that I use regularly.  AND a bunch of OTHER stuff I VERY rarely use like Clip Organizer, and Groove,
and Uploader, and so on.  But, I can't take them off the screen if I ever want to get at them, right?  'Cause there's no start menu any more...
I also have a lot of stuff for handling e-books - Calibre, a Kindle Reader, OverDrive, Adobe Digital Additionsl, a Nook Reader, a couple 3M cloud things, and so on.  On the Apps page they're all OVER the place instead of being grouped together (which at
least the Office stuff is).  And there doesn't appear to be a way to have them be together and hierarchical so I can quickly find Calibre or ADE quickly, and only have to see the Kindle reader or Nook reader when I want them...  So how do folks organize
their screens so they don't have to wade through hundreds of things you only need once a year to get to the ones you use a couple times a month or once a week?
I also have a bunch of stuff that's just a single application, like Syncback, but instead of just being "Syncback", there' ANOTHER line that tells me who the creator is - I don't care that 2BrightSparks made it, I just want to be able to find it when
I need it - once in a while.
The desktop is as it's always been, but I don't want 2 or 300  icons on there for a bunch of stuff I rarely use.  The constantly used stuff will be pinned to the taskbar, and the less frequently can be icons, but where do I do to organize all the
other stuff?
So, in my ignorance - is there a way to have 8.1 support MY workflow, or if not, how do other people organize things to make it as easy as possible to find what you need without having to wade through a ton of stuff you don't?  And have it all fit on the
screen. 
I found the Name Group thing for the Start screen, but I can only group applications aross the screen?  Which limits me to 6 groups.  How do I configure that screen so I can have multiple groups in a column?
And the Apps screen.  How do I organize things hierarchically so I can have the Office stuff I care about visible, with the rest not clogging up space but available for drilling down?
I currently have the system boot to the desktop, which is most like Windows 7, but without a start menu to group things, I'd need a lot of icons for the applications I use, and a lot MORE for the stuff I rarely use.  Cumbersome.
How are other people organizing in 8.1?

Answer 1

I have a Dell U3014 as well as a couple of older Dells turned up sideways as "ears".
Other than supplying the desktop "theme" (if you can call a complete lack of style along with a fair bit of inconsistency a "theme"), the OS really shouldn't be causing you to have a washed-out desktop experience.  That's more a
matter of your display driver not really doing its job.  What video card do you have?
FYI, one of the reasons I like Aero Glass for Win 8.1 (a 3rd party package) is that it allows me to make the desktop more pleasant to use and helps set the client areas (i.e., where work gets done) apart from the window chrome.
From what I can see, the color-management logic in Windows 8.1 is essentially unchanged from what it was in Windows 7.  That there has been NO progress in this area is really a disappointment.  It's an area where Microsoft has again just stopped
trying to make improvements.
If it's at all interesting to you, here's a screen grab of a REALLY cluttered up desktop.  I don't normally work this way; this was an exercise to see how much I could get running.  I finally gave up starting more stuff as I grew tired
and it just kept working fine...
http://Noel.ProDigitalSoftware.com/ForumPosts/Win81/BusyDesktop.png
-Noel
Detailed how-to in my eBooks:  
Configure The Windows 7 "To Work" Options
Configure The Windows 8 "To Work" Options