Windows 8.1 PRO Deployment Start menu customisation

Hi,
I am trying to customise my Windows 8.1 Pro deployment start menu, I just want to remove a pile of the default apps and items for users when they login, then they can customise it for themselves.
I know this can be done with enterprise but has anyone worked out a way to do it with PRO ??

Using the copyprofile function in the unattend file has worked perfectly for me. Win 8.1 has fixed issues I had with start screen customisations in the past. Add the copyprofile profile via WISM.
- Login with your local user and customise start screen (uninstall default apps, re-arrange tiles.)
- Sysprep your image. If your not using WDS to control your unattend files, call yours with a command similar to:
sysprep /generalize /oobe /shutdown /unattend:C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep\imageunattend.xml
All subsequent users will see your changes and they will be able to make their own, unlike the group policy option available to Enterprise versions.

Similar Messages

How do I remove ALL Metro/Modern/Universal/Windows Apps without removing the Start Menu?

So with three separate builds of WTP I've run the PowerShell command to remove Metro/Modern/Universal/Windows Apps. With each build, it also removes the Start Menu. In the thread below, an MS Support person mentioned that that command was only for Windows
8.x and shouldn't be run on WTP. What? Then why is that command still available? And, why will it remove some Metro/Modern/Universal/Windows Apps, but not others? Are they marked as System required? Why isn't the Start Menu marked as System required? You'd
think that the start menu would be pretty important.
https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/053f63bc-c174-44f1-8f6c-8ead1ad965fb/spartan-and-start-menu-on-10049?forum=WinPreview2014General
So, with the start menu being an XAML app, how do I safely remove ALL Metro/Modern/Universal/Windows Apps without removing the Start Menu? I have no use for them and don't want them on my computer. Period. There has to be some command like the one we used
in Windows 8.x that will allow use to remove ALL Metro/Modern/Universal/Windows Apps without removing the Start Menu.
Don't give an answer like "just right-click and uninstall". That doesn't work for all of these things, and do you know how long it takes to do that for all of those silly things? Too long! That's also not practical for an Enterprise desktop. It's
also not practical to leave all of that junk on the desktop, so don't suggest that either.
Dan

The problem with PowerShell and all of those scripts is that those particular scripts require a lot of typing, or copy and paste, or having to figure out where all of those apps are stored and then insert their convoluted names into the script. For
me, scripting is like programming. I have no desire to be a programmer/developer.
I just want an option in Programs and Features to be able to turn these "features" off. We were able to do it in previous versions of Windows. If we didn't want Internet Games, we uncheck the box. If we don't want our users to be able to print
documents over the Internet, we uncheck the box. And so on down the line for any other "feature" we didn't want our enterprise users to have.
Or, we could turn those features off using the System Image Manager. Now we have to write some convoluted script with even more convoluted commands for even more convoluted names for things we don't want.
The easier script in Windows 8.x was just get-appxpackages -online | remove-appxpackages. That removed the majority of the apps for an individual user. The remove-appxprovisionedpackage command, with the convoluted name of the app, would remove them from
the hard drive - one app at a time, but that doesn't work in Windows 10.
So, they came up with a DISM command, but that doesn't work in Windows 10 either. I should say that with my limited developer skills I haven't found a way to make it work.
Again, I have no desire to be a developer/scripter. They are the same thing in my book. I'm a systems engineer. I do operating systems, not write applications.
Dan
So, I guess there is no real answer to this question.

Can't pin Acrobat X Pro to Start menu

My version of Acrobat is 10.1.0, installed in early July. I find that Pin to Start menu is not listed as an option on either the Acrobat X Pro entry or the Acrobat Distiller X entry in the Programs menu.
With my prior version I had Acrobat pinned to the Start menu. It is an available option for other programs including Adobe Photoshop Elements.
The Properties of the Acrobat X Pro entry say Target type = Application, Target location is blank, Target is Acrobat X Pro grayed out, Start in is blank, Shortcut key = None, Run = Normal window, Comment = blank, Find Target and Change Icon are grayed out, the Advanced Properties box says "Choose the advanced properties you want for this shortcut" and both options are grayed out but "Run in separate memory space" is checked.
Added:
I notice that for Elements in the Programs menu, Norton Security is listed in the right-click options, but not for the Acrobat entries.

Dave, since you have been kind enough to try to help, can you tell me how to take advantage of the information that I see above my posting in the Adobe forum? I'm not seing it now as I compose this, but to the right of the dark magenta text that says the question status is still not Answered, there were two icons with notes. One said that there is already 1 correct answer (somewhere in the database I assume) and the other said that there are 2 helpful answers. Neither one of the icons or captions was a live link, so I didn't know what to do with them.
Thanks in advance.

Windows 10 Quick Launch and Start Menu

I upgraded to windows 10 today, and although a bit sluggish, all seems well. However the start menu will not open, and only certain programs will run if I right click it. Also, the quick launch icons just completely refuse to work! Seriously beginning to do my head in now!

Hi ,
Thank you for visiting the HP Forums! A great place where you can find solutions for your issues with help from the community!
I came across your post about the Notebook, and wanted to assist you! If you right click on the programs does it give you the option to Troubleshoot compatibility. Is the program ready for Windows 10. I would be happy to assist if needed. How Do I Find My Model Number or Product Number?
Please let me know.
Thanks.

MDT 2012 'Failed to save Environment to (80070057) Error during Windows 7 x64 Pro Deployment

Hi There,
I've been using MDT for a little while now, but I'm having problems successfully deploying an image to a batch of new laptops. The laptop HDD's are completely blank, and I am PXE booting using an x64 Litetouch Image via WDS. I have successfully captured
my image from a reference laptop (the same model that I'm trying to image), and I am now trying to deploy it using a standard client task sequence.
The 'Install operating System' phase seems to go ok, but then sits for quite some time at the 'Applying Unattend.xml' stage, then eventually, I get a general error 'Task Sequence Failed - 80004005'. I then exit MDT (it doesn't reboot as it should), and let
the laptop boot, which it does, and logs straight on into Windows, but gives me error along the lines of 'can't find the litetouch script', which I assume means MDT hasn't been able to copy it across. The laptop is however joined to our domain, and I pretty
much just have to tick the 'require a password to log on to this computer' box in user accounts, and all looks ok.
So in summary, the image is applying, but the laptop is not rebooting and running the final cleanup scripts.
I have already changed the SATA mode to IDE, instead of AHCI, having read this sometimes causes problems. I also read that systems with UEFI BIOS can also cause problems with MDT, but I'm not sure if this is the case.
I have edited my customsettings.ini, to copy log files back to my server, which it has done for me. Having looked at the logs (with CM Trace), I can see these errors:
Failed to save environment to (80070057)
TSManager 26/03/2014 15:48:09
1820 (0x071C)
Failed to save the current environment block. This is usually caused by a problem with the program. Please check the Microsoft Knowledge Base to determine if this is a known issue or contact Microsoft Support Services for further assistance.
The parameter is incorrect. (Error: 80070057; Source: Windows)
TSManager 26/03/2014 15:48:09
1820 (0x071C)
Failed to persist execution state. Error 0x(80070057)
TSManager 26/03/2014 15:48:09
1820 (0x071C)
Failed to save execution state and environment to local hard disk
TSManager 26/03/2014 15:48:09
1820 (0x071C)
The task sequence execution engine can not reboot the machine because we failed to persist execution environment
TSManager 26/03/2014 15:48:09
1820 (0x071C)
Fatal error is returned in check for reboot request of the action (Restart computer).
Unspecified error (Error: 80004005; Source: Windows)
TSManager 26/03/2014 15:48:09
1820 (0x071C)
An error (0x80004005) is encountered in execution of the task sequence
TSManager 26/03/2014 15:48:09
1820 (0x071C)
Task Sequence Engine failed! Code: 80004005
TSManager 26/03/2014 15:48:09
1820 (0x071C)
Any help you can give me would be great, as I'd like to get this process running properly.
Thanks,
Sarah

You don't mention what kind of OS this is (Windows 7 Pro x64?)
This is a known issue/FAQ.
I would recommending using MDT 2012 (update 1) for UEFI machines.
Machines with uEFI 2.3.1 only support Windows 8.x.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh824898.aspx
Recomendation: Convert the BIOS to CSM and/or upgrade to Windows 8.1 :^)
Keith Garner - keithga.wordpress.com

Glitch in Windows 10 about Start Menu when it will not show

I just installed windows 10 on a vm and when I first installed windows 10, I clicked the
Start Buttonand the start menu did not show up. Is there a way to fix this? I've tried:
1. Rebooting
2. Double clicking the button

In build 9926, there is no such option as " Use Start Menu instead of Start Screen " anymore.
As to your Start Menu not showing up, MS is aware of the issue.
In fact, Insider Hub has posted Known issues in 9926. One of the known issue is the Start Menu.
Here is the direct copy......
Start menu
When you boot Windows 10 Technical Preview, the Start menu may not appear. Checking for updates may fix
this problem. To check for updates without the Start menu, do the following:
Select the Internet Explorer icon.
Type
http://update.microsoft.com into the address bar and select
Enter.
If you are prompted to run a control, click
Yes.
This should bring up the Check for updates window. Install updates.
If no update is available, or the available updates don’t fix the issue, restart the device–this should
make the Start menu appear. To reboot without using the Start menu:
Hold down the
Windows key and select L to lock the device. Swipe up or select
Enter to open the sign in screen. Select the
Power icon on the log in screen to restart the computer.
OR
Hold down the
Windows key and select R to bring up a command prompt. In the prompt, type
shutdown –r to restart.

Start menu disappeared

Did March 2015 windows update, and among many problems, the start menu disappeared. I did a system restore and the start menu did not come back. How can I restore the start menu?
Certified Geek

It is hard to check update history with the menu gone. I can no longer find the settings panel.
Certified Geek
Follow this instructions from Insider Hub........
Start menu
When you boot Windows 10 Technical Preview, the Start menu may not appear. Checking for updates may fix this problem. To check for updates without the Start menu, do the following:
Select the Internet Explorer icon.
Type http://update.microsoft.com into the address bar and select
Enter.
If you are prompted to run a control, click
Yes.
This should bring up the Check for updates window. Install updates.
If no update is available, or the available updates don’t fix the issue, restart the device–this should make the Start menu appear. To reboot without using the Start menu:
Hold down the Windows key and select L to lock the device. Swipe up or select
Enter to open the sign in screen. Select the
Power icon on the log in screen to restart the computer.
OR
Hold down the Windows key and select R to bring up a command prompt. In the prompt, type
shutdown –r to restart.
Once you are able to get to Windows Update window, you can click Advanced Options > check your update history.

Why doesn't my TestStand deployment installation show up under my Windows start menu of my target machine?

Why doesn't my TestStand deployment installation show up under my Windows start menu of my target machine?
I have successfully installed working deployments to target machines. However, I was expecting to see the installation listed as "My TestStand System A" in my start menu, but it is not. Am I misunderstanding something here?
Also, if I peform a different second deployment to the target station like "My TestStand System B", all of the LabVIEW files from my previous installation for "My TestStand System A" disappear from the target directory (c:\Program Files\My TestStand System A).
I am using TestStand 4.2.1 Professional on the development station with Windows XP and LabVIEW 2009.
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Thanks Paul,
That solved my second problem and inspired me to search deeper for the answer to my first problem. The answer is in the "Distributed Files" tab, "installer properties", "Create a Program Item" checkbox:
Wouldn't it be nice if this was automatically checked by default for the main sequence files? Wouldn't it also be nice if "Upgrade Code" was automatically regenerated by default whenever we saved the *.tsd file under a different name?
Thanks again,
Eugene
Message Edited by Eugene12 on 05-06-2010 04:27 PM

On windows 7 pro, how do i add firefox bookmarks to the start menu?

On Windows 7 professional, how do I add firefox bookmarks to the start menu so I can access my bookmarks without opening firefox first?

Only Favorites can be displayed as a submenu of the Start Menu. You can convert your Firefox bookmarks to IE favorites as follows:
# [[Exporting bookmarks to an HTML file|Export your bookmarks to an HTML file]].
# [http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Import-or-export-favorites-in-Internet-Explorer Import the bookmarks in Internet Explorer].
# In Firefox, install [https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/plainoldfavorites/ the PlainOldFavorites extension]. This will allow you to create and manage favorites from Firefox.
# Alternatively, if you use both browsers, you can keep bookmarks and favorites synchronized with an extension like [https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/xmarks-sync/ Xmarks Sync].

How Do I Change the Language of Start Menu and Modern Apps After I Installed Windows? Applying Language Pack only Localizes Traditional Applications?

Howdy,
I installed Windows 10 Technical Preview with original language settings for the US region.
No that I need my Windows localized to Espanol - Spanish.
I type "language' in Cortana, select Add language to this device and click Add a language on the Region & language.
Then I select added language and click Set as primary.
After the restart I see that while Windows Explorer is displayed in Spanish, Start menu is displayed in English (including app sections such as Explore Windows), as well as Modern apps that have retained their English names (such as Mail).
I even set the location to Spain in regional settings (although I didn't like the idea, as I want to browse the US market). To no avail.
How do I change the language of the Start menu and modern apps?
Thank you.
Well this is the world we live in And these are the hands we're given...

Okay, I ran the in-place upgrade and it worked!
What I did:
1. Downloaded and attached Espanol edition of Windows Setup ISO.
2. Started setup.exe from that ISO.
TIP: If need be, you can downgrade your installation of Windows 10 Enterprise Technical Preview to Windows 10 Pro Technical Preview by changing two registry values, EditionID and ProductName. You may use the following registry file on Windows 10 Enterprise
Technical Preview:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion]
"EditionID"="Professional"
"ProductName"="Windows 10 Pro Technical Preview"
Import these settings into registry and start setup wizard from the Windows 10 Pro Technical Preview setup CD. Voila! Windows will offer upgrade of your current setup of Windows 10 Enterprise Technical Preview to Windows 10 Pro Technical Preview with
saving all your settings and applications!
The only thing that wasn't localized are the new app sections. I still see Explore Windows and Everyday apps. Probably, these UI strings haven't yet been translated.
Well this is the world we live in And these are the hands we're given...

Search in start menu don't work, Windows 7, sp1.

Hi guys!
I have this really annoying problem with my newly install Win7 pro, sp1.
The Start Menu Search doesn't work. All I get are 3 files that look like categories (Programs, Control Panel and Files).
The normal search , in file explorer, works though.
What I've tried so far:
I have enabled search in the Start Menu Settings. In Customize Start Menu I have enabled "Search with public folders" and "Search programs and Control Panel".
I have reset my search indexing several times. I have tried different registry tweaks suggested in forums like these like these:
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windows/en-US/cc594db0-dbe8-4255-a259-5c1914318c3d/search-in-start-menu-stopped-working
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-files/windows-7-start-menu-search-not-working/1b0bf595-a246-4397-8d05-73e117f046fe?page=6
Non of these suggestions worked for me. I tried importing the registry keys below as suggested by some posts above:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderTypes\{ef87b4cb-f2ce-4785-8658-4ca6c63e38c6}]
"CanonicalName"="StartMenu"
"Mode"=dword:00000001"
PerceivedType"=dword:00000000
"Theme"="default"
"MostRelevant"="prop:System.Author;System.Keywords"
"LayoutType"=dword:00000001
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderTypes\{ef87b4cb-f2ce-4785-8658-4ca6c63e38c6}\TopViews]
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderTypes\{ef87b4cb-f2ce-4785-8658-4ca6c63e38c6}\TopViews\{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000}]
"Name"="NoName"
"Order"=dword:00000000
"GroupBy"="System.StartMenu.Group"
"PrimaryProperty"="System.StartMenu.Group"
"SortByList"="prop:-System.Search.Rank;-System.DateModified;System.ItemNameDisplay"
"LogicalViewMode"=dword:00000001
This also didn't do anything.
I can't find anything else online that addresses this problem. Now I'm getting a little desperate. I'm no novice when it comes to Windows. I have spoken to seasoned Windows tech support people (not from MS). None of them nor I have ever seen this problem
before. There is very not much help online. Can anybody please help pointing me in the right direction.
Cheers

Hi,
Anything recorded in the event log? You can check the event viewer.
Regarding to the index option you mentioned, verify that the Start Menu is in the list of indexing option, then check the selected location under indexed location of start menu
If possible, I suggest you create a new user account, then copy the old files to the new user profile, please refer to this link
Fix a corrupted user profile
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-in/windows/fix-corrupted-user-profile#1TC=windows-7
Yolanda Zhu
TechNet Community Support

How to pin a tile for both modern UI IE and standard desktop IE to start menu in Windows 8.1?

Hi,
When we deploy new applications to users we use the new GPO for Win 8.1 called "Pin Apps to Start". There we specify the path to the application and it automatically pins to users start menu on log on.
But we want to have both the modern UI IE and the standard desktop IE on start menu also, the modern UI IE is already on the start menu by default, but when we add the IE shortcut to the GPO setting it doesn't appear on users start menu. tried the following
path: c:\program files\internet explorer\iexplore.exe
anyone know how to do this in Windows 8.1?
In Windows 8 it works, but since Microsoft blocked this feature to keep the start menu "clean", we need to use the Pin Apps to Start setting in a GPO.
Kind regards, Magnus Lislevatn

Hi,
I want to know the detail GPO settings for the Internet Explorer, both Windows store and the desktop Internet Explorer, besides, does it work for Windows 7 system?
The Windows store Internet Explorer is an app, it is not located in C:\Program Files, the desktop Internet Explorer is located at C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer.
that’s why it doesn't appear on users start menu when you add the IE shortcut to the GPO setting and tried the following path: c:\program files\internet explorer\iexplore.exe
The suggestion I provided for now is to check whether it just happened to one Windows 8.1 machine, if this happens to any other system, the group policy is responsible for this, posting the group policy setting will help analyze this.
Regards
Wade Liu
TechNet Community Support

MDT 2013 Windows 8.1 Deployment Starts Prompting For Administrator Login In Middle Of Task Sequence

I have a 8.1 deployment task sequence that automatically logs into the administrator account until about half way through the deployment.
It actually looks like it logs in for a second and then dumps back out to the login prompt.
After this reboot, the problem starts. When I log in manually, I see it is at the installing the Java application step. What could cause this?

Yes, it's possible that the scripts to boot to desktop or the script to remove apps are causing this, but other people use these settings in deployments and didn't mention this as a side effect.
This reg file is supposed to set the Start Menu background to match the desktop wallpaper and set IE to use desktop version, but does not seem to work.
regedit.exe /s 81settings.reg
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_USERS\CUSTOM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Accent]
"MotionAccentId_v1.00"=dword:000000db
[HKEY_USERS\CUSTOM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\EdgeUI]
"DisableHelpSticker"=dword:00000001
[HKEY_USERS\CUSTOM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main]
"ApplicationTileImmersiveActivation"=dword:00000000
"AssociationActivationMode"=dword:00000002
================================================
powershell.exe -Command "set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -Force; cpi '%DEPLOYROOT%\Applications\Remove Windows 8.1 Modern Applications\RemoveWindows8Apps.ps1' -destination c:\; c:\RemoveWindows8Apps.ps1; ri c:\*.ps1 -Force; set-ExecutionPolicy Restricted
-Force"
<#
Purpose: Remove built in apps specified in list
Pre-Reqs: Windows 8.1
#>
# Main Routine
# Get log path. Will log to Task Sequence log folder if the script is running in a Task Sequence
# Otherwise log to \windows\temp
try
$tsenv = New-Object -COMObject Microsoft.SMS.TSEnvironment
$logPath = $tsenv.Value("LogPath")
catch
Write-Host "This script is not running in a task sequence"
$logPath = $env:windir + "\temp"
$logFile = "$logPath\$($myInvocation.MyCommand).log"
# Start logging
Start-Transcript $logFile
Write-Host "Logging to $logFile"
# List of Applications that will be removed
$AppsList = "microsoft.windowscommunicationsapps","Microsoft.BingFinance","Microsoft.BingMaps",`
"Microsoft.BingWeather","Microsoft.ZuneVideo","Microsoft.ZuneMusic","Microsoft.Media.PlayReadyClient.2",`
"Microsoft.XboxLIVEGames","Microsoft.HelpAndTips","Microsoft.BingSports",`
"Microsoft.BingNews","Microsoft.BingFoodAndDrink","Microsoft.BingTravel","Microsoft.WindowsReadingList",`
"Microsoft.BingHealthAndFitness","Microsoft.WindowsAlarms","Microsoft.Reader","Microsoft.WindowsCalculator",`
"Microsoft.WindowsScan","Microsoft.WindowsSoundRecorder","Microsoft.SkypeApp"
ForEach ($App in $AppsList)
$Packages = Get-AppxPackage | Where-Object {$_.Name -eq $App}
if ($Packages -ne $null)
Write-Host "Removing Appx Package: $App"
foreach ($Package in $Packages)
Remove-AppxPackage -package $Package.PackageFullName
else
Write-Host "Unable to find package: $App"
$ProvisionedPackage = Get-AppxProvisionedPackage -online | Where-Object {$_.displayName -eq $App}
if ($ProvisionedPackage -ne $null)
Write-Host "Removing Appx Provisioned Package: $App"
remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -online -packagename $ProvisionedPackage.PackageName
else
Write-Host "Unable to find provisioned package: $App"
# Stop logging
====================================================
Install java and turn off updates.
Start /wait jre-8u25-windows-i586.exe INSTALL_SILENT=1 STATIC=0 AUTO_UPDATE=0 WEB_JAVA=1 WEB_JAVA_SECURITY_LEVEL=H WEB_ANALYTICS=0 EULA=0 REBOOT=0
regedit.exe /s disableupdate.reg
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\JavaSoft\Java Update\Policy]
"EnableJavaUpdate"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\JavaSoft\Java Update\Policy]
"EnableJavaUpdate"=dword:00000000

Start Menu Configuration not being saved using BootCamp in Windows 7

On a couple nearly identical MacBook Pros (ordered and built within the last couple months) I've encountered an issue where my Start Menu configuration is not being saved using BootCamp in Windows 7. Only the 64 bit version was tested, I don't have a 32 bit handy.
"Stickying" icons on the top of the shortcuts seems to hold, but changing the display to small icons, adding "administrative tools", menu displays from opening folders to showing lists, or even just telling it to not highlight newly installed programs are lost on a reboot. The changes do appear to work at first, but again, are lost on reboot.
Fwiw I'm using the machine in an Active Directory environment. If you need any additional information or further details just ask.

On a couple nearly identical MacBook Pros (ordered and built within the last couple months) I've encountered an issue where my Start Menu configuration is not being saved using BootCamp in Windows 7. Only the 64 bit version was tested, I don't have a 32 bit handy.
"Stickying" icons on the top of the shortcuts seems to hold, but changing the display to small icons, adding "administrative tools", menu displays from opening folders to showing lists, or even just telling it to not highlight newly installed programs are lost on a reboot. The changes do appear to work at first, but again, are lost on reboot.
Fwiw I'm using the machine in an Active Directory environment. If you need any additional information or further details just ask.

Windows Insider Preview Start Menu Not Working: Build 10061

I've been using the Desktop tech preview for some time now. It seemed that with each build, the apps would bleed outside the window frame without scrollbars, ergo, making the apps not useable(except for browser). Then, starting with 10041 the start menu
wouldn't work. There is no way for me to open it except through the notifications button. Now with build 10061, none of the buttons work. Only firefox, which I have added to my taskbar. Although, edge nor IE will open either. So ATM, only the task manager,
firefox, folder button, and the volume control button seem to open/work. I have tried restarting and switching profiles, bu nothing seems to work.
I want to get away from win10. Before, on start up it would ask me if I wanted to revert back to win8. Now it doesn't ask anymore. How do I get back to win8?

I've been using the Desktop tech preview for some time now. It seemed that with each build, the apps would bleed outside the window frame without scrollbars, ergo, making the apps not useable(except for browser). Then, starting with 10041 the start menu
wouldn't work. There is no way for me to open it except through the notifications button. Now with build 10061, none of the buttons work. Only firefox, which I have added to my taskbar. Although, edge nor IE will open either. So ATM, only the task manager,
firefox, and the volume control button seem to open/work. I have tried restarting and switching profiles, bu nothing seems to work.
I want to get away from win10. Before, on start up it would ask me if I wanted to revert back to win8. Now it doesn't ask anymore. How do I get back to win8?
To go back to Win8, you need a recovery media or an installation media for Win8.
Did you make one of those before you installed Win 10 TP over Win 8 ?
May I interest you to give Win 10 TP another go ?
ON the 29th, a new build has been released. It's build 10074.
You can install it via Windows Update or downloading the ISO which is also released at the same date.
My suggestion is to download the ISO > burn it to a bootable DVD or an USB with at least 4 GB > use the bootable media to do a Clean Install.
I suggest a clean install to make sure your new install will not "inherit" any "baggage".
In short, you will start fresh.
Here is the download link for Pro (non-Enterprise) ISO;
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/preview-iso-update-1504
Notice that it has a new product key :6P99N-YF42M-TPGBG-9VMJP-YKHCF
You shouldn't need it. But, just in case it asks for it.
If you want the Enterprise version:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/evaluate-windows-enterprise-insider-preview
Product key :VTNMT-2FMYP-QCY43-QR9VK-WTVCK

Windows 8.1 PRO Deployment Start menu customisation

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