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StartIsGone for Windows 10 and Windows 8.1

After release of Windows 8.1 I found its Start button useless. Seriously, there are no issues for me if that button is not shown on the taskbar. Sure, I miss the old good Start menu. Menu! Just one button can't restore the classic UX. So I decide to restore the behavior of Windows 8, with blackjack and hookers.

StartIsGone

StartIsGone is my latest application which allows you to remove the Start Button in Windows 8.1 and get the extra space on the taskbar.
Latest version is 2.1.0.0, see the change log.
It is freeware, portable application which does not require .NET Framework or installation.
It is just icon in your tray with few options in the context menu.

Do you know all these ways to open an elevated command prompt in Windows?

In my articles, you often see instructions to open the cmd prompt as admin. Usually I mention only one way to open an elevated command prompt, but you can use several ways to perform this action. Today I would like to share with you all the possible cool ways to open an elevated command prompt, including new undiscovered and hidden methods you may not be aware of. Let's explore all of these interesting methods.

How to disable search on the ‘New tab’ page in Google Chrome

Certain versions of Google Chrome for Windows as well as Android have recently rolled out an updated "New tab" page which has a prominent Google Search box on the page. Google claims they made this change because users were not discovering that they could search from the address bar and still used to go to Google.com to search.

However, if you are not happy with the "Search" text box above the thumbnails of the most visited sites, you might want to disable it. The good old "New tab" feature had some really useful features like recently closed tabs including tabs from other devices. If you are interested in getting those features back, here are simple instructions on how to disable Search on the 'New tab' page in Google Chrome.

Skyrim theme #2 for Windows 8

Skyrim theme #2 for Windows 8 features wallpapers with images from very popular game The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim. To get this theme, click the download link below, and then click Open. This will apply the theme to your Desktop.

Tip: If you are Windows 7 user, use our Deskthemepack Installer to install and apply this theme.

Size: 10 Mb

Download link

How to change the logon screen color in Windows 8.1

Like its predecessor, Windows 8.1 still has no option to change the color of the Logon screen. The Logon screen is the one which displays user accounts and appears right after the Lock Screen. While most users don't even pay attention to the color of the logon screen, there is a category of users (myself included) who prefer to customize the OS according to their preferences in a more flexible way. Those users are not happy with the default blue color of the logon screen and may want to change it to a desired color. Here is a simple tutorial to show you how you can change the color of the logon screen.

Download Start Screen Color Tuner for Windows 8.1

Start Screen Color Tuner for Windows 8.1.

Start Screen Color Tuner for Windows 8.1 allows you to customize the colors of the logon screen and the Start screen
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Start Screen Color Tuner for Windows 8.1

Start Screen Color Tuner for Windows 8.1 is the application which i have created to solve the following issue:
Windows 8.1 has changed the color settings for the logon screen, so old tweaks and apps don't work any more. Instead of the color index, it stores now some coded color value. I decided to create the app with attractive and simple UI to change the color of logon screen with one click.

As a bonus, it allows you to play with the Start Screen color and Accent color on the fly from the same window.
Latest version 1.1, see the change log below

Nature HD#13 theme for Windows 8

How to hide the Skype icon from the notification area (system tray)

Earlier we looked at how to get rid of Skype's Taskbar button. I was contacted by some Winaero readers asking me how to remove or hide the Skype notification area (system tray) icon, because they didn't find it useful. Well, this is even simpler. Just follow the instructions below.

How to remove the Skype button from the Windows Taskbar

When Windows Live Messenger was retired, Microsoft recommended all its users to move on to Skype. They bought Skype strategically so as to merge the user base of Windows Live Messenger with millions of Skype users. Skype being a cross-platform VoIP solution which is available for all major desktop and mobile platforms, made it far more popular.

Like Windows Live Messenger, Skype has also always shown its button on the Windows Taskbar. This can be annoying, if you are working on a small screen and would like to reserve some space on the taskbar for your other apps. (Even the Start button can be considered unnecessary by some users and so our StartIsGone tool allows you to remove it in Windows 8.1). Let's see how we can get rid of the Skype button from the Taskbar and keep it in the notification area (system tray) only.