We'll start here, since this is the change that so many Windows 8 users have been waiting for. Though the Start screen remains a key fixture in Windows 8.1, it no longer has to be the first thing to greet you in the morning. Windows 8.1 can do an end-run around the Start screen and take you directly to the desktop after you log in.
To turn this on,
1-go to the desktop,
2-right-click on the Taskbar,
3- and then select Properties from the popup menu.
4- Select the Navigation tab in the "Taskbar and Navigation properties" window.
5- In the "Start screen" section of the window, check the option to "Go to the desktop instead of Start when I sign in."
6- Click OK, then restart Windows.
Click on the lock screen to log in, and the desktop will pop up in all its old-fashioned glory—no tiles intervening.
