modern ui - Installed programs are not showing up on the Windows 8.1 start screen

07
2014-07
  • Marcelo Delgado

    Its a very weird problem. This is happening on a clean install of Windows 8.1. Applications installed, say Microsoft Office, are not showing on the start screen appls list. All the start menu shortcuts are created, but when I open up the start screen, click the down arrow to list the apps, and they are not there. Searching for the apps does not turn up any results either.

    If I navigate to C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu I can see all the shortcuts there for everything I've installed. A couple of the shortcuts on the folder are showing on the start screen, a shortcut for the logitech drivers and one for chrome, the first couple of programs I installed on the new system. So windows is reading this whole folder full of icons and its deciding not to show the ones installed after a certain period.

    What could be happening?

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    Related Question

    Windows 8 Metro/Modern Start Screen with Multiple Monitors -- Keep it always maximized?
  • Jersey Dude

    Before installing Win 8 today, my plan was to keep the Metro UI up on my smaller, laptop monitor and have the classic UI running on my two larger monitors. However, in reality, as soon as I click on something in one of the classic UI monitors, the Metro UI minimizes (thus exposing the classic UI in its place).

    Is there any way to keep the Metro UI from minimizing when I do something in another monitor?

    Oddly enough, if there is an app running/suspended in the Metro Window, then the Metro UI is not minimized. If the Start screen is currently viewed, clicking in a classic window/monitor switches the Metro UI from the start screen to the last run app. Very peculiar..


    • Related Answers
  • Mufasa

    The behavior you described is per design. The Metro home/start page will disappear if it loses focus to any other application, Metro or Desktop.

    So either use one full screen metro app as you described. Or you can drag from the top of a Metro app and dock it to any side. Then launch another Metro app. You can run those two side-by-side. Then you can go to your other monitors in Desktop mode and Metro will stay up as long as no other application windows come up on the monitor that is currently running Metro. (And if they do, for example, a dialog box or something, you can get Metro full screen back by any usual means like Alt+Tab or the top left hotspot.) You can even have the "Desktop" by one of those apps on the main monitor as well, to run side-by-side with the docked Metro app.

    But if two Metro apps isn't enough, or your goal is to have the Metro start menu specifically stay full screen, then no, you're out of luck unless you find a Metro home/start menu replacement application.

  • Eric Falsken

    Nope. That is one of the behaviors of the Start Menu that they kept. The Modern UI Home Screen will go away when you switch to another application.

  • zeel

    While this can not be done in Windows 8, 8.1 seems be behave just as you are asking. When I bring the start screen up on my second monitor I can continue to use classic windows without causing it to disappear, as it would before the update.

    So the the answer is, use the 8.1 preview/wait.

    WARNING: This is for experienced users only, please read all of the information MS provides before deciding if you are ready to install this. . .

    http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/preview-download