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thank you for the suggestion ScottCha - I ended up trying startw8 because I'm cheap<br />
I loved win7 criple, but I am using win8 because I will have to support it, and I really think it's win7 with a goofy gui slapped on top. So I feel like I'm using win7 anyhow.<br />
Also, I said that I don't mind win8, the &quot;start menu&quot; takes a little getting used to, but it's really not that bad. I changed because MS is forcing win8 on new computers, so if someone buys a new pc, they are stuck with win8, and therefore I am stuck with their questions. So I might as well be prepared.
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I have win8 enterprise 64bit on my work laptop. It runs fine, and I’m used to the goofy &quot;start menu&quot; by now. I suppose there has been a lot of complaints, but I don’t think it’s that bad, and it has been running very solidly which is all I care about.<br />
So I want to try some of the apps that make win8 look like win7 or even XP, because as users at my work get win8, I assume that will be the number 1 question. &nbsp;But I don’t know how to know if the apps are coming from reputable sources. <br />
Any suggestions on how to get safe apps for win8?
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I have win8 enterprise 64bit on my work laptop. It runs fine, and I’m used to the goofy "start menu" by now. I suppose there has been a lot of complaints, but I don’t think it’s that bad, and it has been running very solidly which is all I care about.
So I want to try some of the apps that make win8 look like win7 or even XP, because as users at my work get win8, I assume that will be the number 1 question.  But I don’t know how to know if the apps are coming from reputable sources. 
Any suggestions on how to get safe apps for win8?

win8 enterprise

Most development for the Microsoft platform is done utilizing the technologies supported by the.NET framework. Other development is done using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) for programs like Access, Excel, Word and Outlook, with PowerShell for scripting, or with SQL for large databases.

Microsoft Development

Windows 8 is a personal computer operating system developed by Microsoft as part of the Windows NT family of operating systems, with an emphasis on improving its user experience on tablets. In particular, these changes included a touch-optimized Windows shell based on Microsoft's "Metro" design language, the Start screen, a new platform for developing apps with an emphasis on touchscreen input, integration with online services, support for USB 3.0, Advanced Format hard drives, near field communications, and cloud computing. Additional security features were introduced, such as built-in antivirus software, integration with Microsoft SmartScreen phishing filtering service and support for UEFI Secure Boot on supported devices with UEFI firmware.