I was one of the first to beta (tear my hair out) on Windows 8. Not by choice. It came with new laptop. I like it as I would a root canals. The "charms" manage to be over-simplistic, yet micro-managed. Calling them "charms"--I'm not charmed I'm insulted. They're pointless sans a touch screen. A bedazzled ocular migraine. Yes, I can make give the screen a pretty paisley border. But I can't navigate the blooming thing! I wrote a bubble carping about Windows 8.
Skip Windows 8.1 Classic Start Menu Update, Try HP Quick Start