The first place to look for programs to nix is the system tray, the row of tiny icons next to Windows' clock in the bottom-right of the Taskbar.

CNN: Sluggish PC? Give it a workout

Aero gave the appearance of highly-rendered glass, light sources, reflections, and other graphically complex textures in the title bars, taskbar, and other system surfaces.

FORBES: Microsoft To Drop Aero From Windows 8 User Interface

Now in its nineteenth version, though, it's finally getting a desktop, making it look and function a little more like a traditional OS. When you sign in for the first time, you'll see an expanse of wallpaper, with a row of apps pinned to the bottom of the screen -- not unlike the Taskbar in Windows 7.

ENGADGET: Chrome OS review (version 19)

Makes the new Start screen and Windows 8 Apps run over the desktop, which gives you access to the taskbar and start menu like in Windows 7 and XP.

FORBES: Make Windows 8 Look Like Windows 7