Windows 8 Metro Apps are competing with Desktop Apps

zmechys

New Member
Every time I download pictures from my digital camera while in the Desktop mode, the METRO Photo App pops up. I need to manually stop it from Task Manager, but...
A few minutes later, I see that METRO Photo App is running again. When I want to save my edited picture, my the computer freezes. After a few minutes, I get a message that "another program has that file opened. Please close that App."

SavePictures.PNG

In my very simplified opinion, Windows 8 is like two OS in one - Windows 8 Metro and Windows 8 Desktop. And two "OS's" are competing with each other. I know, Microsoft said, "It's not true", but I've made up my mind about it.
Windows 8 was released too fast due to the smart phone competition in order to compete with Android phones; therefore, there are a few bugs that need to be fixed.
 
Turn off your metro app by right clicking it and set it to turn off. Then if you don't want a particular app as the default to open such things, set your default programs to open specific things...eg photos, set photo viewer as default and the metro app wont open pictures. In my case I have Essentials 2012 photo viewer set as my default to open all pictures.

With a particular metro app open you can open the charms window by clicking the windows key + C and then click settings you can set the parameters/permissions of the metro app.
 
Turn off your metro app by right clicking it and set it to turn off. Then if you don't want a particular app as the default to open such things, set your default programs to open specific things...eg photos, set photo viewer as default and the metro app wont open pictures. In my case I have Essentials 2012 photo viewer set as my default to open all pictures.

With a particular metro app open you can open the charms window by clicking the windows key + C and then click settings you can set the parameters/permissions of the metro app.

Yes, I did turn off Metro Photo App, plus "unpinned from Start", plus "Turned the live tiles off".
I did set my default photo program to MS Office 2010.

I've just connected my digital camera to the computer and, again, METRO PHOTO APP is there.
See attached.METRO PHOTO APP.PNG
 
I opened Task Manager and right-clicked on Photos - Go to details.
It's WWAHost.exe file.
I googled it.

What is WWAHost.exe and Why is it Running?
What is WWAHost.exe and Why is it Running?

"Windows 8 uses Javascript to execute some Metro apps, and WWAHost is the process that hosts this. Because any Metro apps are written in the same fashion as webapps, several of them need to run interchangeably within Internet Explorer. With that said, Microsoft explains WWAHost as “an Internet Explorer-based rendering platform.”"
 
Wow...nice research.

I don't know what's happening with your system as I can hook up any camera or any other external device and photo viewer opens all mine....

Hold on I think I've got it....check your default programs...control panel, programs, default programs, set your default programs... then select your default program you want to open pictures and make sure it has all it default settings set.
 
Wow...nice research.

I don't know what's happening with your system as I can hook up any camera or any other external device and photo viewer opens all mine....

Hold on I think I've got it....check your default programs...control panel, programs, default programs, set your default programs... then select your default program you want to open pictures and make sure it has all it default settings set.

1. My Desktop default program for any pictures is MS Office 2010.
DesktopPictures.PNG

But METRO Photo, in addition, always opens the pictures as BMP files without my say.
I want that competition stopped.

2. In the Default Program Window, it says that METRO Photo has 51 out of 74 defaults.
I've just want that "pesky" Metro Photo App stopped.
Metro Photo Default.PNG
 
As you can see in mine I have 21 of 74 defaults set. Open up the "choose defaults for this program" and uncheck all the extensions you see associated with the Photo's app. Just look for the icon and untick the box.



photo defaults.PNG
 
As you can see in mine I have 21 of 74 defaults set. Open up the "choose defaults for this program" and uncheck all the extensions you see associated with the Photo's app. Just look for the icon and untick the box.

It took me a long time to uncheck/change the defaults for all those Photo files.
I hope my problem is gone.
Why do I, as a user, need to spend my time changing those defaults?
Are there any more exe files from both - Metro and Desktop - Windows 8 OS working against each other?
 
In that same thread, you'll probably want to change your default video and music file associations from xbox to windows media player. That was one of the first things I did. xbox might work as a service but I just like plain old windows media player to play MY files.
 
It took me a long time to uncheck/change the defaults for all those Photo files.
You don't need to do that for every photo. One is enough, then all the others follow automatically.

How: Just go the desktop, open Explorer, look up one of you photo's, right click on it, select "Open with" and there select the program you want to open your photo's with. If it's not in the provided list, just click on more option and point to the .exe of your program you want your photo's to open with. Nothing more to it.
 
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