keyboardtouchscreenwindowswindows 8windows 8.1
Is there a way to make the standard Windows 8.1 on-screen touch keyboard semi-transparent? I simply want to be able to type underneath the keyboard and still see what I'm typing, like on the picture below.
Updated, also posted this as a suggestion on UserVoice.
There is an option which (sort of) does that for the old desktop on-screen keyboard (the touchscreen keyboard which has been there since Windows XP), but this one is not really usable:
Synaptics Gesture Suite™ Windows 8 for TouchPad™ enables this on Windows 8, you are not going to find something else because this often involves a driver. The two images on that page are quite small but I suppose youc an get to see these in the software itself again in a higher resolution. So, if you can manage to get the drivers and the Synaptics Gesture Suite working you can do that...
Classic Shell can be found here for free: http://www.classicshell.net/
It can replace the start menu in Windows and it has many customization options. It looks good and the original Windows start icon can be used.
When installing, you have an option to only install the start menu. The package includes a classic file browser which you may not want.
Is there a way to uninstall that Metro/apps screen completely so that pressing the Windows Key invokes the semi-Start menu pictured above?
Classic Shell can replace the start menu and activate with the Windows key. Those options are in the settings.
To access the Metro Windows 8 start menu, you can hold shift and click the start menu. You can configure an "Apps" menu item that will allow you to open any Windows Store App without using Metro.
Here are a few examples, there are many possible configurations:
Best Answer
There is no built-in option to customize the transparency of the default on-screen keyboard of Windows 8.1. You can either use FeeltheWheel or download a 3rd party on-screen keyboard. I recommend the former option.
Feel the Wheel (Feewhee)
By using Feewhee you can easily resize windows and control their transparency with a mouse wheel.
You can download it as a as a portable application (exe, 6Kb), or in a ZIP archive(zip, 4kb).
Source: Here and here.