I have two frustrations with the Widgets on the Start Menu. One of them I believe can be resolved using either a RegEdit or CMD command, but the other seems impossible to fix due to Microsoft’s approach in deciding what users want, even when it goes against our preferences.

I must say that I have grown fond of this section and find myself browsing the news in there several times a day when I have some downtime. However, at some point recently (I can’t recall exactly when), they introduced a “Coupon” panel to the news feed (refer to the screenshot). Despite clicking the X in the top right corner of that card and selecting “Hide savings card,” it merely refreshes the screen, leaving the annoying “Savings card” still visible. I really want to get rid of that.

The second annoyance has two aspects that I believe I have to live with. Firstly, I detest sports and would love to disable that feature, but it seems impossible. Although I made sure that Sports is not selected in the Interests, I have found myself blocking around 30 or 40 ‘news sites’ that all include FanNation in their name somewhere. This results in spending more time blocking unwanted content than actually reading something I find interesting. Ideally, I wish there was a way to search for FanNation, for instance, and block all related content at once. Secondly, is there a way to disable the finance-related updates above those panels that feature breaking news and severe weather alerts? To me, these updates do not qualify as breaking news, and I have no interest in knowing how the currency values fluctuate or if the DOW goes up or down.

To sum up, most of this post serves as a complaint about Microsoft’s assumptions regarding what users want, even when it contradicts our preferences. However, I would greatly appreciate assistance in removing the bothersome Coupon/Savings card, and you can disregard the rest of my grievances.

​I have two frustrations with the Widgets on the Start Menu. One of them I believe can be resolved using either a RegEdit or CMD command, but the other seems impossible to fix due to Microsoft’s approach in deciding what users want, even when it goes against our preferences. I must say that I have grown fond of this section and find myself browsing the news in there several times a day when I have some downtime. However, at some point recently (I can’t recall exactly when), they introduced a “Coupon” panel to the news feed (refer to the screenshot). Despite clicking the X in the top right corner of that card and selecting “Hide savings card,” it merely refreshes the screen, leaving the annoying “Savings card” still visible. I really want to get rid of that. The second annoyance has two aspects that I believe I have to live with. Firstly, I detest sports and would love to disable that feature, but it seems impossible. Although I made sure that Sports is not selected in the Interests, I have found myself blocking around 30 or 40 ‘news sites’ that all include FanNation in their name somewhere. This results in spending more time blocking unwanted content than actually reading something I find interesting. Ideally, I wish there was a way to search for FanNation, for instance, and block all related content at once. Secondly, is there a way to disable the finance-related updates above those panels that feature breaking news and severe weather alerts? To me, these updates do not qualify as breaking news, and I have no interest in knowing how the currency values fluctuate or if the DOW goes up or down. To sum up, most of this post serves as a complaint about Microsoft’s assumptions regarding what users want, even when it contradicts our preferences. However, I would greatly appreciate assistance in removing the bothersome Coupon/Savings card, and you can disregard the rest of my grievances.  Read More

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