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I'm getting very annoyed at the way Windows behaves differently depending on whether or not it thinks you have a touch screen.
Using the mouse is very clunky and I would like to get the mouse to imitate touch but I cannot find a setting or options to get Windows to behave the way I want it to. what I mean by this is that when you hold down the left mouse button (in a default setup) and move the mouse it should act as if you were touching the screen with a single fingertip.
Example 1: On a touch screen I can swipe from right to left to get the charms to appear, with a mouse I have to bash it down to the bottom corner and wait for the charms to appear. The actions should be the same but they are not.
Example 2: On a touch screen I can swipe the All Apps screen to move left/right. with a mouse I have to click in the scrollbar on the bottom of the screen.
Counter Example 3: Perversely the lock screen works exactly how I'd expect it to. I can swipe with a touch screen and swipe with a mouse.
It's especially annoying on the multi monitor and multi-PC systems I have been using for the last five years.
So is there a way to force Windows 8 to accept mouse input as if it were touch input?
Edit: In case it's a specific mouse/laptop issue I'm using an HP Probook 4540s with a budget Microsoft wired mouse
Update: Please do not suggest keyboard alternatives. I already know what they are. I'm trying to find a way to do things without using the keyboard.
1It seems to be a function of how fast you swipe. I can get the right to left swipe to show charms when I have an insanely high DPI on my mouse (which means the mouse moves more on screen for a given physical distance), and dosen't when I have it turned down. An easier way, however is to just use win-c – Journeyman Geek – 2013-03-18T09:10:03.640
I do know about the keyboard shortcuts which is why I was asking about touch like mouse. I've edited the question to include another example as I wasn't looking for a specific answer to the first example – None – 2013-03-18T09:16:22.793
If your laptop has a Synaptics touchpad, you can use the new Synaptics drivers which has new touchpad gestures with 2 finger scrolling, swipe from edge etc. – pratnala – 2013-03-19T10:55:50.467
I'm getting everything she mentioned working with my mouse. I need to go dig up one of my old mice to test to see if its my mouse. – Journeyman Geek – 2013-03-20T06:48:51.483
@pratnala Using the touchpad instead of the mouse would be worse than the current situation – None – 2013-03-20T07:13:27.590
Well touchpad is similar to a touchscreen. Mouse isn't – pratnala – 2013-03-20T07:55:26.253
2A touchpad is not a touchscreen they don't work the same at all – None – 2013-03-20T08:59:35.130
For example number 2 I'm sure you can scroll left and right on most Windows 8 screens by using the mousewheel so you shouldn't need to go to the scroll bar. – Mokubai – 2013-03-20T09:15:16.883
1That still doesn't answer the question! – None – 2013-03-20T09:21:10.523
The question should actually be, why would you want to, if you have access to a physical keyboard unlike on a touch-device. It's far easier to press Windows + C for example to open up the charms than using a mouse to drag across the screen. – Mastergalen – 2013-04-09T13:48:25.487
1Once again that doesn't answer the question. I personally don't like to use the keyboard to access the start screen as it breaks my flow. It has been deliberately set to act differently by MS and there should be a way to allow the mouse to act like touch input. – None – 2013-04-10T07:34:28.863
@JourneymanGeek Did you manage to test with your old mouse? What mouse are you using currently? – None – 2013-04-19T13:41:08.653
@ClaraOnager: I got it to work with my logitech G300 - I was using this at first and relegated it to an older system (at 800, 1600, 2400 and 3200 dpi). I also got it to work with my roccat XTD (which goes up to 8200 DPI). I've consistantly not got it to open with an older mouse if I am too slow, but the gaming mice seem to work great. This is of course, totally unscientific, and if it was a gaming mouse, I guess you can bind win-c to a spare key anyway rendering this moot. Switching to a higher DPI mouse MAY help here, but I don't have a large enough sample to be sure. – Journeyman Geek – 2013-04-19T14:51:10.633
As is said earlier, a touchpad is not a touchscreen. However, you may want to look for some third party utilities for a Logitech or other touchpad that may help it function like a touchscreen. Seems it would be useful to a lot of people. – Charlie Wilson – 2013-05-10T02:53:44.807