Additional Windows 8 tweaks?

Hey, first of all thanks for a great product - Start8 transforms Windows 8 from being genuinely unusable into something that, a few quirks aside, is worth the upgrade from Windows 7.

However... I am a Windows poweruser, sysadmin, BOFH, whatever you want to call it. If I want to launch something, chances are I do it via the run command invoked via Win+R. Want to view my NICs? Win+R control netconnections. Want to open device manager? Win+R devmgmt.msc etc.

Now I'm very set in these ways and anything that causes a disruption to my workflow is a problem to me. Start8 allows me to all but banish the Metro Modern UI [fantastic job again guys!], however there are still a couple of things that cause an unwelcome jump between the schizophrenic dual personalities of Windows 8:

Win+F -- on Windows 7 it brings up a new, blank Explorer window primed for a search query. On Windows 8 it sends you crashing into a touchy-feely file search that you have to alt+tab out of. The only workaround I've found is to do Win+E to launch a new Explorer window, followed by Ctrl+F to search. Anyone know of a way to get the Windows 7 style search dialog back? If I have to install a third party program to remap the keyboard shortcut that's fine.

Second one is less important, but does anyone know of a way to get rid of the new Networks dialog that appears when you click the Network icon in the systray? Ideally again, reverting to a Windows 7 style one.

Thanks!