[Windows 8] What We Know and What We Need to Know?
We all know that Microsoft’s upcoming OS “Windows 8” is currently under testing and Microsoft has released Windows 8 Developer Preview build to public which can be downloaded using following link:
Download Windows 8 Developer Preview Build NOW
We are regularly posting about new features and tips-n-tricks found in Windows 8 in our exclusive “Windows 8” section but there are people who have some confusions in mind, so today in this topic we are going to clarify all these confusions and list all facts and secrets about Windows 8.
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We have divided this article into 2 parts:
- Things We Know about Windows 8
- Things We Need to Know about Windows 8
So lets start our guide:
Things We Know about Windows 8
1. Windows 8 is the upcoming OS from Microsoft and is also known as Windows vNext.
2. Windows 8 will RTM in 2012:
Windows 8 RTM in First Week of August 2012, GA on October 26th, 2012
3. Windows 8 will also support Tablet PCs just like Google Android does.
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4. Microsoft has added “Up” button in Windows 8 Explorer after receiving lots of complaints from Windows Vista and 7 users:
Microsoft Puts “Up” Button Back in Windows 8 Explorer
5. Windows 8 will allow you to integrate your Windows Live ID with the OS. Although it would be optional.
6. Windows 8 will provide an improved version of Windows Basic theme “Aero Lite” for low-end machines.
7. Windows 8 will come with Internet Explorer 10.
8. Windows 8 will come with an excellent “System Restore” feature which will help you in restoring the whole OS easily and quickly.
9. Windows 8 will feature “History Vault” which allows you to backup your important files to another drive.
10. Windows 8 Explorer will provide Office 2010 like Ribbon UI:
Windows 8 Explorer Features Ribbon UI
Don’t worry, you will be able to minimize the ribbon to get more space in window.
11. Windows 8 will feature “Aero Auto-Colorization” which is the ability to automatically configure the color of Aero elements, like the Start Menu, Windows Explorer windows, and the taskbar based on the desktop wallpaper.
12. Windows 8 will also provide SmartScreen File Checking which will serve two purposes – to reactively check the file system and proactively prevent any downloaded applications from running that are unknown to the filter.
13. You’ll be able to run Windows 8 from a USB storage device using “Portable Workspace” feature in Windows 8.
14. Windows 8 will feature a new Start Screen which is similar to Windows Phone 7 home screen. It basically shows live tiles of the installed programs in Windows 8.
[Windows 8 Start Screen] How to Pin, Unpin, Resize, Move, Close and Search Tiles
15. Windows 8 will feature an improved file management dialog box:
Microsoft Official Video Shows Improved File Management UI in Windows 8
16. Windows 8 will support USB 3.0 standard:
Windows 8 Will Come With Support for USB 3.0, Microsoft Confirms
17. Windows 8 will come with native Explorer support for mounting ISO and VHD files:
Microsoft Details Native Explorer Support for Mounting ISO, VHD Files in Windows 8
Things We Need to Know about Windows 8
Because of various new features introduced in Windows 8 like Aero Lite theme, Start Screen, etc, many people get confused and start thinking that Windows 8 will not be suitable for normal Desktop PCs and will only support Tablets. That’s not correct.
Following points will clear all your confusions and doubts:
1. Many people think that Windows 8 will only provide interface optimized for tablets. That’s not true!
Windows 8 will come as a traditional Desktop OS (like Windows Vista and 7) as well as an OS for touch based tablets. So it can be considered as a 2-in-1 OS.
Microsoft Talks About Windows 8 Metro UI and Desktop, Two Interfaces in One OS
Anyway even if the UI is locked by Microsoft, people will find a way to unlock the locked UI. 😉
2. Many people don’t like new “Aero Lite” theme and complain about it. Actually “Aero Lite” is a revised version of “Windows Basic” theme present in Windows Vista and 7.
Windows 8 will come with a refreshing Aero theme just like Windows Vista and 7 but will also provide Aero Lite theme for low-end machines which can’t support Aero theme.
That’s all for now. We’ll update this topic as soon as a new features is added to Windows 8 or people get confused again about something.
Please update this post as soon as we hear news from the BUILD conference….
https://www.askvg.com/download-windows-8-developer-preview-build/
Why dont you update this with Win 8 DP instead of the l**ked build?
And the start screen HAS replaced start menu
And with this
https://www.askvg.com/microsoft-talks-about-windows-8-metro-ui-and-desktop/
so 2 in 1 os but not locked
Thanks Omar and Amiel. I have updated the topic. 🙂
will there be more than one version of win 8 like vista and 7?It is stupid,confusing and a waste of time and money to have 5 different versions of the os?Why can’t there be just 2? Win 8 Professional edition for us and Win 8 Business\Server Edition? This will speed up time for service packs to be made and tested and maybe a bit cheaper.
^^ atm its not clear but rumors are Microsoft is going to change the edition system with the release of Windows 8.
Wonder if there is much improvement in the underlying software engine that drives Windows 8?
It has been the tradition that each Windows release has needed extra hardware resources in your system (except perhaps Vista -> 7), so will 8 need more power/memory to run. And if so, will the increased requirement bring any benefits or just a better(?) GUI? Or are the security improvements going to make it compelling to upgrade to 8? Yes, lots of questions and the main one is why will we pay more to go up to 8 just because “it looks prettier” – it is unlikely to be a free upgrade after all, isn’t it!!
^^ Windows 8 system requirements will be same as of Windows 7.