WINDOWS 8

May 5, 2012

INTRODUCTION

Windows 8 is the official name for the next version of Microsoft Windows and will power up every personal computer, including home and business desktops, laptops, netbooks, tablet PCs, and media centres PCs. Unlike Windows 7, which was intended to be a more focused, incremental upgrade to the Windows line, Windows 8 has been reimagined from the chipset to the user experience to connect more with the user. It features the Metro-style interface that is designed for touchscreen input similar to that in Windows Phone and on the Xbox 360. A version of Windows 8, called Windows RT, also adds support for the ARM processor architecture in addition to the previously supported microprocessors from Intel and AMD. With the introduction of the new Windows Store, users will be able to browse and compare thousands of apps, all grouped in easy-to-find categories.

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DEVELOPMENT OF WINDOWS 8

Development of Windows 8 started before Windows 7 started shipping in 2009. In January 2011 at Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Microsoft announced that Windows 8 would be adding support for ARM microprocessors in addition to the microprocessors from Intel, AMD and VIA. On June 1, 2011, Microsoft officially unveiled Windows 8 and its new user interface as well as additional features at the Taipei Computex 2011 in Taipei by Mike Angiulo and at the D9 conference in California by Julie Larson-Green and Steven Sinofsky, Microsoft Windows President. A month before the BUILD conference was held; Microsoft opened a new blog called "Building Windows 8" for users and developers on August 15, 2011. After that three previews were planned for release.

Developer Preview
Microsoft released the Windows Developer Preview (build 8102) of Windows 8 for the developer community to download and start working with. This developer preview includes tools for building "metro style apps" such as Microsoft Windows SDK for Metro style applications, Microsoft Visual Studio 11 Express for Windows 8 Developer Preview and Microsoft Expression Blend 5 developer preview. According to Microsoft, there were more than 500,000 downloads of the developer preview within the first 12 hours of its release. This release is now set to expire on 15 January 2013.

Consumer Preview
On 29 February 2012, Microsoft released Windows 8 Consumer Preview, the beta version of Windows 8, build 8250. For the first time since Windows 95, the Start button is no longer present on the taskbar, though the Start screen is still triggered by clicking the bottom-left corner of the screen and by clicking Start in the Charm. In the first day of its release, Windows 8 Consumer Preview was downloaded over one million times. Like the Developer Preview, the Consumer Preview is set to expire on 15 January 2013.

Release Preview
Steven Sinofsky announced that the Windows 8 Release Preview will be ready for download during the first week of June at Japan's Dev's Days conference.

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Hardware requirement

For PC
According to Microsoft the minimum hardware requirement specification is still not fixed, however for the Consumer preview the following configuration is set.

Architecture Processor RAM Graphics Card Hard Disk free space

x86 (32 bits) 1 GHz

x86 x64 (64 bits)

1 GB 2 GB DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver 16 GB 20 GB

To use touch input features, touch enabled hardware is required. In order to run Metro applications, a screen resolution of 1024x768 or higher is required to run one app at a time, and a resolution of 1366x768 is required to run two app side-by-side using snap.

For Tablets
Microsoft has released minimum hardware requirements for new tablet and convertible devices designed for Windows 8. Convertibles will be a standalone device that combines the PC, display and rechargeable power source with a mechanically attached keyboard and pointing device in a single chassis. A convertible can be transformed into a tablet where the attached input devices are hidden or removed leaving the display as the only input mechanism. The following specifications are required for the tablets and convertibles.

Hardware buttons: Must have five hardware buttons Power, Rotation Lock,
Windows Key and Volume up and down.

5-point digitizers: Microsoft requires that Windows 8 touch PCs use digitizers
supporting a minimum of 5 touch points.

Broadband: If a mobile broadband device is integrated into a tablet or convertible

system, then an assisted GPS radio is required.

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Display: Minimum native resolution/colour depth is 1366x768 at a depth of 32-bits. Near field communication: Devices supporting NFC need to have visual marks to
help users locate and use the proximity technology.

New button combination for Ctrl + Alt + Del: The new option is to press
Windows Key + Power.

Storage: At least 10 GB free space. Graphics: Direct3D 10 device with WDDM 1.2 driver. Camera: Minimum 720p Ambient light sensor: 1-30k lux capable w/ dynamic range of 5-60K. Accelerometer: 3 axes w/ data rates >= 50 Hz
Magnetometer and gyroscope

USB 2.0: At least one controller and exposed port. Networking: WLAN and Bluetooth 4.0 + LE (low energy) System firmware: UEFI
Built-in speakers and microphones.

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SOFTWARE COMPATIBILITY

Windows 8 for x86/64 processors will run most software compatible with previous versions of Windows, with the same restrictions as Windows 7. 64-bit Windows 8 will be able to run 64-bit and 32-bit software while 32-bit Windows 8 will be able to run 32-bit and 16-bit software (although some 16-bit software may require compatibility settings to be applied, or not work at all). Windows on ARM processors (Windows RT) will only support the applications included with the system (including some Office 15 desktop applications), supplied through Windows Update or acquired through the Windows Store, which will only provide Metro applications. Windows on ARM will not support running, emulating, or porting existing x86/64 desktop applications, in order to ensure the quality of apps available on ARM. Metro applications can be cross-compatible with both x86/64 based systems and Windows on ARM, or compiled to support a specific architecture.

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NEW FEATURES
Windows 8 has a bold new style thats sleek and modern and its been beautifully designed. Many new features have been added in this latest version of Windows.

Development platform
Language and standards support
Windows 8 has a new developer platform based on HTML5 and JavaScript. The new applications developed for Windows 8 could be easily ported as a Metro-style application and developers could use any existing Windows Application Development language to port applications as a Metro-style app (by adding minimal amount of code). This is possible because of the architectural changes done to the Windows platform. All applications developed whether using C#, MFC, or HTML5/JavaScript will translate into the Windows RT APIs, which sits directly above the Windows kernel. The new platform is primarily designed for 16:9 screen resolutions, with 1366768 and larger screens able to display two Windows 8 "Metro-style" applications side-by-side by "snapping". 1024768 screens can display one application in full-screen, and 1024600 screens can only use the traditional desktop applications. Windows 8 also introduces APIs to support near field communication (NFC) on Windows 8 devices, allowing functionality like launching URLs/applications and sharing of information between devices via NFC.

Shell and user interface

Metro-style user interface
Windows 8 features an extensively redesigned "Metro-style" user interface, optimized for touchscreens as well as mice and keyboards. A new "Start screen", similar to the one in Windows Phone 7, includes live application tiles. The start screen replaces the Start menu, being triggered by the Windows key and Start button, and is also the first screen shown on start up. The user can go to the regular desktop, which is treated as a Metro app with its own "Desktop" tile on the Start screen. Starting a traditional desktop-based application also switches to the desktop. The Start screen also displays the user's name and picture.
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Metro applications run in full-screen, or two can be displayed on higher resolutions by snapping one to the side of the screen Windows 8 features a new login/lock screen that shows the date and time and notifications, along with a customizable background.

Taskbar
Windows 8 provides a configurable taskbar in the traditional Windows desktop that spans multiple monitors. This spanning can be turned on and off and is used to display the minimized windows. Similarly, Windows 8 provides the user with the ability to show different wallpapers on different monitors, or the same wallpaper stretched across multiple monitors. The Start button has been removed, but the user can still click in the bottom left corner of the screen to open the Start screen.

Windows Explorer
Similar to Microsoft Office 2010 and Windows Live Essentials, the re-designed Windows Explorer will use the Ribbon interface to enhance discoverability of commands and bring relevant commands to users depending on their file selection Windows Explorer will feature a new user interface for copying and moving files, offering both a simplified interface and an advanced interface for users to monitor the speed of the operations. Users now view all simultaneous file operations in one consolidated window, and can pause file operations in progress. A new interface has also been introduced for managing file name collisions in a file operation, allowing users to easily control which conflicting files are copied. Windows Explorer can now mount ISO, IMG, and VHD files as virtual drives through simple right-clicks or the Explorer toolbar as compared to Windows 7 where VHDs could be mounted in a less-discoverable way.

Task Manager
A new version of Windows Task Manager replaces the version found in earlier versions of Windows (though the old version is also included) The following changes were made: 1. The tabs are hidden by default. This view only shows applications 2. Resource utilization in the Processes tab is shown with various shades of yellow, with darker color representing heavier use.

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3. The Performance tab is split into CPU, memory, disk, Ethernet, and wireless network (if applicable) sections. There are overall graphs for each, and clicking on one reaches details for that particular resource 4. The CPU tab now displays simple percentages on heat-mapping tiles to display utilization for systems with many (64 or more, up to 640) logical processors. The colour used for these heat maps is blue, with darker colour again indicating heavier utilization 5. The Processes tab now lists application names, application status, and overall usage data for CPU, memory, hard disk, and network resources for each process

New logon methods

Pin
Instead of typing a password, users can create a 4-digit PIN for easy logon to the computer. This feature is optimized for tablet PCs, but it is also available to desktop and laptop users.

Picture Password
Another authentication method, the picture password, allows users to use a set of gestures in the selected picture to login. However, the shapes and gestures are limited to tapping and tracing a line or circle. Wrong gestures will always deny a login, and it will lock out the PC after five unsuccessful attempts, until a text password is provided.

New easy restore

It comes with two new recovery functions, namely Refresh and Reset, both of which make a complete restore easier than a re-installation. Refresh keeps all settings & files of the user intact and only reverses all changes to Windows files to its original state and removes all installed programs and apps. Reset deletes all files and effectively reinstalls Windows, but without any additional user input such as agreeing to license agreements or selecting a hard disk required. After a reset completes, the user will be asked for the product key and will then proceed to account creation.

Windows To Go
Windows To Go is an upcoming Windows 8 Enterprise feature that will allow users to create a bootable USB Flash drive (usually called a Live USB) with Windows 8 in it, including the user's programs, settings, and files. It is planned to work on both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0, and both on legacy BIOS and UEFI firmware. In addition to that, the

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system will freeze if the USB drive is removed, and will continue to operate if the USB drive is inserted in the next 60 seconds after removal.

Storage Spaces
Storage Spaces is a storage virtualization technology which succeeds Logical Disk Manager and allows the organization of physical disks into logical volumes similar to RAID1 or RAID5, but on a higher level. A storage space will behave like a physical disk to the user, with thin provisioning of available disk space. The spaces are organized within a storage pool, i.e. a collection of physical disks, which can span multiple disks of different sizes and different interfaces (USB, SATA, SAS). The process of adding new disks or replacing failed or older disks is fully automatic, but can be controlled with PowerShell commands. The same storage pool can host multiple storage spaces. Storage Spaces have built-in resiliency from disk failures, which is achieved by either mirroring or striping with parity across the physical disks. Each storage pool on the ReFS filesystem is limited to 4 PB (4096 TB), but there are no limits on total number of storage pools or the number of storage spaces within a pool.

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WINDOWS 8

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FEATURES REMOVED

Certain capabilities and programs that are present in Windows 7 are no longer present in Windows 8 or have changed. The following is a list of features that originated in earlier versions of Windows and included up to Windows 7 but not in Windows 8.

Windows Shell
Windows Explorer
1. The command bar in Windows Explorer has been removed in favor of the new Ribbon UI. 2. Windows Explorer metadata/property handler for media files is removed which means the Details pane won't show these properties 3. File operations like Rename, Delete can no longer be undone for UACprotected locations 4. Explorer silently merges subfolders in a copy operation, you cannot choose entire subfolders to skip or overwrite 5. The ability to enable both Details pane and Preview pane simultaneously in Explorer for display of file metadata as well as preview, or, Details pane to be always shown and only the Preview pane toggled is gone 6. The "Unblock" button previously available on the file properties dialog for unblocking downloaded files (removing the NTFS Alternate Data Stream from the downloaded file) has been removed.

Taskbar
1. The Start button has been removed in Windows 8 but still can be accessed by hovering and clicking in the bottom-left corner. 2. The Aero Peek icon has been removed to avoid confusion with the Charms.

Start menu
1. The Start Menu has been removed.

Search
1. The search option to use natural language search has been removed. 2. Pressing F3 in the desktop now opens the Search charm

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Other shell features

1. AutoPlay no longer has the option to open a particular program based on file type. 2. Log off has been renamed as "Sign Out"

Other Windows applications and features

1. Windows Briefcase has been removed 2. Some Audio Compression Manager (ACM) components are broken resulting in ACM-based apps being unable to do format conversion. 3. Windows Gadget Platform remains but the ability to download new gadget from the online Gadget Gallery has been removed as a result of the service being removed. This also affects Windows Vista and Windows 7 users as well. 4. Mouse control panel option to allow or disallow themes to change mouse pointers is removed from the GUI. 5. Microsoft Security Essentials settings for configuring default actions or realtime protection have been removed from Windows Defender which is based on Microsoft Security Essentials 6. Windows Update settings for showing notifications and allowing all users to install updates have been removed. Windows Update no longer notifies with a balloon notification that there are new updates available. 7. Sound events for 'Exit Windows', 'Windows Logon' and 'Windows Logoff' are removed and might be restored in the future. 8. Advanced Appearance settings which let you adjust colors, sizes and fonts has been removed 9. Flip 3D has been replaced thumbnails showing open Metro applications as well as the desktop if open 10. The AutoPlay dialog removes the option to always open a particular program based on the file type 11. Desktop games (Chess Titans, FreeCell, Hearts, Solitaire, Spider Solitaire, Minesweeper, Mahjong Titans, Purble Place) have been removed 12. Windows DVD Maker has been removed 13. Windows Basic, Windows Classic and Windows Standard themes have been removed. Windows Basic and Windows Standard themes are replaced by Aero Lite.

Logo
1. The Windows "flag" has been removed for a look that resembles the tiles used in the Metro UI.

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SECURITY

SmartScreen filter
SmartScreen is a set of sophisticated technologies to help protect us from malicious websites and programs. Whether were downloading or running a new program on the desktop, SmartScreen covers us. SmartScreen continues to provide protection from phishing and socially engineered malware attacks using URL and application reputation and removes unnecessary warnings for programs and publishers with an established reputation. To add another layer of protection, SmartScreen is now integrated with program launch to screen programs downloaded from the web. It also shows new warnings before higher-risk programs can run and will block known malware.

Windows Defender
To ensure legitimate antimalware protection to all users, Windows 8 provides Windows Defender. It monitors and protects against viruses and other malware in real time and detects and removes malware if our computer becomes infected. With Windows 8, third-party antimalware software becomes even more effective: by loading approved antimalware drivers during the boot process, antimalware software can start from a known good state and continue its vigilant watch over our PC from that point on.

Secured boot
Secured boot stops malware in its tracks and makes Windows 8 significantly more resistant to low-level attacks. Even when a virus has made it onto our PC, Windows will authenticate boot components to prevent any attempt to start malware before the operating system is up and running. If the component isnt correctly signed by Microsoft, Windows will begin remediation and start the Windows Recovery Environment, which will automatically try to fix our operating system.

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WINDOWS 8 FOR BUSINESS

The way people work has changed dramatically during the last decade. People use technology in the home and at work interchangeably. Theyre mobile and expect access from anywhere. Technology at home is rapidly becoming central and people dont want to give up the convenience of their personal devices and services when they enter the workplace. Built on the solid foundation of Windows 7, Windows 8 helps businesses unleash the full power of their employees while meeting their expectations of technology. With seamless connections to people and information, full-screen immersive apps, and built-in malware resistance, strong authentication, and data encryption, Windows 8 provides a great experience along with a more secure and manageable platform.

Ready and productive

With Windows 8, its easier for workers to get connected and stay connected. IT Pros can ensure that corporate data is safer and more secure.

Built-in mobile broadband features

In Windows 8 natively supports the 3G and 4G telecommunication that enable workers to connect to the Internet immediately. Windows 8 mobile broadband support can help businesses keep data usage costs low with built in mobile broadband metering. As mobile workers move between locations, Windows 8automatically uses Wi-Fi hotspots if theyre available.

Windows To Go
Windows 8 includes the capability to provide users with a full corporate copy of Windows (along with a users business apps, data, and settings) on a USB storage device. When users insert their device into any Windows 7 or Windows 8 compatible PC and restart the PC, they get their entire personal environment and can operate as a fully managed device. When they sign out, they can remove the USB device, and its ready to use on another PC.

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Windows Server 8 and Active Directory Domain Services

It allow remote users to more securely and seamlessly access resources inside of a corporate network through Direct Access, without having to launch a separate connection, such as a virtual private network (VPN), to the corporate network.

Better data security

Sensitive data is an asset that needs to be controlled and managed. With strong checks to ensure that operating system components are kept safer, malware and other types of malicious software have much less of a chance to take over a PC than ever before.

Trusted Boot
It validates the integrity of Windows as it starts. Secure Boot requires UEFI 2.3.1 firmware, and it can be used to help prevent any malware from starting before the operating system is up and running. Antimalware is loaded in advance of all noncritical Windows components. This means that malware, such as rootkits, are less able to hijack the boot process or hide from antimalware software.

Measured boot
It validates, signs, and stores boot information in the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip. This enables a remote service to validate a computers integrity. This process is called attestation.

BitLocker drive encryption

It helps protect corporate data on mobile PCs that include a TPM chip. BitLocker now encrypts hard drives more quickly, helping to keep data safe without significantly interrupting worker productivity.

AppLocker
It is ideal for businesses that currently use Group Policy to manage their Windows PCs. AppLocker is used to restrict the types of files that a user or a group is allowed to use. This helps protect users from inadvertently deleting or sharing sensitive corporate information.

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SmartScreen Services
These are a set of sophisticated technologies that help protect users from phishing and socially engineered malware attacks so they can browse the web with confidence. Additionally, when downloading a program from the web, SmartScreen uses reputation data to remove unnecessary warnings for well-known files and shows warnings when the download is at higher risk of being malicious.

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WINDOWS 8 FOR DEVELOPERS

Great apps start with great developers. Windows 8 gives the platform and tools to create rich app experiences where customers focus on tasks that are important to them. Apps are at the centre of the Windows 8 experience. Theyre alive with activity and vibrant content.

Windows Runtime and app model

The Windows Runtime (WinRT) is a straightforward set of APIs used to build Metro style apps. WinRT lets the developer build apps that look great and are intuitive for customers to use. WinRT APIs are available to developers in multiple languages, including JavaScript, C++, C#, and Visual Basic. The new Windows SDK for Metro style apps also includes a subset of traditional Win32, Component Object Model (COM), and .NET Framework APIs, as well as HTML5 and CSS3 APIs that are accessible to Metro style app developers.

Broad range of app programming languages

To build fully native and robust apps that make the most of a Windows 8-based PC, they can develop using web programming technologies or familiar Windows programming techniques. They can develop Windows Metro style apps using C++, C#, or Visual Basic, XAML mark-up for the user interface, with C++, C#, or Visual Basic for app logic. Game developers can build Metro style games using C++ and DirectX 11.1 to take full advantage of graphics hardware, or build casual games using HTML5 or XAML.

Graphics
DirectX gaming power underlies Windows 8, so they have several options when creating Metro style game apps. They can write full-screen, chrome-free games with smooth, flicker-free action using HTML5, JavaScript and CSS3. Or, write impressive 2D and lightweight 3D games using XAML with managed C# or Visual Basic. They can also use the full processing abilities of modern graphics hardware using native C++ and HLSL with DirectX 11.1.

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Developing for Internet Explorer 10

With the release of IE10, developers get even more support for HTML5, enabling them to create rich visual effects and animations with hardware accelerated CSS transitions, animations, 3D transformations, along with CSS3 text shadow, gradients, and SVG filter effects. Building increasingly sophisticated page layouts is possible with support for CSS3 grid, flexible box layout, multi-column, figures, CSS3 regions, and hyphenation, as well as HTML5 Forms and Input Controls.

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WINDOWS SERVER 8

Windows Server 2012, codenamed Windows Server 8, is the next release of Windows Server currently under development by Microsoft. It is the server version of Windows 8 and the successor to Windows Server 2008 R2. Windows Server 2012 will be the first version of Windows Server to have no support for Itanium-based computers since Windows NT 4.0. A developer preview (a pre-beta release) was released on 9 September 2011 to MSDN subscribers. On March 1, 2012, Microsoft issued a public beta (build 8250). On 17 April, Microsoft announced the product name would be Windows Server 2012.

System requirements
Microsoft has indicated that Windows Server 2012 will not support 32-bit (IA-32) or Itanium (IA-64) processors,[34] but has not officially released any other system requirements, except for the beta. The following system requirements are for the beta, and are subject to change in the final release.

Architecture Processor RAM Hard Disk Free Space

x86 x64 (64 bits) 1.4 GHz 512 MB 32 GB

Upgrades from Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 are supported, though upgrades to subsequent releases will not be supported.

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WINDOWS STORE

Windows Store is an upcoming digital distribution platform developed by Microsoft Corporation as part of Windows 8 for Metro style apps. The Windows Store will also allow developers to advertise their desktop apps. It will support both free and paid applications, with the paid applications ranging from $1.49 to $999.99. Developers will also be able to offer free trials. The Windows Store was made available concurrently with the release of the Windows 8 Consumer Preview which was released on February 29, 2012. On September 13, 2011, day one of the BUILD developer conference, Microsoft Windows President Steven Sinofsky announced the Windows Store app and its features and demonstrated the store. The Windows Store will be the only means of distributing Metro-style apps to users; the official reason is to allow Microsoft to scan apps for security flaws and malware. The Windows Store will take a 30% cut of application sales. Once an application reaches $25,000 USD in revenue, the cut drops to 20%. In-app third-party transactions are also allowed, of which Microsoft does not take a cut. Individual developers will be able to register for $49 USD and $99 USD for companies.

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LOGO

On February 18, 2012, Microsoft confirmed that in Windows 8 the Windows logo will be significantly updated to reflect the new Metro design language. The logo was designed by Pentagram partner Paula Scher. The formerly flag-shaped logo has been transformed into four window panes, perspective was added, and the entire logo will be rendered in a single solid colour, which will depend on the user's personalization changes.

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EDITIONS

Windows 8 has four editions, each with varying feature sets. Unlike Windows 7, there are no Starter, Ultimate, Home Premium, or Home Basic editions. All editions have the ability to use language packs, enabling multiple user interface languages. This functionality was previously only available in Windows 7 Ultimate or Enterprise.

Editions
Windows 8
Windows 8 is the basic edition of Windows for the x86 and x86-64 architectures. This edition contains features aimed at the home market segment and provides all of the basic new, Windows 8 features including the Start screen with semantic zoom, live tiles, Windows Store, Internet Explorer 10, connected standby, Microsoft account integration, the Windows desktop, and more.

Windows 8 Pro
Windows 8 Pro succeeds Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate and is targeted towards enthusiasts and business users; it includes all the features of Windows 8. Additional features include operating as a Remote Desktop server, the ability to participate in a Windows Server domain, Encrypting File System, Hyper-V, and Virtual Hard Disk Booting, Group Policy as well as BitLocker and BitLocker To Go.

Windows 8 Enterprise
Windows 8 Enterprise provides all the features in Windows 8 Pro, with additional features to assist with IT organization. This edition will only be available to Software Assurance customers.

Windows RT
Windows RT will only be available pre-installed on ARM-based devices such as tablet PCs, and was named for the Windows Runtime (WinRT) development platform that Microsoft is introducing in Windows 8. It will include touch-optimized desktop versions of the basic set of Office 15 applications to users-- Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote, and support device encryption capabilities. Several business-focused features such as Group Policy and domain support are not included.
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Upgrade compatibility
Windows 8 edition Windows 8 Pro and Enterprise

Windows RT Windows 7 edition

Windows 8

Ultimate Clean install only Professional Home Premium Home Basic Starter Upgrade impossible In-place upgrade possible In-place upgrade possible

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CONCLUSION

Hence it can be concluded that Windows 8 is much better than Windows 7. It is user friendly and has much better and advanced interface. It is much secured and takes less time for booting. Though Windows 7 will be giving a tight competition but the features of Windows 8 would surely affect the overall performance of Windows 7. The release date for Windows 8 has been set for October 2012. Finally after much review it is clear that Windows 8 will bring a change in our computer. We are all ready to dive in it.

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REFERENCE Windows 8 Developers Guide Windows 8 Consumers Guide www.zdnet.com http://ultrawindow.nl http://windows.microsoft.com http://www.pcadvisor.com http://www.thinkdigit.com http://blogs.msdn.com http://www.withinwindows.com http://msdn.microsoft.com http://winsupersite.com http://mcpmag.com http://www.bbc.co.uk

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