Seminar in Windows 8

NNAMDI AZIKIWE UNIVERSITY, AWKA

FACULTY OF PHYSICAL SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

A SEMINAR RESEARCH ON

WINDOWS 8, THE RE-IMAGING OF THE WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM

PRESENTED BY

UMEH CHIZOBA NNAMDI

2008514604

TO

DR. ANIGBOGU S.O

LECTURER IN-CHARGE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

(CSC 441)

SUPERVISOR: DR. ODO

FEBUARY 6, 2012

WINDOWS 8, THE RE-IMAGING OF THE WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM 2012

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Contents CHAPTER ONE ........................................................................................................................................... 4

INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 4

1.1 What is an operating system (O.S)? ................................................................................................... 4

1.2 Previous versions of Microsoft Windows O.S. .................................................................................. 1

1.3 Step to Windows 8- Flaws of Existing Windows OS: ........................................................................ 3

CHAPTER TWO .......................................................................................................................................... 4

FIELD WORK ............................................................................................................................................. 4

2.1 METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION ............................................................................................... 4

2.2 FIELD WORK REPORTS ................................................................................................................. 4

2.2.1 Usage levels of various operating systems as at 2011? .............................................................. 4

2.2.2 Which version of Windows is currently running in your IT operation?....................................... 5

2.2.3 Is anyone really using Windows 8's preview? ............................................................................. 5

2.2.4 What components of windows 8 are usually downloaded? ....................................................... 7

CHAPTER THREE ............................................................................................................................................ 8

3.0 ANALYSIS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION ............................................................................. 8

3.1 The windows 8 beautiful user interface ............................................................................................. 8

3.1.1 Metro style .................................................................................................................................. 8

3.1.2 The new starts screen .................................................................................................................. 8

3.1.3 Touch keyboard ........................................................................................................................... 9

3.1.4 One Windows – many shapes ..................................................................................................... 9

3.2.0 Windows 8 Applications ................................................................................................................ 10

3.2.1 Your apps come with you .......................................................................................................... 10

3.2.2 Apps can work together ............................................................................................................ 11

3.2.3 Always on and always connected .............................................................................................. 11

3.2.4 Internet Explorer 10: the web by touch .................................................................................... 11

3.2.5 Windows Store .......................................................................................................................... 12

3.3.0 Desktop appearance ...................................................................................................................... 13

3.3.1 Compatibility ............................................................................................................................. 13

3.4.0 More for power users .................................................................................................................... 13

3.4.1 File management with ease ...................................................................................................... 13


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3.4.2 Task Manager ............................................................................................................................ 14

3.4.3 Multi-monitor options ............................................................................................................... 14

3.4.4 Push-Button Reset ..................................................................................................................... 15

3.4.5 Windows Update ....................................................................................................................... 15

3.5.0 Windows application support in windows 8 ................................................................................. 16

3.5.1 Shell integration ............................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

3.5.2 Building for the tailored web ......................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

3.5.3 Live Connect .................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

3.5.4 Windows Push Notification Service ............................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

3.5.4 Contact Picker ................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

3.5.6 Visual Studio 2011, Express, and Expression Blend work perfectly with Windows 8 ............... 16

3.5.7: Build on the broad reach of the Windows Store .......................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

3.6.0 Fundamentals, devices and security of windows 8: ...................................................................... 17

3.6.1 Fundamental System requirements .......................................................................................... 18

3.6.2 Wi-Fi and mobile broadband ..................................................................................................... 18

3.6.3 Metro style device apps ............................................................................................................ 18

3.6.4 Class drivers ............................................................................................................................... 19

3.6.4 Cryptography made simple ....................................................................................................... 19

3.6.5 Windows Defender .................................................................................................................... 20

3.6.6 Secured boot ............................................................................................................................. 20

3.7.0 A business perspective of windows 8 ............................................................................................ 20

3.7.1 Data security and management ................................................................................................ 21

3.8.0 Performance Flaws of Windows 8 Developer Preview. ................................................................ 22

3.9.0 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 24

Bibliography ............................................................................................................................................... 25


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CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

1.1 What is an operating system (O.S)? In this phases, we’ll introduce the key Microsoft Windows 8 developer preview which is

the current successor to windows 7 operating system where an operating system acts as

an interface between user and hardware of a computer system providing an environment

in which a user may execute programs (Douglas A. Downing, 2009), Defined by the

following basic features.

Process management

Interrupts

Memory management

Virtual file system

Device drivers

Networking

Security

Graphical user interface

Windows 8 is Microsoft’s newest operating system, which current release is as a full

featured preview version which can be downloaded online for free at

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/br229516 depending on your PC

architecture that is 32bit, 64bit or 128bit. It will come to notice that more than two out of

three PCs today are mobile devices—laptops, net books, notebooks, tablets, and slates.

Nearly every PC is capable of wireless connectivity. Screens range from under ten inches

to wall-mounted monitors to multiple HD screens. Storage has grown from megabytes to

terabytes and is moving to the cloud. Multi-core processing and powerful graphics are

normal. Touch screen mobile phones with the rich capabilities they bring together have

changed the way we view computing. The explosion of social technologies, cloud-based

services, and access to web services through apps give people powerful new ways to

connect and share. Modern computing focuses much more on people and apps than on

the operating system. These changes in the landscape motivated the most significant

changes to Windows. Bring in windows 8 with the users as the center of development.

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1

But reimaging Windows doesn’t mean starting over from scratch. Windows 7

fundamentals like speed, reliability, security, and compatibility make it the best operating

system Microsoft has ever created. The next version of Windows (codenamed Windows

8) (Microsoft, 2012) is being designed to build on what is great about Windows 7,

delivering richer security features, faster startup, and longer battery life that runs on a

wider choice of devices and chipsets. Windows 8 extends these fundamental features

with a new touch-optimized interface. Windows 8 also provides the platform to create a

whole new generation of full-screen apps that are based on modern web standards and

available through the new Windows Store. Microsoft has redesigned the Windows

experience and built on everything we already love.

1.2 Previous versions of Microsoft Windows O.S. But before we get all excited of this great step by Microsoft we should carefully take a

walk through of windows development.

Release date Product name Notes Last IE

May 1990 Windows 3.x Unsupported 5

July 1993 Windows NT Unsupported 5

August 1995 Windows 95 Unsupported 5.5

June 1998 Windows 98 Unsupported 6

February 2000 Windows 2000 No longer supported 6

September 2000 Windows Me

Extended Support until

July 13, 2010[2] 6

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Explorer�

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_3.x�

http://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Internet_Explorer_5&action=edit&redlink=1�

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NT�


http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_95�






http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Me�



2

October 2001 Windows XP

Current for SP2 and SP3

(RTM and SP1

unsupported).

8

November 2006

(volume licensing)

January 2007

(retail)

Windows Vista

Current. Version Changed

to NT 6.0.6001 with SP1

(February 4 08)

8

July 2007 Windows Home

Server

Current 8

February 2008 Windows Server

2008

Current 8

October 22, 2009 Windows 7

Current. Changed to NT

7.7001 Upgraded to service

pack 1.

9

September 13, 2011 Windows 8 developer

preview Current. With NT. 8.1020 10

TABLE 1:Table of windows versions

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http://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Software_release_life_cycle&action=edit&redlink=1�

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Explorer_8�

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Vista�


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http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Server_2008�

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1.3 Step to Windows 8- Flaws of Existing Windows OS: This research work seek way of improving the users experience of windows

operating system, to present what the users will require of Microsoft in the upcoming

release of windows.

Users have harbored talks on the windows users interface quality, the applications

they wished to come with windows at default, how they want their desktop appearance,

the applications that fail to run properly in previous versions of windows, the file

management of windows, device driver support, security, performance in areas of boot

time, memory usage, power consumption and other areas. This works takes their plight

into consideration to find out from the users and Microsoft to know what should stand to

make the windows experience a wonderful one.


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CHAPTER TWO FIELD WORK

2.1 METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION This encompasses my activities to assemble data necessary for this research. I used

the method of online observation to collect the basic data I needed to check the level of

interest and the level of awareness of the general public on windows 8 arrival to analyze

vulnerabilities and suggest solutions to maximize the efficiency of the windows

experience at the final release. I further collected data from related researches on

windows 8 also information from Microsoft sites were collected which we shall see soon.

2.2 FIELD WORK REPORTS From the sample data collected from the online community involving users and

technology enthusiasts. I will break up the sections to present the data.

2.2.1 Usage levels of various operating systems as at 2011?

Source: http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_os.asp w3schools.com OS

Platform Statistics (w3schools.com, 2012)

The above result shows that windows Operating system is a very active member in the

operating system industry as it currently controls over 4/5th. The arrival of windows 8

http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_os.asp�


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will be popular news that everyone will like to know more about, as the world awaits the

manifestation of windows 8.

2.2.2 Which version of Windows is currently running in your IT operation?

Sources:

2.2.3 Is anyone really using Windows 8's preview?

Computerworld (Mitchell, 2011) online survey; 210 respondents.

The number of current downloads of windows 8 ranks at 3 million by Microsoft record.

From the trend we see that work has to be done to convince the users to switch over as

the windows XP OS still has more users than the current windows 7.

Source: Chitika (Shailpik, 2011) the ad network recently reported a clear drop in activity

from Windows 8 Developer Preview users and expressed surprise over it.

Although millions have downloaded Microsoft's Windows 8 developer preview,

relatively few are actually using it, Web measurements show. During November,

http://www.computerworld.com/s/topic/125/Windows/Survey%20results_%20Economy%20delays%20Windows%207%20implementation%20-%20Computerworld.mht�


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Windows 8 powered 0.03% of the computers -- or three out of every 10,000 -- that

connected to the Internet, according to data from California-based Net Applications.

That's a small increase from the 0.02% Windows 8 garnered in October, the first full

month after Microsoft released a developer preview of the still-under-construction OS to

the public. But Windows 8's current numbers pale in comparison to Windows 7's very

early returns three years ago. Microsoft released the first beta of Windows 7 on January

9, 2009 -- it never offered a developer preview to the general public -- and after a server-

side overload, restarted downloads the next day. Three weeks later, Windows 7

accounted for 0.13% of all operating systems, or more than four times what Windows 8

has accrued in two-and-a-half months. The download numbers for the two are roughly

comparable. Microsoft said that over three million copies of Windows 8 had been

downloaded between Sept. 13 and Dec. 7, 2011.

Data from Chitika, which recently mined its online ad-serving network to measure

Windows 8 uptake, suggested that its use has slipped since the preview's launch.

According to Chitika, “Windows 8's share of all Windows traffic ranged between 0.015%

and 0.025% during the week of Dec. 4-12, lower than the 0.035% peak it measured the

week after the preview's debut”.


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2.2.4 What components of windows 8 are usually downloaded?

A chart representing download of windows 8 component (softpedia, 2012) 2/4/2012

1. Windows 8 Developer Preview Build 8102 M3 by Microsoft

2. Windows 8 Transformation Pack 2.0 by Windows X

3. Windows 8 Desktop Clock for Windows 7 1.0.0.0 by Yudhistira Vidhiatama

4. Windows 8 Developer Preview Tweaker 1.0.0.0 by Yudhistira Vidhiatama

5. Windows 8 Desktop Watermark 1.0.0.0 by Yudhistira Vidhiatama

6. 8 Skin Pack 9.0 by Hamed

7. Windows 8 UX Pack 3.5

8. Windows 8 Developer Preview Metro style app samples by Microsoft

9. Windows 8 Developer Preview Wallpapers by Microsoft

The above analysis shows how users of softpedia value the presentation of windows

components with the “transformation pack” taking a lead it shows a great likeness to the

windows 8 appearance.

44,342

14,085,105

5,107 1,114 1,130 55,225 24,985 597 2,011

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

0

2,000,000

4,000,000

6,000,000

8,000,000

10,000,000

12,000,000

14,000,000

16,000,000

Series1


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CHAPTER THREE ANALYSIS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION

3.1 The windows 8 beautiful user interface

3.1.1 Metro style Windows 8 introduces a new interface known as Metro style interface, which shows the

information important to you, embodies simplicity, and gives you control. The interface

is a personalized layout with clean typography and animations to make interacting with

your PC1

Figure 1: See your applications and content at a glance on the Start screen

fluid and intuitive. This new interface is built for touch. With touch, you can do

what you want to do quickly and naturally. The new Start screen puts all of your apps in

front of you for immediate access. You don’t have to remember where things are.

Windows 8 is optimized for easier navigation so moving around the operating system is

close to effortless with either a finger, or a mouse and keyboard.

3.1.2 The new starts screen The new Start screen gives you a fast way to interact with all of your apps and content.

The tiles are alive with information, showing you what’s going on at any time. 1 Personal Computer


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Information that you care about like the weather, your friends’ status updates, and the top

movie in your Netflix queue, your next calendar appointment — is all there at a glance.

You can personalize your Start screen with shortcuts to your favorite things, like

websites, a playlist, or photo albums. You decide where you want things on the screen

and how you want them grouped. You can optimize for efficiency by adding speed

bumps between groups of apps so that you don’t have to swipe back and forth when

you’re panning through your Start screen.

3.1.3 Touch keyboard Windows 8 has two touch keyboards for ultimate mobility and flexibility. An improved,

full-sized touch keyboard with larger buttons and a unique thumb keyboard make it easy

to use your computer on the go. Whether you’re walking around or sitting down, it’s

more comfortable and natural to type using your thumbs when the keyboard is split. The

touch keyboard in Windows 8 includes several features to speed up your typing and make

it more accurate. Improved keyboard technology is designed to minimize inaccurate key

strokes while automatically correcting mistyped words without slowing you down. To

make typing more efficient, Windows suggests words on screen as you type, allowing

you to choose the suggested word with a single tap. The keyboard adapts to different

languages. Your input and language settings automatically apply to the whole computer

rather than to just specific programs.

3.1.4 One Windows – many shapes Support for ARM2

2 Windows combined with the scalability of the low-power ARM architecture, the market expertise of ARM silicon partners and the extensive SoC talent within the broad ARM ecosystem will enable innovative platforms to realize the future of computing, ultimately creating new market opportunities and delivering compelling products to consumers.

-based chipsets, touch, and sensors makes Windows 8 work beautifully

on your choice of a full spectrum of devices, such as 10-inch slates with all-day battery

life, ultra-lightweight laptops, and powerful all-in-ones with 27-inch high-definition

screens. Regardless of which device you use, improvements in the core of the Windows


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operating system result in faster boot time, more efficient app management, and

substantially reduced memory usage. Windows 8 is powerful and responsive.

3.2.0 Windows 8 Applications Metro style apps built for Windows 8 are beautiful, intuitive, and the focal point of your

experience, filling your entire screen so there are no distractions. Apps can adapt to a

variety of form factors and screen resolutions, such as thin slates or large monitors, and

can work on x86, x64, and ARM platforms. Apps work together, making it easy to

search, share, and send content between them. When you ‘reconnected to the Internet,

your apps come alive with activity and show you the latest content so that you can stay

up to date at a glance.

Windows 8 gives you the important apps you need for your daily life, including a touch

browser. And Windows Store delivers everything you expect for getting apps. You’ll find

the apps you want. You can be confident that they’re very safe because Microsoft screen

them. You’ll enjoy the flexibility of browsing, downloading, and buying or trying (if

available).

Your apps are ready for you on any Windows 8 PC you use—desktop, laptop, tablet—

whether yours, a friend’s, or a family member’s. With a connected account, you can

download your apps and use them wherever you are.

3.2.1 Your apps come with you When you sign in with your connected Microsoft account to another PC running

Windows 8, your Metro style apps and settings go with you, so it’s just like you’re using

your own PC. You’ll also be signed in to all of the websites you were signed in to. Your

connected account is like a portable, personal PC that appears on any Windows 8-based

PC you’re using. You’re always ready to pick back up where you left off no matter where

you are.


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3.2.2 Apps can work together Apps can communicate with each other in Windows 8. So, if you want to send pictures in

email, and they’re in different places like Facebook, Flickr, or on your hard drive, you

can easily pick and send the ones you want.

Figure 2: Pick the files you want to send or share from one place

3.2.3 Always on and always connected Metro style apps run and stay up to date even when the PC is on standby. When you’re

connected to the Internet, you’ll receive information updates, email, VoIP calls, instant

messages, and be able to stream music or other content in the background. When

Windows comes out of standby, your apps don’t need time to catch up.

3.2.4 Internet Explorer 10: the web by touch Metro style Internet Explorer 10 provides a fast and fluid touch-first browsing experience

that’s all about your sites, making them feel increasingly more app-like. With faster

performance, leading security protection, more hardware acceleration, and site-ready

HTML5 support, IE10 continues to allow developers to build a richer and more beautiful

web.


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figure 3: Touch browsing is fast, fluid, and intuitive

The Metro style interface of Internet Explorer 10 is cleaner and the browser gets out of

the way, so the focus is on your favorite sites. The navigation bar appears only when you

want it, so there’s more room for your sites. A ready-when-you-need-it touch keyboard is

intelligently integrated into the browser. Like IE9 on Windows 7, you can pin your

favorite websites to the new Windows Start screen. This makes them feel more like an

app because you can access them with a single tap. And if your favorite site has a Metro

style appealable, IE10 lets you know so you can just switch to the app if you want.

3.2.5 Windows Store The new Windows Store features great apps you might be familiar with and others you’ll

love getting to know. It’s easy for you to find the apps you want, ranging from exciting

new games, to the productivity tools you already know and trust on Windows.

You can browse and compare thousands of apps—Microsoft make it easy for you by

grouping apps in familiar categories, highlighting frequently downloaded apps, and

showing how other users have rated what they’ve purchased. For many apps, you can try


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before buying if you’re a bit skeptical. Once you’ve decided, you can buy with peace of

mind, knowing that downloaded apps have been screened and checked for viruses. And

you can install your purchased apps on up to five Windows 8 PCs.

3.3.0 Desktop appearance On x86 and x64 PCs, the apps you’re used to using, like Microsoft Office Word and

Excel, CAD/CAM, and Adobe Photoshop, still run on the desktop the way they always

have. When you want to use one of these apps, you can get to it right from your Start

screen. You simply tap and go. Windows opens your app on the desktop, and you can use

touch or your keyboard and mouse.

3.3.1 Compatibility On x86 and x64 PCs, Windows 8 supports Windows 7 desktop applications and devices

so you don’t have to compromise or give up what you’re used to. On these PCs, your

existing Windows 7-based applications just work.

3.4.0 More for power users If you want to push the limits of your PC experience, Microsoft has invested in the

features most often used by power users. Microsoft redesigned Windows Explorer and

Task Manager to greatly enhance productivity, and developed new, flexible options for

multi-monitor setups.

3.4.1 File management with ease Microsoft has enhanced Windows Explorer to make file navigation and common file

management tasks Straightforward. The ribbon organizes Explorer’s rich functionality,

surfacing previously buried features and has new commands like ISO3

3 This is standard for saving files as CD/DVD drive images with the extension as .ISO

mounting and

single-window move or copy. Microsoft has brought back a long-lost favorite: the Up

button. Microsoft also introduced a new enhanced copy experience so you can view and

manage all of your file operations in one place.


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3.4.2 Task Manager The new Task Manager is your easy-to-use, all-in-one dashboard for monitoring and

controlling your PC so you always know what’s going on with it. The information is

presented in color-coded tiles to help draw your eye to items that are using the bulk of a

resource. You can keep track of your system efficiently and in real-time, taking

advantage of summary graphs and detailed information on processes, applications, and

history. You can see the services associated with each process on one screen.

figure 4: Task Manager shows you how your PC is performing

3.4.3 Multi-monitor options Using multiple monitors is more flexible than ever before. New options allow you to

display the Start screen on one monitor and the desktop on the other. Display different

desktop backgrounds on each monitor or stretch your image across both. There are also

options to have duplicate or unique task bars on each monitor.


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figure 5: Multiple monitors now work as one big workspace

3.4.4 Push-Button Reset There’s nothing more frustrating than having a major PC failure and spending hours

reconstructing your computer’s original state or paying to have someone do the work for

you. Windows 8 comes with a number of options to restore your PC to its original state.

You can do a basic reset, which gives you an easy option to restart fresh while retaining

all of your documents, accounts, personal settings, and even the apps you’ve downloaded

from the Windows Store. Windows 8 also provides some new, advanced options. You

can do a complete reset, which restores the PC to the state it was in when originally

purchased. And you can also create a reset disk, which is great for power users who have

invested time to personalize and configure their PC. Restore from USB Key restores from

a thumb drive, saving space and giving you a convenient backup tool in the event that

your hard drive is damaged and needs to be replaced.

3.4.5 Windows Update Nobody likes to be interrupted when they’re in the middle of doing something important.

At the same time, it’s important that you keep your PC up to date. Windows 8 takes care

of keeping your computer up to date, including most maintenance activities, without

getting in your way. You won’t be slowed down by interruptions, and your PC will keep

performing well.


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3.5.0 Windows application support in windows 8 Great apps start with great developers. Windows 8 gives you the platform and tools to

create rich app experiences where your customers focus on tasks that are important to

them. Apps are at the center of the Windows 8 experience. They’re alive with activity

and vibrant content. Your customers immerse themselves in your full-screen, Metro style

app allowing them to focus on their content rather than on the operating system.

Signing up to sell your app through Windows Store means you can tap into the broad

customer reach of Windows, which spans markets around the world. You’ll draw from a

wealth of new tools and services so you can develop and deploy apps faster and more

profitably. Of course, you can also reach and engage new customers using the commerce

platform of your choice.

With Windows 8 you can leverage your existing skills and code assets to create great

experiences for your customers.

• Web developers can use their HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript skills to build native

applications for Windows.

• NET Developers can use XAML, C#, and Visual Basic to build beautiful Metro

style apps.

• Game developers can use the power of DirectX 11.1 to build amazing, immersive

gaming experiences.

• Driver developers can use the new, integrated Microsoft Visual Studio

development environment to increase productivity.

With Windows 8, you’re ready to imagine, build, and sell the next great app.

3.5.1 Visual Studio 2011, Express, and Expression Blend work perfectly with Windows 8 Microsoft Visual Studio 2011 Express is a free, lightweight version of the powerful

Visual Studio integrated development environment (IDE). Visual Studio Express is

packaged with Expression Blend, a visual design tool that helps you work with HTML5

and XAML. Expression Blend also gives you accesses to Windows control sand an


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integrated tool to profile user interfaces. To help you write games in DirectX and HLSL,

Visual Studio Express has a new graphics authoring and debugging IDE. If you write

device drivers, Visual Studio Express now integrates a full set of tools and interfaces to

help you write, build, compile, sign, test, debug, and verify drivers, along with tools to

port your existing driver files to new Visual Studio Express project and solution files.

figure 6: Visual Studio helps you develop Metro style apps

3.6.0 Fundamentals, devices and security of windows 8: Windows 8 is built on the rock-solid foundation of Windows 7, and it features many

improvements in performance, security, privacy, and system reliability. Everything that

consumers, developers, and IT pros have come to love about Windows 7 is still there –

only better. Refinements to the kernel improve system responsiveness, security, and

performance. Improvements in the driver model and tools chain for driver development

improve system stability and reliability. And Windows now runs on ARM devices as well

asx86 and x64. You’ll benefit from innovative security features and your apps run faster

on Windows 8.


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3.6.1 Fundamental System requirements Windows 8 works great on the same hardware that powers Windows Vista and Windows

7:

1 gigahertz or faster 32-bit or processor

1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)

16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)

DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver of course, taking advantage

of touch input requires a screen that supports multi-touch.

Apps run on ARM, x86, and x64 architectures

In addition to running on x86 and x64 devices, Windows 8 delivers even greater

flexibility by running on ARM devices. Depending on the technology you use, write your

Metro style apps once and they can run on any supported architecture. You can also take

advantage of the unique capabilities of your customers’ PCs.

3.6.2 Wi-Fi and mobile broadband Windows 8 improves mobile network connectivity by making it easier to use Wi-Fi

hotspots as an alternative to mobile broadband connections. Windows 8 treats a mobile

broadband network as a metered connection. Windows 8 also includes an integrated set

of radio controls so you can turn network radios on and off, as well as control all of them

at once via a convenient ‘flight mode’ switch.

3.6.3 Metro style device apps Device companion apps launch when a user connects a Windows certified device, like a

camera or TV, to a Windows 8 PC. Hardware manufacturers can now use the device

metadata XML to specify a Metro style device app that automatically downloads and

launches when the device is plugged into the PC. These apps can provide more enjoyable

customer experiences, such as sharing photos from a camera or connecting to asocial

network. Plus you don’t have to manage app distribution and updates. You can even


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design the Metro style device app to provide a unique experience for each country or

region.

3.6.4 Class drivers Windows 8 includes new built-in drivers that support a broad range of devices, including

printers, sensors, touch-input devices, and displays. That means that, in many cases, you

won’t even need to produce a device driver to accompany your hardware because

Windows provides a class driver for you. When users set up their device, it will just

work.

The new HID class driver supports common sensors such as heat, light, temperature,

pressure, current, and motion. In addition, this driver allows a hardware manufacturer to

integrate unique sensors, like a blood-pressure monitor or a glass-breakage sensor.

3.6.4 Cryptography made simple Cryptography is now much easier to use. A simplified programming interface enables

you to effortlessly encrypt, decrypt, and digitally sign content. You can also create

certificate requests and install issued certificates. You can use certificates stored locally

or on smart cards.

If your web service is secured using, for example, SSL and is using the new APIs to

develop a Metro style app that can use your service, you can easily create and install

certificates that are specific to your package. This can help ensure a seamless and error-

free experience for your customers without requiring you to purchase certificates from a

certification authority.

Smart Screen filters: is a set of sophisticated technologies to help protect you from

malicious websites and programs. Whether you’re downloading or running a new

program on the desktop, Smart Screen has you covered. Smart Screen continues to

provide protection from phishing and socially engineered malware attacks using URL

and application reputation and removes unnecessary warnings for programs and


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publishers with an established reputation. To add another layer of protection, Smart

Screen 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.

3.6.5 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 your 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 your PC from that point on.

3.6.6 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 your PC, Windows will

authenticate boot components to prevent any attempt to start malware before the

operating system is up and running. If the component isn’t correctly signed by Microsoft,

Windows will begin remediation and start the Windows Recovery Environment, which

will automatically try to fix your operating system.

3.7.0 A business perspective of windows 8 To help companies unleash the full power of their workforce, Windows 8 puts people at

the center of every experience. This means enabling personalized and seamless

connections to people and information while helping to protect sensitive data from device

to data center with built-in malware resistance, strong authentication, and data

encryption. Windows 8 works with today’s hardware. Combined with tools that simplify

compatibility testing and deployment, Windows 8 works with your existing client

management infrastructure including compliance and security processes. It helps IT pros


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keep their systems running smoothly and securely. With Windows 8, business users can

seamlessly connect to content, devices, and people that are important for work. With

Windows To Go users will experience increased mobility and business continuity without

the need to carry a laptop or tablet. An encrypted USB device will securely start their

managed business desktop with access to corporate resources from any computer capable

of running Windows 8, virtually anywhere. Direct Access helps remote users to securely

access resources within a corporate network – such as SharePoint sites, line of business

applications, and file shares – without the need for a user-initiated connection back to the

corporate network. Windows 8 also uses metered connection services that inform users

about paid data usage, and enables users and apps to optimize for cost and bandwidth.

3.7.1 Data security and management Businesses can better protect business data throughout the data creation, storage, and

access lifecycle. PCs running Windows 8 can better resist malware because of a trusted

boot-up process that automatically repairs drivers and reinforces policies—with no action

required from users. IT pros can require new apps to run in restricted environments,

reducing user down-time and the theft of sensitive data. Data encryption is improved as

well. Windows 8 enables an always-on data encryption mechanism, running in the

background to help ensure that data is safe even when the device is lost. Windows 8

includes easy-to use tools so IT pros can identify accepted and forbidden apps run on

business computers. Windows 8 simplifies access control management to help ensure the

right people have access to appropriate data across corporate infrastructure.

AppLocker: AppLocker contains new capabilities that enable it to manage both desktop and Metro style applications. IT pros can create security policies that allow or deny specific applications from being run by specific users or groups of users.

BitLocker: Windows 8 delivers a rich set of improvements in BitLocker that help

businesses reduce the risk of unauthorized data access. For Windows 8 business

customers, BitLocker delivers better performance than today’s software-only encryption


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by supporting fast, hardware encrypting drives. BitLocker only encrypts sectors that have

data, incrementally encrypting the drive as free space is used. The user experience is

improved through hard drive pre-encryption with clear key and standard user pin reset.

Measured Boot: Windows can further validate the boot process beyond Secured Boot.

The startup processes are now signed, protected, and measured. They’re then stored in the

TPM chip to prevent root kit or malware infection. For TPM-based systems, Windows 8

will perform a comprehensive chain of measurements during the boot process, called

measured boot, which can be used to validate the boot process to prevent root kits and

other malware.

3.8.0 Performance Flaws of Windows 8 Developer Preview. The current preview release has recorded some flaws which users want Microsoft to be

aware of these include:

Force shutdown crashes: users has reported that the preview version crashes when force

to shutdown using the power button, and in some cases calls for a reinstallation of the

operating system to come up again this has resulted in a decline on the current preview

users.

second up is the lack of proper multi-tasking or app switching in the new Windows 8. If,

for example, you have about 5 apps running simultaneously, and you want to copy-cut-

and-paste something from one app to another app there is no way to immediately do so.

Instead you have no choice but to sequentially flick through all the apps to access the app

you want to do your copying-and-pasting to (Carasig, 2011).

In previous Windows releases, rebooting and shutting down has been easy enough

through the Omni-present start button. But in Windows 8, it would take at least four

touches to reboot or shut down Windows 8 running on a tablet (Microsoft insists on

calling it a PC). The shutdown/reboot button is also obscurely hidden in the Settings


23

charm in the Metro System tray making it even more difficult for newbie Windows 8

users to figure out how to turn off the system.

Yet another classic feature which has been lost in Windows 8 is the Start Menu Search,

the one which lets the user look for anything on their PC by simply typing in a key word.

There is a new search feature in Windows 8 which requires users to right-flick and then

click, but it is limited to only searching for apps, settings or files.

Finally, and probably the biggest feature lost in Windows 8, is the death of the Start

Menu. Through the years, Windows users have been so familiar with Start Menu that it

has always been a given that all iterations of Windows will have one. Not so for

Windows 8. For Windows 8, the Start Menu has been replaced with the Start Screen -

metro tiles, desktop icons and nothing else. This could be very intimidating to newbie

Windows 8 users and will require them to re-acquaint themselves with the new interface

which, in itself, is seldom an easy task.

If Microsoft wants to keep its core followers and entice new ones, these flaws should be

addressed properly before it even thinks about releasing this version of Windows to the

masses.


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3.9.0 Conclusion I have to admit I am excited about the new Windows 8, though it is still a long way off

from being released to us mere mortals. However, all the previews and reviews I’ve been

reading have all been very favorable so far for the Redmond Company. So just what is it

that Microsoft are trying to hide?

Windows 8 is a total re-imagining for the world’s favorite OS, built as it is around the

Metro UI – which, in turn, has been optimized for touch input – presently familiar to

Windows 7/Mango phone users.

Though everything looks sunny on the outside for the new Windows 8, there is still that

palpable trepidation that users cannot verbally express right because they are still in awe

of their new re-imagined OS.

We must remember ( Microsoft, especially ) that almost all of Windows denizens have

been weaned on the safely familiar Windows 7 interface (since Windows 95) and as

expected, are looking for the comfort and ease of use they have become accustomed to in

the older versions of Windows.

Now comes a radically new user interface (at least for die-hard Windows users) that has

been built around a phone’s interface (much like Apple’s iOS) and has been optimized

for tactile input rather than the common keyboard-mouse tandem. Of course, this has

been an inevitable shift due to the all too common input combination to the modern and

more interactive (and natural) way of turning ideas to data through touch.

This, whilst being good, does have its flaws just the same, which could turn off long-time

Windows users, if not properly addressed.


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Bibliography Carasig, L. (2011, September 16). Serious Problems with Windows 8. Retrieved febuary 5, 2012, from massive link technology blog: http://tech.massivelinks.com/index.php/tech/article/serious-problems-with-windows-8

Douglas A. Downing, M. A. (2009). Dictionary of computer and Internet terms. In D. Downing, Dictionary of computer and Internet terms, TENTH EDITION (p. 343). 250 Wireless Boulevard, Hauppauge, NY 11788: Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.

Microsoft. (2012, febuary 5). Windows 8 news. Retrieved febuary 5, 2012, from windows: http://download.microsoft.com/download/1/E/4/1E455D53-C382-4A39-BA73-55413F183333/Windows_Developer_Preview-Windows8_guide.pdf

Mitchell, R. L. (2011, october 20). Survey results: Economy delays Windows 7 implementation. Retrieved febuary 4, 2012, from Computerworld: http://www.computerworld.com/s/topic/125/Windows/Survey results_ Economy delays Windows 7 implementation - Computerworld.mht

Shailpik. (2011, december 23). Windows 8 Statistics: Early Adopter Activity Shows Sharp Decline. Retrieved febuary 4, 2012, from windows 7 theme .net: http://windows7themes.net/category/windows-8-news

softpedia. (2012, febuary 4). Searching for_ windows 8 - Softpedia. Retrieved febuary 4, 2012, from softpedia: http://www.softpedia.com/dyn-search.php?search_term=windows%208

w3schools.com. (2012, febuary 4). OS Statistics. Retrieved febuary 4, 2012, from w3schools.com: http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_os.asp

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