Windows 8

 

 

Windows 8 Consumer Preview

It's Windows re imagined and reinvented from a solid core of Windows 7 speed and reliability. It's an all-new touch interface. It's a new Windows for new devices. The Windows 8 Consumer Preview is just that: a preview of what’s to come. It represents a work in progress, and some things will change before the final release.

 

What's new

Swipe, slide, and zoom

Touch a full-powered PC. It's fast and it's fluid. Take natural, direct, hands-on control.

Apps, front and center

Apps in Windows 8 work together to get things done faster. Get them from the Windows Store.

Do more with apps

The more apps you have, the better your experience. Apps can work together and share info, making it easier for you to do what you want.

Feel free to explore

There's an app for everyone. Browse lists of top apps, view staff recommendations, and get personalized picks based on apps you already own.

Your Windows, everywhere

Windows 8 can connect you to your files, photos, people, and settings, wherever you sign in.

Connected with the cloud

Your Windows, everywhere

Perfect it once, have it always. Sign in to any of your devices running Windows 8 and your personalized settings and apps are right there.

Connected to your people

Your apps light up with connections to your friends and family. Info from the services you connect to—Hotmail, Messenger, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and more—appears right inside the Mail, Messaging, and People apps.

Connected to your files

You use multiple PCs and a phone. Now you can connect across these devices to SkyDrive, Facebook, Flickr, and other services, so you can smoothly get to all your photos and files.

A new browser for a new Windows

 

Less browser, more web

Your entire screen is dedicated to your sites. There when you need them, tabs and navigation controls appear at the swipe of a finger. And with pinning, you can launch favorite sites from Start, right alongside your apps.

Fast and fluid

Built for speed, Internet Explorer brings you a faster web. Whether you're loading sites, sharing sites, or going from sites to apps, it all runs at a speed comparable to apps on your PC.

A more trusted web

More security, more privacy, more peace of mind: Building on innovations like SmartScreen and Tracking Protection, Internet Explorer is designed to give you greater control over your personal info and help keep you safe from the latest online threats.

Wall-to-wall web

Internet Explorer 10 Consumer Preview brings you immersive web browsing on screens big and small.

The familiar, made better 

Still devoted to your mouse and keyboard? Windows 8 makes the tried-and-true feel brand new.

Charms let you work faster

 

In Windows 8, we’ve built new, fast ways to get around the operating system and do common tasks. They’re called charms. Swipe in from the right edge of the screen or move your mouse to the upper-right corner, and the charms bar appears (you can also use the Windows key + C). The charms are the quickest way to navigate to key tasks in Windows 8. You can go to the Start screen, or use the charms for quick shortcuts to common tasks.

Search

Just like in Windows 7, with Windows 8, you can easily search for apps, settings, or files on your PC. And with the Search charm, searching now goes even deeper. You can search within apps and on the web, so you can find a specific email quickly in the Mail app, or see what a friend has put on Facebook using the People app. You can also get search results from within apps right from the Start screen. If the info you need is on the web, just choose Internet Explorer in your search results, and Search brings the results right to you. Apps designed specifically for Windows 8 can use the Search charm easily, so as you install more apps, you can find movie reviews or show times, opinions on restaurants, or even stock prices (just to name a few), without having to hunt around. If you’re using a keyboard, you can also search right from the Start screen – just start typing, and the results will appear. You can filter results to view apps or settings, or to search within individual apps.

Share

When I read something great on the web or see a picture that makes me laugh, I like to pass it on. The Share charm makes it incredibly easy. And just like with Search, apps can hook into Share easily, so you don’t have to jump in and out of an app to share great content. You can quickly send wise words with the Mail app or share a great photo on SkyDrive. The apps you use most often are listed first for quick access, and you can choose whether to share with just one person, or with all of your contacts at once.

Devices

The Devices charm lets you get to the devices you want to use so you can do things like getting photos from a digital camera, streaming video to your TV, or sending files to a device, all from one place. For example, if you’re watching a movie in the Video app and want to share it with everyone in room, the Devices charm lets you stream a video right to your Xbox to show it on your TV.

Settings

The Settings charm is the place to go for basic tasks like setting the volume or shutting down your PC. When you’re in an app, the Settings charm takes you to settings for that app, so you can set up email accounts, select options for sound and video, or choose a control setup for games. The Settings charm can also take you right to your PC settings so you can change themes, set up sharing with HomeGroup, or use Windows Update.

Switching apps and snapping

If you’re using touch, just swipe in from the left edge to go back to your last app, or keep swiping to go back through several apps. If you’re using a mouse, just move it to the upper-left corner to see your last app. You can also move your mouse down from the corner to see more recently used apps. Or you can try one of my favorite features: swipe in from the left, and then slide your last app out to the left or right side of the screen to snap it in place. Perfect for keeping your music controls up while you work, or keeping an eye on Twitter while you play a game.

Get apps from the Windows Store

So where do you go to get all these great apps? With the new Windows Store, you’ll be able to discover a variety of apps, all grouped in easy-to-find categories. Microsofthighlight apps Microsoftlove, provide quick access to frequently downloaded, high-quality apps, and show you how other people have rated apps.

Get a fresh start

No one likes to have computer problems, but sometimes things go wrong. With new options to refresh your PC, Windows 8 makes it simple to go back to a fresh installation of Windows without losing your personal files or settings, or any apps you’ve installed from the Windows Store. You don’t have to get out an installation disc or burn DVDs to back up your photos, videos, or music. Just start the process, and Windows will do all the work and get you back in action.

Keep your PC more secure

Windows Defender in Windows 8 provides anti-malware protection to monitor and help protect your PC against viruses and other malware in real time. If your PC becomes infected, Defender will automatically detect and attempt to remove the malware so your PC stays up and running. And if you have other antimalware or antivirus software you want to use, Windows Defender will back off quietly, so you can use the option you like best.

The Desktop is still around, and it still runs all of your apps

We’ve had a lot of fun reimagining how Windows looks and behaves, but we’ve been careful to stay true to the core features that have made Windows great for decades now. The familiar Windows desktop is still around, and we’ve made improvements to make it better than ever. We’ve added easy access to networking features, file management, and search with the ribbon. We’ve updated Task Manager and improved Control Panel. All the stuff you know is still here.

Hardware Requirements:

Windows 8 Consumer Preview should run on the same hardware that powers Windows 7 today. In general, you can expect Windows 8 Consumer Preview to run on a PC with the following:

• 1 GHz or faster processor
• 1 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
• 1024 x 768 minimum screen resolution

However, there are some additional requirements to take into consideration in order to use certain features in Windows 8. In order to use the Snap feature, you will need a PC with a 1366x768 resolution or higher. If you want to use touch, you’ll need a multi touch-capable laptop, tablet, or display. Windows 8 supports up to five simultaneous touch points, so if your hardware doesn’t, you may find typing on the onscreen keyboard and using certain controls more of a challenge. You’ll also need an internet connection to try out the Windows Store, to download and install apps, and to take your settings and files with you from one Windows 8 PC to another.


You can download the consumer Preview from here.