Windows Windows 8 - Pre-Beta availible (OUT NOW)

Hello all,

Windows 8 Pre-Beta (release aimed at developers, not your mom and dad), will be out tonight at 8PM Pacific Time.

Both 32 and 64-bit version will be out, and it will feature for both, without development tools, and with development tools.

For those who watch Microsoft BUILD keynote (available here if you missed it: http://www.buildwindows.com/), Microsoft notes that some features won't be in this pre-beta release.

Source: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2011/09/13/welcome-to-windows-8-the-developer-preview.aspx

Download Windows 8 Pre-Beta:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/home/

Note: (this is from me, and not Microsoft)
As this is a pre-beta. Expect:

• Lots of bugs and issues
• Potential system stability issues
• BSOD's
• Missing feature
• More features might come later on, on future versions
• Some things can (and most likely will) change from now until the public beta version
• Windows 8 has a lot of work to be done.
• Don't judge Windows 8 now!

Again, this version if for DEVELOPERS. So that they (including myself) can play around, and learn Windows 8 new API codes, and new mechanism, not to play around as your main OS, or play games.

Obviously, as no official drivers for it is out, you may face with performance degradation.

See windows 8 at Microsoft BUILD keynote:
http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?p=2809391#post2809391

[update]
Windows 8 Dev Preview is out now!

[update2]
Want to use a Virtual Machine to test Win8?
Read this: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2...vironment.aspx

 

Thanks GoodBytes.

It would be ok installing this on a VM, yes?

 

I guess so. I don't see why it would not work.
You might not have Aero though, and have some stuff not work properly, due to a possibly lack of Win8 drivers from the VM (if there is no way to force Win7 drivers).
As Windows 8 is NT 6.2, Win7 drivers might work.

 

hmmm, downloaded Ubuntu this afternoon to have a play with, think this will be getting played with first!

 

I've not been this excited for a long long time, I'm itching to get VS + Blend

 

No, it's up! You were right!
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/home/
It's 6PM PCT time at this moment... I guess Microsoft was unable to contain their excitement. Or I suck at reading time.

 

Awesome. Going to grab this and see if I can get it working in VirtualBox. If not I have a spare rig to test it out on.

 

As this is a pre-beta version, where the rigorous testing and debugging is yet to be done. Microsoft has released a list of systems with touch screens that Microsoft tested Win8 on.

Here is it:

 

HOLY CRAP!
I dual booted Windows 8, and you get a nice OS selection screen, Metro style!
I wish I had my camera to show you. :/
Really cool interface. You even have a mouse.

And when you go in the Advance options (yes there is this), it all fade's in/out between menus. Really nice!

 

Downloading now, can't wait to have a play when I get back from work.

 

Just a bit of first impression comments:
-> Win8 switch from Wireless to wired automatically as soon as you plug in a wire.
-> Win8 task bar in the desktop, stays colored Blue, and not transparent no mater what you do... this is most likely because it's being worked on, due to to the new Start button, look/system.
-> You better have your GPU drivers, as it's a slide show without them. Lucky my laptop has an Nvidia GPU, which Windows update found (among other drivers).
-> There is getting used to NOT click on the Start button, to access stuff... I am always like "Oh wait that's the start screen now... hehe"
-> Auto-run dialog box is cool and well implemented in Win8.

Finally.. there is this annoying bug, which I keep seeing in many (but not all) OEM laptops and desktops:

It's this mysterious scalable bar, that can't be scaled... I never got how to fix this in Win7 and Vista, beside a re-install.

 

Downloading, thanks for the heads up.

 

Correction:
I said:

After my first reboot after doing Windows Updates, it got fixed.

 

Sounds very nice so far GoodBytes, I'll have to give this a try on a spare rig.

 

Guuuyyysss...
What is Microsoft working now?



I was just setting my power options for my laptop. The profile name is correct (Dell drivers)... but the memory power option is something I never saw before... This is new to Win8.

 

Gonna download it as soon as I get back to Guildford tonight. I've made a habit of switching straight over to Windows test versions as soon as they're available but I might run this one in dual boot this time as I've heard it's pretty buggy. Can't wait to play about with it and see if I can actually make some software that works in the Metro UI.

 

Downloading now.

Is it a requirement that we use the Dual Layer DVDs if we want to use a disk? If so, I'm gonna have to pop into town to get some. not sure when.

 

I recommend to use a 8GB USB memory stick, and use Microsoft ISO to USB/DVD tool
I was able to install Win8 in about 10min, on my Dell laptop with 5400RPM (10min is the installation time, it does not including me passing through the setup questions).

Windows ISO to USB/DVD tool can be found here (free download):
http://wudt.codeplex.com/

 

If anyone knows how to close a Metro program without using the task manager, please tell me.

 

Im running it in a VM.. oh god it's horrible -_-