8 Features That Could Make Windows 8 Great Microsoft's next OS is loaded with features like eight-second boot times and better file management that could make it the best version of Windows since XP--if the company can pull it off.
1. Live Tiles. The most notable change in Windows 8 is the addition of Live Tiles, the cornerstone of the Metro interface. Borrowed directly from Windows Phone, Live Tiles are blocks of screen real estate that display real-time information, such as the number of new messages, from content sources like social networks, e-mail, and news feeds. Metro was built with touch in mind, and it's an indication of how serious Microsoft is about making Windows 8 as at home on tablets as it is on the desktop.
2. Faster, Prettier Boot Ups.Microsoft knows that Metro and Live Tiles alone won't be enough to make Windows 8 a player in tablets. It needs to be a lot faster than its predecessors when it comes to booting up. Microsoft promises that Windows 8 systems will fully boot in just eight seconds or less.
To display more advanced graphics during the boot cycle, Windows 8 relies on new technology called the unified extensible firmware interface (UEFI) for BIOS. UEFI lets Windows work in concert with PC makers' firmware to render visually consistent graphics, such as artwork or vendor logos, through the entire boot cycle. Gone are the DOS characters that appeared during the boot cycle of earlier Windows versions.
3. Fewer Restarts. Windows 7 gave users a number of options for update notifications and installation. Users could elect to have updates installed automatically or opt for notification when an update was available and choose to be notified only before installation. Those who chose to have updates installed automatically could elect to have the update occur at a predetermined time, or installed as soon as it was available.
Most of those options will remain in Windows 8, with one big difference. Users will only be asked to restart their PCs so that an update can take effect once per month--on patch Tuesday. That's usually the second Tuesday of each month. There's one exception--critical security patches will trigger an update request immediately.
4. Secure Boot. In the age of highly organized attacks by hackers and privacy thieves, booting doesn't only need to be fast, it must be secure. With that in mind, Microsoft developed a boot process called Secure Boot, which is designed to prevent malware from infecting computers during startup, before Windows and all of its built-in security features are launched.
Secure Boot works by confirming that all components contain the appropriate security certificates before they are allowed to launch. To meet Microsoft's Windows Certification requirements, PCs and tablets must ship with Secure Boot enabled. It can be turned off by the end user in PCs, but not in tablets.
5. Better Wi-Fi. Microsoft says it's building technologies into Windows 8 that will get users onto a Wi-Fi network in as little as one second. By contrast, it takes Windows 7 about 12 seconds on average to get users online. Windows 8 accomplishes speedy reconnections in part by more efficiently storing users' preferences for certain networks, security, and speed settings, and feeding that data to connectivity hardware.
When a PC resumes from standby, its Wi-Fi adapter already has all the information it needs to connect to preferred networks.
6. Factory Reset Button. With the consumerization of IT trend in full swing, Microsoft wants PCs to behave more like electronic appliances like TVs. Such products often feature a factory reset button that can be used if things go haywire--Windows 8 will have that too. Hitting the new Reset button will remove all personal data, apps, and settings from a PC, and will reinstall Windows from scratch. Activating the new Refresh mode also reinstalls Windows, but preserves the user's personal data, most settings, and Metro-style apps.
Both the Reset and Refresh modes rely on Windows Recovery Environment to get users back up and running. But unlike with previous versions, Windows 8 makes the recovery process simple and uniform across all types of systems.
[ How soon will IT shops adopt Microsoft's new operating system? See Windows 8 Upgrade Plans: Exclusive Research. ]
7. Copy Shop. Windows 8 will feature several new tools designed for easier file management, especially when copying numerous files. A new user interface box gives users a combined view of all concurrently running copy jobs. The box shows which jobs are running, lists the file source and destination for each job, and shows what percentage of each is complete.
Another new tool provides the ability to manage each job separately. Any copy job underway can be paused, resumed, or canceled independently of the others.
8. Runs On XP Hardware. Perhaps Windows 8's best feature is that it won't require individuals or businesses to run out and buy an expensive new system just to run it. According to Microsoft, Windows 8's relatively light footprint, a byproduct of the fact that it's designed to run on tablets, means that modern PCs that have enough horsepower to run the decade old Windows XP OS should do just fine with Windows 8.
Microsoft has not released official system requirements for the OS, but has said they'll be similar to Windows 7. That means a minimum configuration of a 1-GHz processor, 1 GB of RAM, 16 GB of disk space, and a DirectX 9-compatible graphics unit.
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