Windows 8 Developer Preview release

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DOWNLOADS AVAILABLE NOW!!

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/home/



If you’ve been following this blog, then you know today is a big day for the Windows team. At the BUILD conference we are about to preview Windows 8. There’s a ton to see in the product and so we’d really encourage everyone to check out the available streams on http://buildwindows.com, where we will webcast the keynote. The BUILD conference this week is focused on developers and hardware partners, and there are over 100 sessions (all of which will be available from the link above within about a day of the scheduled presentation time). In that sense it is good to keep in mind that today is the launch of the developer opportunity for Windows, not the launch of a product (and certainly not the launch of new devices).

Windows 8 represents a reimagining of Windows from the chipset to the experience. Since this is a week focused on developers, we also detailed the bold underpinnings of the re-imagination of the Windows platform, tools, and APIs. We will show off the opportunity to build applications for all of the customers of Windows 8, no matter what type of PC they have—from tablets to laptops to convertibles to desktops. We will show the brand new tools that allow you to code Metro style applications in HTML5/JavaScript, C/C++, and/or C#/XAML. The investments you have made as developers in all of these languages carry forward for Windows 8, which lets you choose how to best make use of the Windows 8 system services. We talked about Windows 8 being a no-compromise OS for end-users, and it is also a no-compromise platform for developers.

Many are interested in Windows 8 for ARM processors. Everything we showcased today at BUILD also runs on the ARM-based Windows PCs being created by ARM partners and PC manufacturers. Windows 8 running on ARM will ultimately be available with ARM-based hardware that you can purchase. ARM requires a deeper level of integrated engineering between hardware and software, as each ARM device is unique, and Windows allows this uniqueness to shine through. The new development tools enable you to start today to build Metro style applications that will seamlessly run on x86 (32 and 64 bit) or ARM architectures. Even if you use native C/C++ code, these tools will enable Metro style apps to target specific hardware if you choose. As new PCs become available for testing, PC manufacturers will develop seed programs for developers.

You probably want to try out the preview release—and you can. Starting at 8PM today, Seattle time, you can download all of the code that attendees at BUILD received. This includes 32 or 64 bit x86 builds, with or without development tools. The releases also include a suite of sample/SDK applications and the SDK (please note these are merely illustrations of potential apps, not apps that we intend to ship with Windows 8). The ISOs are linked to from http://dev.windows.com. You download with a Windows Live ID (which you might want to use to test out some of the new roaming features).

Upgrade from Windows 7 installation is not supported for pre-release code; only clean installs are supported. Reminder: this is a developer preview release and is not meant for production. It is not a beta release. We will be updating the release with various quality updates and drivers over the coming weeks/months just to exercise our overall update and telemetry mechanisms.

We’ve got a lot more blogging to do. So stay tuned. This blog continues to be a big part of the development process. Now we have a lot more shared context, and so we expect folks commenting on posts to be running the Preview so we share in the context of the release. Let’s keep comments focused on the topic at hand and we’ll pay attention for potential new topics. We know there will be a lot—that comes from reimagining a product used by a billion people!
--Steven

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More...


See also:

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorial...-usb-dvd-windows-8-developer-preview-iso.html

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorial...dows-upgrade-windows-8-developer-preview.html

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2241-virtualbox-install-windows-8-developer-preview.html
 
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I don't think they bothered including the GUI.

With a bit of luck , they are still busy improving it.
 
Better than
Windows 8 Developer Preview, Restore Windows 7 backups version.
 
If they dont get rid of the stupid start menu I wont bother myself.

I agreed, until I found a post today on MDL, that mentioned renaming the shsxs.dll file to shsxs.dll.old.
I did and now I have the Win7 type START menu, and some of the Metro goodies, like dual monitor feature, Explorer ribbon.

Needless to say, but I will anyway - there maybe be some risk involved with this. So far so good for me. I dual boot 7 and 8, keeping up to date backups of both - a less risky this way.
Here is a simple batch file to accomplish this, simply run it to toggle modes (need to right-click and select Run as administrator).

Code:
@echo off
cd c:\windows\system32
if exist shsxs.dll (ren shsxs.dll shsxs.dll.old) else (ren shsxs.dll.old shsxs.dll)
shutdown /r /f

View attachment ModeToggle.txt

Note that you will need to rename this file to ModeToggle.bat in order to run it. Also note that it toggles the Immersive Applications, such as Sudoku and Copper, On/Off.
 
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I don't suppose there is any word about when the next build will be released. There is a bug list as long as my arm for 8102...
 
Next will probably be the Beta sometime around the end of the year.

Unless a leak comes out in between that time..
 
If they dont get rid of the stupid start menu I wont bother myself.

I agreed, until I found a post today on MDL, that mentioned renaming the shsxs.dll file to shsxs.dll.old.
I did and now I have the Win7 type START menu, and some of the Metro goodies, like dual monitor feature, Explorer ribbon.

Needless to say, but I will anyway - there maybe be some risk involved with this. So far so good for me. I dual boot 7 and 8, keeping up to date backups of both - a less risky this way.
Here is a simple batch file to accomplish this, simply run it to toggle modes (need to right-click and select Run as administrator).

Code:
@echo off
cd c:\windows\system32
if exist shsxs.dll (ren shsxs.dll shsxs.dll.old) else (ren shsxs.dll.old shsxs.dll)
shutdown /r /f


View attachment 1747

Note that you will need to rename this file to ModeToggle.bat in order to run it. Also note that it toggles the Immersive Applications, such as Sudoku and Copper, On/Off.

Thank's Dwarf. Works great.
 
Well for starters, my laptop fails to come out of hibernation. Adding gadgets to the desktop take about 30 seconds as you wait for the install confirmation screen to go away. My laptop is constantly freezing. When I first installed the build on my desktop, it "Blue screened" when I tried to run a performance evaluation.
 
It's no doubt a very buggy temperamental version.

I've had several random freezes during sessions, a BSOD trying install from within Windows in the beginning forcing me to boot install instead, random sluggishness installed on a physical machine (not a VM). Dev preview version yes of course but quite buggy..
 
Well, I'm gonna hang tough. I'm gonna try to get used to the new start menu. I realize that it is great for tablets, but the only tablet I own is a Honeycomb tablet. I would bet money that the final release will have an option to turn off that start menu. Unfortunately, all of the current methods I have seen to revert to the old start menu also get rid of one of my favorite parts of the new interface: the task manager. That was a stroke of genius on the part of Microsoft to essentially merge the Resource monitor and the task manager.
 
Hi all first time here.

Does anyone know how to remove the watermark in windows dev preview like we did in 7.

A bit of a silly request but things like that get on my nerves.

Thanks
 
It's no doubt a very buggy temperamental version.

I've had several random freezes during sessions, a BSOD trying install from within Windows in the beginning forcing me to boot install instead, random sluggishness installed on a physical machine (not a VM). Dev preview version yes of course but quite buggy..

Aren't most Windows version temperamental? :)
 
Hi all first time here.

Does anyone know how to remove the watermark in windows dev preview like we did in 7.

A bit of a silly request but things like that get on my nerves.

Thanks

If you do, Steve Balmer will send a hit squad to kick down your door, take your computer and for good measure, put a few rounds into your favorite pet...
 
Additional snide remarks

Actually, I'm beginning to think that the Metro UI should be named Microsoft Bob 2011...
Umm, oh, and when I decided to click the exe file for Metro Controller in Windows 7, it offered to re-enable Metro and the ribbon...Guess it thought Windows 7 was basically indistinguishable from Windows 8 "Desktop App"
 
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