The latest Microsoft Press book “Troubleshooting Windows 7 Inside Out” will be available to buy within two weeks and it’s been written by one of the editors/regular contributors here at you’re favourite Windows website, Windows8News.com.

You can still download a free sample chapter from the book HERE, in which you can find out about the core Windows 7 files and folders, how to repair specific files within the operating system and how to create a slipstreamed install DVD that includes Service Pack 1!

Now we have some even more exciting news.  Starting on Monday 18th October 2010 and running for a period of one week we have a fantastic and exclusive competition for readers of www.windows7news.com and www.ghacks.net, so scoot over there to enter on Monday.

We’ll be giving away three copies of the book in paperback and ten copies of the eBook!  PLUS!  Every winner and runner up will also receive an eBook of The Windows 7 Power Users Guide by the same author as a bonus prize.

That’s a whopping 52 prizes on Windows7News.com and gHacks.net!

Check www.windows7news.com and www.ghacks.net on Monday for full details of the competition and how you can enter to win.

It’s Troubleshooting Windows 7 Week! – Competition Time is a post from Windows 8 News, Rumors & Tips - The Latest Microsoft Windows 8 News, Rumours & Screenshots. Visit Windows 8 News, Rumors & Tips for the Latest Microsoft Windows 8 News, Rumors, Tips, Themes, Wallpapers & Guides.

The Windows 8 release date has been shrouded in a cloud of rumors. Most experts expect a late 2011 early 2012 release of the operating system. A recently leaked Windows 8 product cycle chart provides the answers needed to determine the release date of the next Windows OS by Microsoft.

You can take a look at the image here. The chart lists the planning, development and readiness product cycle of Windows 8 and related Microsoft products such as Internet Explorer 8, Windows Live Wave 4, Windows Live Wave 5 and Windows 7. It also lists major events.

Some events and products have already been held / released and it is possible to pinpoint the release date of Windows 8 by making the remaining calculations.

Here is what we know. Forum I and Forum II have been major events, the former held in December 2009, the latter in April 2010. The listing lists four additional event, Forum III to Forum VI. The next two events fall into the development phase of Windows 8, the remaining two into the readiness phase.

Internet Explorer 9 and Windows Live Wave 4 have either been announced with final dates (at least for the beta) or released already.

Forum II was held 4-5 months after Forum I. If we take this approach we can calculate the approximate month of the other four forums. This would mean between 16 to 20 months from April 2010 on which coincides perfectly with the projected late 2011 release date.

The Windows 8 beta should be released around June 2011 and the final release might even hit the stores at the same time that Windows 7 was released, which was October.

The Internet Explorer 9 product cycle confirms the findings. Microsoft has announced a beta release of Internet Explorer 9 for August 2010. This would be the same time that Forum III will be held, which is exactly four months after Forum II.

The chart may be a bit off since Windows Live Wave 4 was released in June. It could be that Microsoft has projected the Forum III conference for June / July instead.

Could also be that the chart is not 100% accurate and it can happen that development cycles need to be shifted, especially if major issues are encountered during development.

Still, we are pretty sure that Microsoft will release the beta of Windows 8 in or around June 2011 and the final release of the operating system in or around October 2011.

What’s your take on the chart? We are very interested in users who can provide us with additional information including Forum III to Forum VI dates.

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Some confidential Miicrosoft documents have been leaked online which give some clues as to what Windows 8 might include when it is released.

The information appears to have been presented at a Microsoft ‘Ecosystem Forum’ conference back in April.  Details that I have managed to glean about Windows 8 from the documents include:

• Adding GPS support to Windows 8 netbooks and laptops via the system motherboard or WWAN module
• Further sensor improvements – HID, accelerometers, proximity sensors (cool – PC wakes up when you walk into the room!) etc
• Focus on the “big 3s”: Boot Time, Shut Down Time, Batter Life continuing where Windows 7 left off – “Experiences: Time to first email received, Time to home page, Time to calendar or media playback…Windows 8 PCs turn on fast, nearly instantly in some cases, and are ready to work without any long or unexpected delays.  when customers want to check e-mail, sports scores, or play media they love to reach for their PCs because they can get to what they want quickly”
• Faster On from 0 Watts and Instant Sleep resume performance for mobile PCs
• Better restoration tools and ‘Connected Help and Support” – ‘Windows 8 can be restored to the factory default easily.  when resetting a Windows 8 PC, all of the files, settings and even the applications are restored.  End users have confidence in resetting their PC without having to call support

Thanks to Daniel for the documents.

New Information Leaked On Windows 8 is a post from Windows 8 News, Rumors & Tips - The Latest Microsoft Windows 8 News, Rumours & Screenshots. Visit Windows 8 News, Rumors & Tips for the Latest Microsoft Windows 8 News, Rumors, Tips, Themes, Wallpapers & Guides.

Recently at the Microsoft Human Resources department, a new job position was posted in the area of computer security.

Microsoft Careers

“Our group is on a mission to build a rich, powerful platform to help protect Microsoft products against piracy. Here is your chance to join a team of exceptional developers as we build an extensible cross-company platform to support this vision. This is a fast-paced group that rewards smart and motivated individuals.

We are looking for an experienced software developer to help us design and build new anti-hacking mechanisms, hack detection, and work on the security processor driver. The work touches many layers of the operating system and includes opportunities for partnership with MS Research and other security teams at Microsoft to productize exciting innovations and ideas that help shake hackers and crackers off Microsoft products.

It’s not for the faint of heart, but the diversity of the problem space in this area is rich in growth opportunities just waiting for the right candidate. You will have ample opportunity to diversify your skill set and grow. In this position, you’ll get a chance to work on many aspects of the platform, starting with an assignment to drive the design of our application and Operating System (OS) virtualization support. ”

If software pirates, hackers and crackers always seem to be one step ahead of Microsoft it is in part because of the monumental position Microsoft holds in the technology area. It is a “badge of honor” claimed by some who feel that they have stuck it to “the man” by performing these odious tasks. Even when Microsoft has succeeded in locking down vulnerabilities, there is always the contest mentality of “I’ll bet I can hack into it.” Trinity would be proud.(see: The Matrix)

The modus operandi for Microsoft is that they must keep up with hackers new methods and continue to innovate and design new security technologies.

Some may consider anti-piracy measures similar to whistling in the wind, but that’s certainly not the case. I have posts in Windows7News.com, and ConnectedInternet showing how in many cases Microsoft has foiled anti-piracy efforts. Many believe that piracy is relegated to just illegal copying or theft. But that is not the case. Virus distribution and embedded malware, and privacy intrusion are typical features that result from piracy efforts.

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Additional Details about the position can be found here:  Senior Development Engineer – Windows

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The tech industry is always about the next big thing. Even before the release of Windows 7 there were those speculating about the possible features and changes in the next version of Windows.

I’m sure there are many readers, like myself, who are thrilled by the anticipation of a new Microsoft OS. If you weren’t, you probably wouldn’t be reading this. Either way, months and sometimes years before a new early build or beta is released, there are users guessing what the changes in the new OS might be. Longhorn felt-like and actually did take forever to go from concepts to Vista, then we also saw our fair share of pre-Windows 7 concepts way before the beta, which is normally the case. Alot of these concepts are elementary and most will never be looked at twice, but there are some very talented users out there with some very good ideas.

I ran across this picture on a blog and thought it was funny:

Maybe this is the next version of Windows?

Often times a user will post screenshots or a video with their concept of what the next Windows might look like and Windows 8 is certainly no different. Personally, I am always excited at the prospect of new UI changes in the next OS and I’m sure that Microsoft employees keep their eyes peeled for interesting concepts as well. I thought I would gather some interesting concept images and videos of the next iteration of Windows that users across the web have already posted.

Here are some concepts videos that I have found:

Of course, these are just a few concepts out there right now and many more will certainly pop up in the coming months. We’ll do our best to stay on top of the betas and early releases and keep the readers posted on any breaking stories about the next OS, but for now, looking at what the users want and come up with will have to make do. As always, stay tuned into Windows 7news and Windows8news for all of your windows news and tips. If you’ve seen any good screenshots or conept videos, link them in your comments, because I’m always interested in seeing good concepts.

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Everybody’s got a wish list for what they want Windows to be.  As a technical beta-tester for Microsoft and the author of the Windows 7 Power Users Guide, I’ve had a great insight over the last few years into what Windows could have been, having tested features that were later dropped from betas, and I’ve read a great deal of private feedback from other technical testers over the years.

In this series I hope to cover everything I believe Windows 8 will need to be, and what features it should have to truly compete against Google Chrome OS on the netbook and PC, and with iPhone OS and Android on the tablet.

One click install

Microsoft have gone to great lengths over the last few years to make all operations in Windows simpler and quicker to use.  Cutting down the amount and volume of mouse clicks necessary to perform tasks.

This approach has been moderately successful so far and connecting to a wi-fi network in Windows 7 is a great example of how the one-click approach can work.

One single-click solution that Windows is lacking though has been highlighted by Apple to great effect with their app store.  For one reason or another the Windows installer still takes users through too many steps to install software.

This simple solution, that Apple and Google have used now to great effect has been around on Linux for years, and is widely regarded as one of that OSes finest features.

Obviously with some packages there are options, Microsoft Office for example is a large package and Google Earth will optionally install the Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer.  Having an installer package that will enable a quick single-click install is what Windows needs if it’s to compete in the same consumer market as Android and Apple-powered devices in the home.

Only by making installing programs as easy in Windows as it is with other operating systems can Microsoft be seen by their millions of users to be offering an experience that’s as good and easy to use.

Finger Friendly

The tablet is reborn.  Apple have now launched their much anticipated iPad and this can only mean that another ageing way to interact with technology will be invigorated and soon, everybody will be jumping on the bandwagon.

The introduction of multi-touch computing with Windows 7 was a good start, but sadly Windows 7 is still not at OS you can use simply in that manner.  The ageing interface of drop-down menus and the window control buttons will either have to be redeveloped, redesigned or dropped completely.

Some people would say that this could pose problems for running legacy software on the PC, but the introduction of XP Mode in Windows 7 went some way towards rectifying this.  Microsoft need to announce that all new PCs from the end of 2012 need to have hardware support for virtual machines, and this gives the hardware manufacturers plenty of time to make sure their processor and motherboard ranges support it.

iPhone OS and Android, while nowhere near as advanced or as flexible and pioneering completely touchable interfaces.  If Microsoft are serious about pushing multi-touch forwards, they need to address the main interface structure of Windows urgently.

Cheap

One of the biggest barriers to owning Windows is the price.  Fortunately with Office 2010 Microsoft are trying out a new click-to-install format, where you can start with a free version of the Office suite with limited functionality that you can expand by making micro-payments for the extra features you need.

Should this work, and there’s no reason why it won’t, this model could be ported to Windows and by the time Windows 8 launches in 2012 we could be looking at the first free version of Windows.

I’ll deal with additional features in the next part of this series.

What Windows 8 needs to be… Part 1 is a post from Windows 8 News, Rumors & Tips - The Latest Microsoft Windows 8 News, Rumours & Screenshots. Visit Windows 8 News, Rumors & Tips for the Latest Microsoft Windows 8 News, Rumors, Tips, Themes, Wallpapers & Guides.

The reinvention of the tablet PC by Apple this week could have significant ramifications for Microsoft during the development of Windows 8, and impact the look and feel of their next OS considerably.

I think it’s brilliant that we’re now looking at a very near future where I can lounge around on the sofa with the dog, checking my email and browsing the web without have to sit upright in front of a keyboard and track pad in order to get things done.  However can you imagine trying to use Windows that way?

While multi-touch support in Windows 7 has made the OS suitable for that type of device, the general operation of Windows (especially with regards to menus and the minimise, maximise and close buttons) would make prodding buttons and other features within Windows problematic at best and infuriating at its worst.

Microsoft are going to have to look at the whole look and feel of Windows for Windows 8 and either a) accept that they can’t do anything about it b) change the OS so it’s all finger-friendly throughout or c) create a switchable interface for tablet devices.

Whatever they do in this regard is guaranteed to change Windows considerably, possibly also creating a learning curve that will annoy a great many people, and bring the way we interact with our programs and operating systems kicking and screaming into the 21st century.

Personally I would prefer Microsoft to find a new way to work with Windows that will work equally well with mouse and gesture controls.  I think such a change will be refreshing and can only help to push the convenience of the web into more areas and more people’s homes.  Not to mention the potential benefits to accessibility that will be greeted by an ageing population.

With Windows 8 due around the autumn of 2012, Nostradamus’ predictions not withstanding, we can probably expect to see the first signs of this about a year from now.  I’m really looking forward to seeing what Microsoft do.

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Windows 7 when it launched on October 22nd will include versions for both 32 bit and 64 bit users.  It’s successor Windows 8 expected in 2011 was expected to only come in a 64 bit version, because Windows Server 2008 R2 was released in 64 bit form only and the next Windows OS was expected to follow suit.

However it is now believed that Windows 8 might ship in 64bit AND 128 bit versions, based on the linkedin profile of Microsoft employee Robert Morgan:

Working in high security department for research and development involving strategic planning for medium and longterm projects. Research & Development projects including 128bit architecture compatibility with the Windows 8 kernel and Windows 9 project plan. Forming relationships with major partners: Intel, AMD, HP, and IBM.

Robert Morgan is working to get IA-128 working backwards with full binary compatibility on the existing IA-64 instructions in the hardware simulation to work for Windows 8 and definitely Windows 9.

Whether or not Windows 8 will support 128bit remains to be seen, but at this stage Microsoft are at least considering it.  I’m not sure how likely this will be though; 64 bit adoption is still low and although this will increase by 2011 I just fear that adding 128bit to Windows 8 will create a poor customer experience like Vista 64 bit, where driver availability was poor.

Eight Forums have manged to track down Robert via linkedin and they claim that he’s agreed to give them an interview  and he’s letting their readers ask questions.  Questions have to be submitted by October 11th.  If he really has agreed to do the interview, I’d be amazed if he still had a job at Microsoft on October 12th as news on Windows 8 is clearly embargoed at the moment.

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Windows 7 isn’t out the door yet, but Microsoft seem to be making good progress with Windows 8.  A roadmap slide from Microsoft’s Italian subsidiary has Windows 8 penciled in for a 2012 release:

Note though that Windows 8 is down as approximately 2012.  Even still, it looks like Microsoft are sticking to their 2.5-3 year release cycle, with Windows Vista launching Jan 2007 (it was late), Windows 7 in October 2009 and Windows 8 in 2012.

Windows 8 is also denoted as ‘codemane Windows 8′ – does this mean that ‘Windows 8‘ will not be called Windows 8?

I’m expecting big things from Windows 8.  Although Windows 7 is a great release and adds several much needed improvements to Windows Vista, it’s still too familiar for me and doesn’t feel ‘new’ enough and I’m looking forward to getting a new OS to get my teeth into!

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Windows 8′s name was chosen because it will be the 8th version of Windows. Double-checking this isn’t as easy as you may think and trips up many people. Here are the Windows versions that preceded Windows 8:

1. Windows 1.0
2. Windows 2.0
3. Windows 3.0
4. Windows 95 (Windows 4.0)
5. Windows 2000 (Windows 5.0)
6. Windows Vista (Windows 6.0)
7. Windows 7 – Launching October 22nd 2009
8. Windows 8!

Now, some of you who are paying attention will notice that Windows NT, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE and Windows Millennium. This is because:

• Windows NT was actually treated asw Windows 3.1
• Windows 98, 98SE and Windows Millennium shipped as 4.0.1998, 4.10.2222, and 4.90.3000

Now, to make matters even more confusing Microsoft have versioned Windows 7 as Windows 6.1. However, they are still treating it as ‘Windows 7′ because of the significance of the release.

There you go – hope that makes sense now!

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Eagle eyed Stephen over at techwoo spotted the following in the LinkedIn profile of a Microsoft PM, which seems to indicate that Windows 8 will have some new networking features:

Evaluating and collating technical and business requirements for developing new networking features in Windows 8.

Designing features, functional specification and prototype for Windows 8.

I can only hope that Microsoft improve Windows 7′s HomeGroup capabilities, which mean well, but don’t quit deliver for me.

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The following video was not created by Microsoft, but by a UI team in Copenhagen.  It nevertheless still shows some amazing new user experience features that would really make Windows 8 an amazing advance in the Windows series.

Check it out below!

Copenhagen User Experience from Copenhagen Concept.

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Windows 7 is almost complete and due to be launched on October 22nd, and Microsoft are already turning their attention to creating Windows 8.  To some this may seem premature, but putting together a new OS takes a considerable amount of work and much longer than the 3 years gap between Windows releases.

A recent  job posting on the Microsoft job site gives some hints as to what we can expect in Windows 8:

For the upcoming version of Windows, new critical features are being worked on including cluster support and support for one way replication. The core engine is also being reworked to provide dramatic performance improvements. We will also soon be starting major improvements for Windows 8 where we will be including innovative features which will revolutionize file access in branch offices

We are looking for a strong lead who has the right blend of technical passion, leadership skills and testing experience. From a technical standpoint, we are looking for a candidate having an understanding of and a passion for large scale distributed systems. From a leadership point of view, you will need to be able to build the vision for the team, work with your development and PM counterparts on engineering excellence and effectively drive the quality of the component. In terms of testing experience, the ability to define and deliver test solutions affecting all release criteria (functionality, scalability, performance, stress, longhaul, security, etc.) is a must.

As more details of Windows 8 features become available, you’ll find them first on this site.

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Dedicated to bringing you all the news & rumours about Microsoft’s new operating system Windows 8, which will replace Windows 7 in 2012/13. New to the site? Check out the Windows 8 FAQ. We also recommend:

• The Archives to search all posts, checking out the latest Windows 8 Screenshots, Windows 8 Wallpapers & Windows 8 Videos
• Visiting our sister site, for the latest Windows 7 News

Need help with Windows 7? Then join the Windows 7 & 8 Forum (over 3,500 members) for expert advice.

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