Windows 8

Windows 8 is an operating system developed by Microsoft. It is the ninth major release in the Windows NT operating system line, replacing Windows 7 and later being replaced by Windows 8.1. It reached RTM on 1 August 2012 and was released to general availability on 26 October 2012. Windows 8 was one of the most short-lived releases, with support ending on 12 January 2016 as extended support was in favor of its successor. Even though this is the case, it still runs on 0.51% of desktop and laptop computers as of March 2023.

It is the last version of 64-bit Windows to support processors without the CMPXCHG16b, PrefetchW and LAHF/SAHF instructions and the first to drop support for processors without PAE, SSE2 and NX. It is the first client release of Windows to drop the traditional Service Pack mechanism in favor of releasing updates in smaller chunks on a continual basis.

This version drops the ability to directly upgrade from Windows Vista requiring at least Windows 7.

Editions
Windows 8 comes in the following editions:
 * Windows 8 (also known as Core) is the base edition intended for the average home user.
 * Windows RT is a version of Windows 8 for ARM-based tablets such as the Surface RT. Compared to other editions, it includes the Office 2013 suite and is only able to launch applications that either originate from the Windows Store or were digitally signed by Microsoft. It is otherwise functionally identical to the Core edition.
 * Windows 8 Single Language is same as Core but limited to a single installed language pack.
 * Windows 8 China (also known as Core Country Specific) is same as Single Language but only allows the Simplified Chinese language pack to be installed. This is a special variant targeting the mainland China market.
 * Windows 8 Pro is targeted at enthusiast and business markets. Compared to Core, it adds the ability to run Hyper-V virtual machines, receive RDP connections and BitLocker support.
 * Windows 8 Pro with Media Center is a variant of Pro that also includes the Windows Media Center.
 * Windows 8 Enterprise is designed for large organizations and can only be activated with a KMS server or MAK keys. It has the same feature set as Pro but supports creating Windows To Go portable workspaces.

Interface
Windows 8 was largely designed for use on touchscreen devices such as tablets, and this can be seen across the operating system, which features larger buttons, more distinct colors, and a more modern interface coupled with the removal of Aero translucency effects on open windows. The complete overhaul of the classic Windows shell was accompanied by the largely controversial addition of the Metro user interface, which includes a new Start menu (referred to as the Start screen), a full-screen tile-based user interface replacing the smaller Start menu first introduced in Windows 95. From the Start screen, Metro apps can be launched, which can either take up the entire screen, providing an immersive interface, or be snapped to a side of the screen alongside another application or the desktop. The Start screen contains titles for all applications and some can be live, with realtime information being directly provided to the user as time passes.

The Metro UI features direct integration with the traditional Windows desktop, which includes hot corners; instead of utilizing a dedicated Start button within the taskbar, positioning the mouse in certain parts of the screen will instead reveal various functionalities that a user would normally expect. Positioning the cursor to the left side of the monitor reveals a button that links to the Start screen, whereas right side reveals the Charms bar, a vertical menu that features buttons that allow the user to search the internet or the contents of a local computer, share items to others, access the Start screen, configure connected devices or quickly modify system settings. Right-clicking on the bottom left corner of the screen will reveal a Quick Link menu, which contains shortcuts to frequently used areas.

File Explorer
The File Explorer received a large design improvement with the introduction of the Ribbon UI first seen in Office 2007 and later improved upon in Office 2010. The Up button, which had been absent since Windows Longhorn build 3670 (except for early Vista post-reset builds like build 3790.1232 and build 5001), was reimplemented. The details pane has also been shifted to a vertical layout. Support for multi-monitor configurations has also been improved, as each monitor can now have their own customizable taskbar and desktop background.

Progress windows have been modified to remove the animation on the top and feature a toggleable advanced view that shows the current progress of a file operation, including a detailed graph for tracking file transfer speeds, coupled with the ability to pause operations. The older progress dialog box can still be observed when recycling large amounts of files, transferring files from a mobile device or while modifying permissions for files and folders, although this would be partially changed to the new one starting with 8.1. Notifications have been updated to be more noticeable, as they appear on the right of the screen and are the same color as the current theme.

Display language support
Microsoft offered 109 display languages in Windows 8, 14 more than Windows 7, adding the following localizations:


 * English (United Kingdom)
 * Punjabi (Pakistan)
 * Sindhi (Pakistan)
 * Central Kurdish (Iraq)
 * Uyghur (People's Republic of China)
 * Belarusian (Belarus)
 * Kinyarwanda (Rwanda)
 * Tigrinya (Ethiopia)
 * Tajik (Tajikistan)
 * Wolof (Senegal)
 * K'iche' (Guatemala)
 * Scottish Gaelic (United Kingdom)
 * Cherokee (United States)
 * Valencian (Spain)
 * Chinese (China)

Out-of-box experience
The out-of-box experience received a complete overhaul, now allowing the user to pick an accent color and introducing express settings, which allows for easier installation by automatically configuring the device to use a set of recommended options in one click.

Logon screen
A UI overhaul for the logon screen was introduced, which saw the addition of a lock screen that displays the current date and time, a customizable background image, and quick notifications, statuses and updates from supported applications. Security improvements to the logon process were also included, adding support for logons through a PIN or a picture password. The ability to connect to a network via the logon screen was also added, allowing users to connect and disconnect from Wi-Fi networks without the need to log onto the operating system. The logon screen also reminds users when a reboot is required to install updates.

Task Manager
The Task Manager now opens up in a simple view which only displays a list of open programs and not processes. Expanding the view reveals a modernized and improved version of the classic Task Manager, featuring tabs and a bigger focus on memory usage.

Windows Store
Windows Store allows the consumer to distribute and download Metro apps or advertise desktop software. The Windows Store would later be redesigned in Windows 8.1. The Store was called "MSHelp" in order to disguise its true purpose between builds 7814 and 8032. The Windows Store would later be rebranded as the Microsoft Store in September 2017 in an update for the app for Windows 10 devices.

Windows Media Center
Unlike Windows Vista and Windows 7, Windows Media Center is not included by default in any Windows 8 edition. Customers with existing Windows 8 Pro licenses could purchase Media Center with the Windows 8 Pro Pack until 30 October 2015. It was previously free under a promotional offer (until 31 January 2013). The application no longer runs at startup, nor does it overlay itself on top of other windows.

Desktop Window Manager
Desktop Window Manager now renders using a software-based 3D rasterizer when a hardware-based accelerator is unavailable; this also conincides with the Windows Classic and Windows Basic themes being disabled by default. Although the visual styles still exist, they cannot be used unless one uses workarounds to forcibly enable the older styles, such as the direct modification of system files or utilities that change the way how windows are displayed.

Sounds
Windows 8 introduces a new sound scheme, which considerably brings down the number of used sounds. The new Background and Foreground sounds are now used for many scenarios formerly using separate sounds, such as various types of message boxes. Some sounds have been disabled, such as the startup, shutdown and log on/off sounds. Despite that, the new scheme also includes a new logon sound, although it is disabled by default. This sound is often confused for a startup sound, although it was actually supposed to play when the user logs in, while the proper startup sound (also disabled by default) remains unchanged since Windows 7 and no longer works with fast startup.

According to Jensen Harris, a former Microsoft executive, the logon sound was originally removed due to loudness concerns. However, Matthew Bennett, the in-house sound designer who created the sound scheme, and previously worked on sounds for Windows 7 and Windows Phone 7, was not notified of the decision and submitted one anyway. In the end, the sound was included with Windows, but was left disabled as the responsible team objected to restoring the sound due to performance reasons. An alternative four-note variant was also produced for Surface, however, in the end it was removed and replaced by the stock three-note sound.

Applications
Windows 8 introduced significant changes to the existing set of built-in applications, which played a part towards the operating system's shift towards a tablet-based user experience.

A new set of communications applications for Windows was introduced. These include modernized versions of the Windows Mail, Calendar, and Contacts applications, as well as a basic text messaging application. As a result of these changes, the Windows CardSpace application was removed from the operating system. Bing integration was added to the operating system, offering services such as web search, news, weather information and finances, as well as information on travel and sports updates. These services were made available through a set of applications that were preinstalled on the operating system.

Internet Explorer 10 was introduced, bringing with it a complete refresh of the older user interface first introduced with the release of Internet Explorer 7. A touch-optimized variant of the web browser is also included alongside the classic desktop version. The Desktop Gadget Gallery was removed from the operating system due to remote-code execution vulnerabilities which were disclosed in a security advisory on 10 July 2012, which was additionally complimented with a package that respectively disabled the Windows Sidebar and Desktop Gadget Gallery functionalities on Windows Vista and Windows 7.

The Windows Photo Viewer application was deprecated in favor of the newer Photos application. Users are now able to take photographs through the use of the built-in Camera application, allowing users to utilize their webcam or a similar device for photography. Support for viewing PDF documents was additionally added through the introduction of the Reader application.

Support for Xbox Live integration was added through the introduction of the modernized Xbox Music, Video and Live Games applications. The Music and Video applications can play local video and audio files stored on the user's computer, acting as a gateway for purchasing such media through their respective marketplaces, whereas the Xbox Live Games application allowed users to view a catalog of available games as well as their respective Xbox profile and account information. The built-in games included as part of Windows Vista and Windows 7 were removed from all existing editions, although their respective binaries would not be removed from the Windows source tree until the release of the Windows 10 Creators Update. Updated versions of these games were later made available through the Windows Store. All shortcuts to the Games Explorer were also additionally removed from the operating system; the feature and its shell class ID (pointing to ) would remain up through the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, after which it was completely removed in favor of the Xbox application.

Integration with the Windows SkyDrive service was added to the operating system, allowing users to view and share links to files stored on their Microsoft account's cloud storage. The service was later renamed to Microsoft OneDrive in 2014 (and later reflected upon in Windows 8.1 Update 1) to comply with a 2013 British High Court ruling over a trademark infringement lawsuit filed by the British Sky Broadcasting corporation,  which alleged that Microsoft had infringed upon the Sky trademark through the use of the name in the SkyDrive branding.

The Windows Anytime Upgrade application was renamed to Add features to Windows, which was used to purchase a license to upgrade to the Pro edition or to add the Windows Media Center application to an existing Windows 8 Pro installation - the feature would be removed in Windows 10 in favor of both the  command-line utility and the ability to directly upgrade to a higher Windows edition through the Settings application, as support for the service ceased on 30 October 2015. DVD playback support (which included codecs for DVD-Video and MPEG-2 Video), Media Guide features provided through Windows Media Player and the Windows DVD Maker application were removed from the operating system due to the rising cost of licensing and the increased prevalence of online streaming services and devices that lack optical disc drives. It is possible to restore DVD playback support by using third-party DVD playback programs or by acquiring a license for Windows Media Center through the purchase of the Windows 8 Pro Pack.

A touch-optimized version of the Control Panel known as PC settings was introduced with the release of Windows 8. Changes to the original Control Panel included the removal of the Network Map functionality from the Network and Sharing Center, slight design changes made towards the Action Center applet, and the introduction of the File History feature, which replaces the older Backup and Restore utility included in older releases of Windows. The Disk Defragmenter application was renamed to Drive Optimizer; the application was slightly updated to include functionality and design changes made towards the disk defragmentation scheduling features. Support for the Hyper-V virtualization technology, which was initially exclusive to server releases of Windows, was added to the Pro and Enterprise editions as an optional installable component. The Windows Defender application was overhauled to act as a fully-fledged antivirus solution; this change would also deprecate the existing Microsoft Security Essentials suite, which was offered as an optional download through Microsoft's website.

Other changes

 * Windows 8 can only be officially upgraded to from Windows 7 on devices using a 1 GHz processor or faster with support for PAE, NX and SSE2, 1 GB of RAM (2 GB of RAM for Windows 8 x64) or higher, 16 GB (20 GB for Windows 8 x64) of hard drive space, a DirectX 9-based WDDM display adapter or better display adapter, and a DVD-ROM drive, with BIOS or compatible firmware and Windows 7 supported and installed.
 * The Windows Runtime platform was introduced.
 * Support for virtual smart cards were added.
 * The design of the On-Screen Keyboard was updated.
 * The "peek" button for password text boxes was added.
 * Native support for USB 3.0/XHCI devices was added.
 * Support for UEFI Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 were added.
 * The Windows Recovery Environment received a major UI update based on the Metro design language. The Reset and Refresh options were also added.
 * The WinPE-based Windows Setup received design updates.
 * The Upgrade Assistant and Windows 8 Setup programs were added for upgrades and clean installations.
 * Improved support for mobile broadband was added.
 * The boot screen was updated. The Windows logo can be replaced by OEMs with their own logo in the UEFI firmware.
 * Fast Startup was added which allows the operating system to boot up faster after shutdown.
 * The ability to create portable workspaces (known as Windows To Go) has been added.
 * Microsoft account integration was added. This allows users to link their profiles with a Microsoft account which provides additional functionality such as synchronization of user data and settings and allows for integration with other Microsoft services. However, local accounts can still be setup and used.
 * Flip 3D was removed.
 * The ability to create new user accounts through the Control Panel was removed as these settings were moved to the PC settings app.
 * The sample pictures, sample music clips, sample video clip and built-in user account pictures that were present in previous versions were removed.
 * The Windows 7 sound schemes were removed. However, the folders of which the sound files were in are still present.
 * The Briefcase functionality was hidden and disabled by default, although it can be enabled with the use of a registry hack. The feature would remain until Windows 10 April 2018 Update after which it was removed completely in favor of OneDrive.
 * Certain dial-up networking settings are no longer available.
 * Support for DirectDraw was removed.
 * Unified search was removed.
 * The Windows 2000, Windows NT 4.0, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 compatibility modes are no longer available.
 * The Recent documents folder is no longer present on the Start screen.
 * Creating an ad-hoc wireless connection is no longer available in the GUI.

Criticism
Windows 8 was the first Windows operating system since Windows NT 3.51 to not include a Start button nor a Start menu, a design decision which was met with extreme criticism and various complaints from many technology publications, news organizations and users alike, resulting in most desktop users switching back to Windows 7 due to a lack of accessibility which additionally stemmed from the lack of an onboarding experience. The removal of the Start menu (or rather, it being replaced by the Start screen) and the Start button were significant factors that contributed towards the operating system's commercial failure, which eventually caused Steven Sinofsky, then-current head of the Windows engineering division during Windows 8's development, to resign from their role weeks after the operating system had been made available to the general public, with Julie Larson-Green appointed as successor.

Even though its ARM-based counterpart was largely praised by various technology outlets for its touch-oriented controls and user interface, it too had become a subject of criticism as internal restrictions that prevented the usage of applications that either did not originate from either the Windows Store or were not digitally signed by Microsoft, coupled with the extremely limited library of available ARM-based applications, resulted in expectations for Windows RT falling short entirely.

Windows 8.1
Windows 8.1 was released as a free upgrade for existing Windows 8 users on 17 October 2013 in an attempt to address some of the shortcomings presented within its predecessor such as the removal of the Start button, the lack of a proper onboarding experience, a detailed all apps view and a complete design overhaul of the Windows Store experience. Further updates to Windows 8.1 brought over the ability to directly log onto the traditional Windows desktop by default and accessibility improvements to the user interface, such as the ability to minimize or close Metro applications by hovering the cursor to the top of the screen and dedicated options for shutting down the operating system or logging out via the Start screen. Despite this, the lack of a Start menu was still the subject of criticism directed towards the operating system. Mainstream support for Windows 8 ended on 12 January 2016, with extended support being shifted over to Windows 8.1 to focus on long-term development.

The release of Windows 10 eventually withdrew a significant majority of the user interface changes introduced with Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 with the reintroduction of the Start menu (with additional support for dynamically updating tiles) and the removal of the Charms bar. The Start screen's functionality (and its full-screen mode) would be moved over to a separate mode designed specifically for tablet devices.

A fully-fledged start menu from early Technical Preview releases of Windows 10 was backported into a later Windows 8.1 update which was released exclusively for ARM devices on 1 September 2015.

System requirements
Microsoft recommends Windows 8 to be installed on a system with a processor with a speed of at least 1 GHz, at least 1 GB (2 GB for x64 versions) of RAM, 16 GB (20 GB for x64 versions) of hard drive space, a DirectX 9-based WDDM display adapter or better display adapter, and a DVD-ROM drive. Windows 8 drops support for processors without PAE, SSE2 and NX, as attempting to boot on these processors will cause an  bugcheck.

As a result of the upgraded processor requirement, Windows 8 can be installed on processors as early as the Pentium 4. Windows 8 can also be run with as low as 512 MB of RAM. SVGA cards can still be used, and most WDDM-required effects are now software rendered, although such rendering will be slow compared to using hardware rendering.