Windows 8 Linkage: “Passage Public Metro” version ~ Bios Password

cc image credit image by david.nikonvscanon on flickr

So Claus, where do you stand on Windows 8 at this point?

Well, to be honest, I’m really liking the under-the-hood improvement talk on how things are working in Windows 8.

What I still find very hard to overcome are the end-user interface changes and the challenges trying to restore it to some form of a Windows “Classic” interface and operation.

I get that Microsoft wants to forge ahead with a new interface and blending between the Windows Phone interface and the computer system interface. I get that “apps” are all the rage. I like old-school design but am pretty comfortable with moving to new designs. (I no longer curse the Ribbon interface in Office 2007/2010.)

So…when Windows 8 gets released in a final version, I’m not going to be rushing out to upgrade all our systems to it from Windows 7. Windows 7 is super-stable for our needs at home and everyone is very happy. That said, once it looks like things are stable and I’ve come to terms with the new interface, I’ll probably upgrade just one of our systems here at the Valca ranch to Windows 8 and see how things go.

In the meantime, here are an updated collection of Windows 8 linkage building on the prior grand stream dreams: Windows 8 Linkage: “Majestic Metro” version post. It definitely requires an update since the Consumer Preview release of Windows 8 has come out a while back and some of the things from that one either no longer apply or may not work in this release.

Truth be told, tonight will be the first opportunity I’ve budgeted myself to load up with Windows 8 Consumer Preview version in a virtual machine.

Windows 8 “Consumer Preview” Version - Start Here to Get It

Windows 8 Consumer Preview available now! - Ask the Performance Team - TechNet Blogs - From that link:

Windows 8 Consumer Preview ISO formats - Microsoft.com - Links for the ISO setup files rather than the “online installers”. This is what I still prefer.
How To Get Windows 8 Consumer Preview Product Key - AddictiveTips
Where is the Windows 8 Consumer Preview product key? - Ed Bott
Running the Consumer Preview: system recommendations - Building Windows 8 blog

Windows 8 - Related Betas

OK. None of these are required for Windows 8 Consumer Preview. However they are related to it and I thought some folks might be interested in playing around with them as well. If you don’t know what these even are, then just skip down to the next section.

Windows Server 8 beta now available! - Ask the Performance Team - TechNet Blogs
Windows Server “8” beta available now - Virtual PC Guy's Blog
Hyper-V Server “8” Beta available for download - Virtual PC Guy's Blog
DOWNLOAD: Test Lab Guide: Base Test Lab Guide for Windows Server "8" Beta - Kurt Shintaku's Blog
Download Microsoft SQL Server 2012 RTM - Bink.nu
Doing a simple Storage Migration with Windows Server “8” - Virtual PC Guy's Blog
TRAINING: Windows Server "8" First Look - Kurt Shintaku's Blog
Windows Server “8” Beta Hyper-V Component Architecture Poster - Windows Virtualization Team Blog - TechNet Blogs
Windows Server 8 installation notes - 4sysops
Doing an advanced Storage Migration with Windows “8” - Virtual PC Guy's Blog

Windows 8 - Install It

There are a number of methods and platforms to install Windows 8. Review all the ones below carefully to figure out which works best for you. I personally am currently going with installing it into a Virtualbox session. When I get closer to pulling the trigger on installation to one of my laptops at home, I’ll first install it into a VHD and then dual-boot my system so the Win8 install can run on real “hardware” to check driver compatibility and system performance on the iron rather than in a virtual system. I did that before with Win7 and found it very beneficial.

How to Upgrade Windows 8 Consumer Preview from Developer Preview - Windows7hacker
How to install Windows 8 Developer Preview in Virtualbox - 4sysops
A quick guide on setting up Windows 8 on VirtualBox - Bleeping Computer
VirtualBox 4.1.10 improves Windows 8 compatibility - BetaNews. Note: always be sure you are running the latest version of VirtualBox and have the matching (separate download) Extension Pack installed. At the time of this post, VirtualBox is now at 4.1.12. Downloads – Oracle VM VirtualBox
How To Install Windows 8 On VirtualBox - AddictiveTips
Installing VMWare Player on Windows 8 - Caschys Blog (Google Translated link)
How To Guide to Installing and Booting Windows 8 Consumer Preview off a VHD (Virtual Hard Disk) - Scott Hanselman
Native VHD Dual Boot to Windows 8 Consumer Preview with Windows 7 - Windows7hacker
An update that postpones the expiration date of Windows 8 Developer Preview and of Windows 8 Server Developer Preview is available - Microsoft Support KB 2671501
Windows 8 upgrade - 4sysops
Create Bootable Windows 8 Installer USB With Win8USB - AddictiveTips

Windows 8 - Under the Hood Stuff

These are the things that make me look forward to Windows 8 despite the stupid fact the “classic” interface is stripped out and requires considerable effort to restore using tips/tweaks/third-party tools to accomplish. Note: when I say “classic” I’m not talking about the theme that is a toss-back to Windows 2K/XP but rather the “classic” GUI with the program bar, the “start” menu, the system tray icons, etc.

Improving our file management basics: copy, move, rename, and delete - Building Windows 8 blog
Designing the Windows 8 file name collision experience- Building Windows 8 blog
Acting on file management feedback- Building Windows 8 blog
Windows 8 Secrets: PC and Device Requirements Within Windows
Windows 8 Secrets: The WinX Menu and its hashing algorithm Within Windows
Internet Explorer Performance Lab: reliably measuring browser performance - Building Windows 8 blog
Building the next generation file system for Windows: ReFS - Building Windows 8 blog
Virtualizing storage for scale, resiliency, and efficiency - Building Windows 8 blog
Enabling large disks and large sectors in Windows 8 - Building Windows 8 blog
Minimizing restarts after automatic updating in Windows Update - Building Windows 8 blog
Using Task Manager with 64+ logical processors - Building Windows 8 blog
The Windows 8 Task Manager - Building Windows 8 blog
Reengineering the Windows boot experience - Building Windows 8 blog
Protecting you from malware - Building Windows 8 blog
Delivering fast boot times in Windows 8 - Building Windows 8 blog
Evolving the Start menu - Building Windows 8 blog
Designing the Start screen - Building Windows 8 blog

Windows 8 - To Go

Windows “To Go” is basically a feature in Windows 8 that allows it to run “full OS” from a supported USB storage device like a flash drive or external hard-disk drive. I guess it could be considered an advanced version of WinPE but with all the benefits of the OS with no feature strip-out or additional “hacking” required that custom WinPE builds require to get past a plain DOS box environment “out of the box”. It is very intriguing to me and should be a cool option…if you meet the license requirements as well have a robust and super-fast USB device/port.

Ordering "Windows to Go": how to create a bootable Windows 8 USB thumb drive - ArsTechnica
How to create your own Windows 8 To Go Developer Preview - Borns IT- und Windows-Blog
Creating Windows 8 To Go on a 16 GB USB-Stick - Borns IT- und Windows-Blog
Windows 8 To Go with Dual-Boot - Borns IT - und Windows-Blog
Windows To Go – Windows 8 Consumer Preview on the run … - Borns IT- und Windows-Blog
Windows 8 To Go and USB 3.0 flash drives - Part I - Borns IT - und Windows-Blog (Google Translated Link)
Windows 8 To Go and USB 3.0 flash drives - Part II - Borns IT - und Windows-Blog (Google Translated Link)

Windows 8 - Tweakages

Getting Windows to the way you like it is still important. Here are some important (to me) tweaks, tips, and tweaking tools to make it possible.

Bypass Windows 8 Start Screen On Startup & Jump Directly To Desktop - AddictiveTips blog
How To Disable Windows 8 Lock Screen- AddictiveTips blog
BluePoison Disables Windows 8 Immersive Start Menu, Unlocks Hidden Features - Lifehacker
Windows 8′s application SmartScreen: speed bump for desktop apps – istartedsomething
How to Turn Off or Disable the SmartScreen Filter In Windows 8 - How-To Geek
The First Official Windows 8 Theme from Microsoft Available to Download - Windows7hacker
You CAN have a Start button on Windows 8 Consumer Preview - BetaNews
Start8 Adds Metro Start Menu In Windows 8 - AddictiveTips blog
Start8 for Windows® 8 - Bringing back the Windows Start menu - application download page at StarDock
Personalize Windows 8 Start Screen With My WCP Start Screen Customizer - AddictiveTips blog
My WCP Start Screen Customizer v1.1 - Téléchargements - My 7 Apps
Customizing the Metro style Windows 8 Start screen - Ed Bott
The Metro hater's guide to customizing Windows 8 Consumer Preview - ZDNet photogallery by Ed Bott
Create Custom Refresh Point In Windows 8 With Recimg Tool - AddictiveTips blog
Classic Shell: Get Win 7 Start Menu & XP Explorer Toolbar On Windows 8 - AddictiveTips blog
Welcome to Classic Shell - application download page at SourceForge

Windows 8 - Deeper Insights

Quickpost: Some Windows 8 Observations - Didier Stevens
Windows 8 build recovery image - Caschys Blog (via Google Translate link)
Windows 8 Storage Spaces detailed: pooling redundant disk space for all - ArsTechnica
Windows Home Server Drive Extender reborn as Windows 8 Storage Spaces - Tenniswood Blog
Connecting Windows 8 Consumer Preview with Windows Home Server - Windows Home Server Blog

Windows 8 - DaRT (Diagnostic and Recovery Toolset)

This off-line system boot tool is kitted out with a collection of system administration tools to aid in the diagnosis and recovery of a tanked Windows system. This isn’t as easy to get your hands onto so some work and signup with Microsoft is required to get it.

MDOP: DaRTing to the Future - Windows Team Blog
Microsoft DaRT 8 Beta Q&A - Windows Team Blog
Diagnostic and Recovery Toolset (DaRT) - 4sysops

Indirectly related but still interesting.

MDT 2012 New Feature: DaRT integration - Michael Niehaus' Windows and Office deployment ramblings
Integrate Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Tools (DaRT) into the MDT boot image - Guillaume Remy

Windows 8 - Usage Tips

New user interface, new things to learn navigating around and completing basic tasks without beating head on desk…

Getting started with the Windows 8 Consumer Preview - ZDNet - Ed Bott Report
Windows 8 mouse tip: Quick access administrator options from the start screen - Tenniswood Blog
Getting around in Windows 8 - Windows Experience Blog
Windows 8 Consumer Preview Journey – Day 1 - Windows7hacker
How To Shut Down Windows 8 Computer in 4 Ways - Windows7hacker
Take Ownership Of Files & Folder And Change Permissions In Windows 8 - AddictiveTips blog
What Is Windows 8 Charms Bar? Share, Search, Access Settings & Actions - AddictiveTips blog
How To Resize, Group & Manage App Tiles In Windows 8 Start Screen - AddictiveTips blog
Windows 8 Remote Desktop: Hands-On Review & Tutorial - AddictiveTips blog
Where Is Computer In Windows 8? Show On Desktop, Pin To Start Screen - AddictiveTips blog
Where Is Start Menu In Windows 8? - AddictiveTips blog
Windows 8 File Sharing: Share Users & System Folders On Network - AddictiveTips blog
The Complete Guide To Window 8 Task Manager; New Features And Options - AddictiveTips blog
The Complete Guide To Windows 8 Explorer; New Ribbon Tools And Options - AddictiveTips blog
The Complete Guide To Windows 8 Metro Control Panel - AddictiveTips blog
The Complete Guide To Windows 8 File History Backup - AddictiveTips blog
Windows 8 PC Settings [Complete Guide] - AddictiveTips blog
Where Is Startup Folder & How To Edit Startup Items In Windows 8 - AddictiveTips blog
Windows 8 Apps Don’t Connect to Your Google/Gmail Account? -7 Tutorials
Trouble Setting Up Gmail on Windows 8? Here is Why and How to Fix it - Windows7hacker
Quick fix for AMD’s OpenGL on Windows 8 - Within Windows
How To Create Wireless Ad Hoc Internet Connection In Windows 8 - AddictiveTips blog
Windows 8 Guide: The Win+X Menu, aka The Power User Menu - Windows7hacker
How To Disable Windows 8 Lock Screen - AddictiveTips blog

Windows 8 - Miscellanea & Rumor Mongering

Already mostly covered in the linkage above, but sometimes you just can’t resist poking that ant-pile with a stick…

Start button To be Ditched in Windows 8 - Windows7hacker
Cloud Computing with SkyDrive on Windows 8 Revealed, A Desktop Version for Windows 7 too - Windows7hacker
Windows 8 Pro details surface, incremental updates - Neowin.net
Windows 8 - and 15-office news - Borns IT - und Windows-Blog (Google Translated Link)

Cheers.

--Claus V.

Bios Password

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Windows 8 Linkage: “Passage Public Metro” version

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