Microsoft Announced Three Editions of Windows 8 Along With Key Features

Microsoft Announced Three Editions of Windows 8 Along With Key Features

Earlier we have discussed on Consumer Preview Windows 8 & Windows 8 Developer Preview. Now In the official blog post Microsoft Windows Communications Manager Brandon LeBlanc Microsoft announced three editions of its upcoming Windows 8 platform: Windows 8, Windows 8 Pro and Windows RT, which was previously known at Windows on ARM, or WOA. According to Brandon LeBlanc’s post, Windows 8 Pro will include everything in Windows 8 along with advanced features such as encryption, virtualization, PC management and domain connectivity. Windows 8 Pro users will also be able to purchase Windows Media Center as a cheaper add-on. Microsoft recommends Windows 8 (the entry-level, limited functionality edition) for home use. As usual, this edition does not include BitLocker hard drive encryption, EFS file encryption or the ability to boot from a VHD. It is also not possible to access it using Remote Desktop (host). Computers running this edition are also unable to join domains and can't be managed using group policies. All these functions are reserved for Windows 8 Pro, as is the Hyper-V client for desktop visualization. 

Key Features:- 

Feature name	Windows 8	Windows 8 Pro	Windows RT
Upgrades from Windows 7 Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium	x	x
Upgrades from Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate		x
Start screen, Semantic Zoom, Live Tiles	x	x	x
Windows Store	x	x	x
Apps (Mail, Calendar, People, Messaging, Photos, SkyDrive, Reader, Music, Video)	x	x	x
Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote)			x
Internet Explorer 10	x	x	x
Device encryption			x
Connected standby	x	x	x
Microsoft account	x	x	x
Desktop	x	x	x
Installation of x86/64 and desktop software	x	x
Updated Windows Explorer	x	x	x
Windows Defender	x	x	x
SmartScreen	x	x	x
Windows Update	x	x	x
Enhanced Task Manager	x	x	x
Switch languages on the fly (Language Packs)	x	x	x
Better multiple monitor support	x	x	x
Storage Spaces	x	x
Windows Media Player	x	x
Exchange ActiveSync	x	x	x
File history	x	x	x
ISO / VHD mount	x	x	x
Mobile broadband features	x	x	x
Picture password	x	x	x
Play To	x	x	x
Remote Desktop (client)	x	x	x
Reset and refresh your PC	x	x	x
Snap	x	x	x
Touch and Thumb keyboard	x	x	x
Trusted boot	x	x	x
VPN client	x	x	x
BitLocker and BitLocker To Go		x
Boot from VHD		x
Client Hyper-V		x
Domain Join		x
Encrypting File System		x
Group Policy		x
Remote Desktop (host)		x

Announcing the Windows 8 Editions:-  

"First, Windows 8 is the official product name for the next x86/64 editions of Windows.

For PCs and tablets powered by x86 processors (both 32 and 64 bit), we will have two editions: Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro. For many consumers, Windows 8 will be the right choice. It will include all the features above plus an updated Windows Explorer, Task Manager, better multi-monitor support and the ability to switch languages on the fly (more details on this feature can be found in this blog post),which was previously only available in Enterprise/Ultimate editions of Windows. For China and a small set of select emerging markets, we will offer a local language-only edition of Windows 8.

Windows 8 Pro is designed to help tech enthusiasts and business/technical professionals obtain a broader set of Windows 8 technologies. It includes all the features in Windows 8 plus features for encryption, virtualization, PC management and domain connectivity. Windows Media Center will be available as an economical “media pack” add-on to Windows 8 Pro. If you are an enthusiast or you want to use your PC in a business environment, you will want Windows 8 Pro.

Windows RT is the newest member of the Windows family – also known as Windows on ARM or WOA, as we’ve referred to it previously. This single edition will only be available pre-installed on PCs and tablets powered by ARM processors and will help enable new thin and lightweight form factors with impressive battery life. Windows RT will include touch-optimized desktop versions of the new Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. For new apps, the focus for Windows RT is development on the new Windows runtime, or WinRT, which we unveiled in September and forms the foundation of a new generation of cloud-enabled, touch-enabled, web-connected apps of all kinds.  For more details on WOA, we suggest reading this blog post which shares more detail on how we have been building Windows 8 to run on the ARM architecture..."

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Windows 8 Consumer Preview & Windows Server 8 Beta By Microsoft (Freely Downloadable)

Microsoft Released Windows 8 Consumer Preview & Windows Server 8 Beta (Freely Downloadable)

A double boom for Windows lovers. Software giant Microsoft has officially released the Consumer Preview Windows 8 & Windows Server 8 Beta.

Windows 8 Consumer Preview :-

The Windows 8 Consumer Preview offers a more robust experience for testing the world's most popular operating system and is available to the widest range of people yet following the initial release of the Windows 8 Developer Preview late last year. The Developer Preview received more than 3 million downloads.

"With Windows 8, we reimagined the different ways people interact with their PC and how to make everything feel like a natural extension of the device, whether using a Windows 8 tablet, laptop or all-in-one," said Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows and Windows Live Division at Microsoft. "The Windows 8 Consumer Preview brings a no-compromises approach to using your PC."

The test "beta" version of the revamped system was introduced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the planet's largest cell phone trade show, and borrows some of the look of Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 software for Windows 8. Windows 8 doesn't have the traditional "Start" menu, and applications are spread across a mosaic of tiles in a design Microsoft calls "Metro" -- seen as an attempt by the company as a scramble to preserve its market share. And executives said it powers up on PCs in eight seconds, much faster than the previous version.

What is New In Windows 8 Consumer Preview :-

• Broad range of product changes and improvements. Since the Developer Preview in September, designed to preview the programming platform, Windows 8 has progressed across every dimension. From completing the user experience for touch, keyboard and mouse to refining the development platform, the Consumer Preview improves performance, quality and reliability across all subsystems.

• With the added features, it represents a more complete view of the capabilities of Windows 8. Windows Store with new apps. The Windows 8 Consumer Preview marks the beta opening of the Windows Store, which is filled with a variety of new Metro style apps from both third-party developers and Microsoft. During the Consumer Preview, these apps are available to try and experience at no cost to users. The Windows Store will offer personalised recommendations, and Windows 8 gives users the ability to take their apps and settings with them across multiple PCs, making it easy to discover and try new apps while offering developers the greatest opportunity of any platform.

• Connecting to the cloud across Windows-based PCs and Windows Phone 7. The Windows 8 Consumer Preview offers seamless integration with the content people care about across their Web services. An optional additional sign-on with a Microsoft account provides access to a host of features, including the ability to roam all settings, use cloud storage, communicate with email, calendar and contacts, and connect to a broad range of services. Your connection to the cloud works across your Windows-based PCs and your Windows 7 phones.

• Internet Explorer 10 Platform Preview 5. The best way to experience the Web on Windows is with Internet Explorer 10. The browser has been re-imagined to create a new experience designed specifically for Windows 8 devices. It provides an edge-to-edge user interface that is all about less browser and more Web. Fast and fluid, Internet Explorer is hardware-accelerated to enable Web performance.

• Preview of new hardware capabilities. At the event, Microsoft also showcased Windows 8 running on a wide range of new x86- and ARM-based reference hardware. This hardware will be available to select developers for trial and testing as previously announced.

Additional details can be found on the official website of Microsoft Windows. Also Microsoft makes Windows 8 Consumer Preview is made available for free Download

Windows Server 8 Beta :- 

The beta of Windows Server 8 is now available for IT professionals and software developers around the world to download. In the Windows Server official Blog Bill Laing, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Corporation Said - In September we introduced Windows Server “8” with a preview to help developers and hardware partners prepare new and existing applications, systems and devices. The response from that community, along with hundreds of customers in our early adopters program, has been incredibly positive. A common theme of feedback has been how broad and deep the new capabilities are. Now is the time for you, IT professionals in organizations of all sizes, to get your hands on this new release, discover the new capabilities and contribute to the development of what we call the cloud-optimized OS.
I’ll highlight in this post just a few examples of new capabilities that you’ll want to explore. With the new Hyper-V we are taking virtualization above and beyond to provide a multi-tenant platform for cloud computing. For example, with Hyper-V Network Virtualization you can create virtual networks so different business units, or even multiple customers, can seamlessly share network infrastructure.  You will be able to move virtual machines and servers around without losing their network assignments. In Windows Server “8” we are delivering high availability and disaster recovery through software technology on much more cost effective hardware. For example, with File Server Transparent Failover you can now more easily perform hardware or software maintenance of nodes in a File Server cluster by moving file shares between nodes with little interruption to server applications that are storing data on those file shares. We’re also delivering a tremendous amount of new capabilities for multi-machine management and automation. You will want to explore the dramatic new improvements to Server Manager, as well as the new Windows PowerShell. With 2,300 commandlets provided out of the box, Windows PowerShell allows you to automate everything you can do manually with the user interface. And, with technologies like Intellisense, we’ve made it very easy for you to master all of that power. Additionally, Windows Server “8” provides a powerful server application platform that enables you to develop and host the most demanding of application workloads. For example, with .NET Framework 4.5 you can take advantage of new asynch language and library support to build server and web applications that scale far beyond what other platforms provide. Our new IIS 8 web server provides better security isolation and resource sand-boxing between applications, native support for web sockets, and the ability to host significantly more sites on a server.

For Additional Information & To Download Windows Server 8 Beta Click Here

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For the first time, Microsoft CEO Ballmer referred to the next version of Windows as "Windows 8"

For the first time, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer referred to the next version of Windows as "Windows 8" – it was during remarks at a Microsoft Developer Forum in Japan, as opposed to an official press event for Windows, but it's still worth noting. Furthermore, Ballmer specifically said the next generation of Windows systems will be out next year.

We've been referring to Windows 7's successor as Windows 8 for a long time now, so many might think this isn't a big deal, but it is. Microsoft has made a point never to refer to the next version of Windows as Windows 8, and has instead publicly called it "Windows Next" or the "next generation of Windows." The company has also refused to give a timeframe for a release date, merely saying that it won't come sooner than three years after the release of Windows 7 (October 22, 2009).

Here is the relevant quote from Ballmer, courtesy of Microsoft's own transcript:

We're obviously hard at work on the next version of Windows. Windows 7 PCs will sell over 350 million units this year. We've done a lot in Windows 7 to improve customer satisfaction. We have a brand new user interface. We've added touch, and ink, and speech. And yet, as we look forward to the next generation of Windows systems, which will come out next year, there's a whole lot more coming. As we progress through the year, you ought to expect to hear a lot about Windows 8. Windows 8 slates, tablets, PCs, a variety of different form factors.

To make things a bit more interesting, Microsoft is saying Ballmer made a mistake. "It appears there was a misstatement," a Microsoft spokesperson told ZDNet. "We are eagerly awaiting the next generation of Windows 7 hardware that will be available in the coming fiscal year. To date, we have yet to formally announce any timing or naming for the next version of Windows."

In other words, despite what Ballmer said, Microsoft is still not ready to announce the name of Windows 7's successor, or when it will arrive. It's still very probable that Ballmer's statement was accurate, but to what extent we'll have to wait a little while longer.

Windows 8 build 7850, the first leaked Windows 8 build, hit the Internet last month. It was quickly followed by Windows 8 Build 7955 a few weeks later. Windows Server 8 build 7959 then leaked earlier this month.

If you see a download claiming to be newer than build number 7959, be careful as it is likely bogus and probably contains malware. We may not see new leaks for a while given that Microsoft is rumored to have recently fired two employees for this exact reason.

Microsoft announced earlier this year that Windows 8 will support Intel, AMD, and ARM architectures. Although a rumor suggests that Windows 8 will arrive on January 7, 2013, we expect that the operating system will ship in time for the 2012 holiday season.

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Security Flaws Allowing Any Windows User to Upgrade to Windows 8 Pro For Just $14.99

Security Flaws Allowing Any Windows User to Upgrade to Windows 8 Pro For Just $14.99

The long awaited and the most advanced windows operating system by Microsoft is ready and available to buy from Microsoft Store. Earlier we got three Pre-release version of Windows 8 -Consumer Preview, Developer Preview & Release Preview. Along with these the Redmond based software giant also released an Enterprise Edition of Windows 8. With those releases, Microsoft declared that they will start selling Windows 8 from October 26. As per the schedule Microsoft opened its virtual store and began selling upgrades to Windows 8 Pro for $39.99, making good on a promise made last summer. The upgrade, which must be downloaded and installed via a utility called "Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant," can be applied to Windows XP-, Vista-, and Windows 7-powered systems. So far so good, but not that good as it looking, recently a security hole has been spotted in the wild which is allowing Windows user to buy a license for Windows 8 Pro for just $14.99 by faking the details on the WindowsUpgradeOffer page. According to a post from Technology Personalized -For the uninitiated, the MRP of Windows 8 Pro version is $169.99 and during the promotional offer period, which runs till Jan 31st 2013, Microsoft is offering a big $130 discount to encourage early adaption of the latest Windows OS. So, the existing Windows 7/Vista/XP users can upgrade to Windows 8 for just $39.99 (or INR 1999). Additionally, Microsoft had announced that those who bought a Windows 7 PC between June 2, 2012, and January 31, 2013 are eligible for a further discount and can actually upgrade for a meagre $14.99. Moreover, users get to download the ISO and/or save Windows 8 as bootable USB.

Shockingly, the WindowsUpgradeOffer page requires people to enter some extremely basic details about their Windows 7 PC purchase as shown below. As you can see, the details they ask for can no way be used to validate the purchase. It neither asks for a serial number nor Windows 7 key, but just the PC brand and model! As you can see, we entered some random info into each of the fields.

Once the details are submitted, user will get a confirmation email about the registration. Within a few minutes, another email with the promo code is sent to the same email address. This promo code can be used to purchase the Windows 8 Pro edition via the Windows 8 Upgrade assistant app, for a nominal fee of USD 14.99. Unbelievable, isn’t it? 

So far Microsoft did not responded about this issue, but for those who want to buy Windows 8 Pro (Download) click Here & those who want to get Windows 8 Pro shipped to you click Here.

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Microsoft Releases Windows 8 Enterprise Edition (Freely Available For 90 Days)

Microsoft Releases Windows 8 Enterprise Edition (Freely Available For 90 Days) 

Redmond based software giant Microsoft has released the Windows 8 Enterprise Evaluation version yet again making it available free for 90 days. Before this Evolution version we have tested three different flavors of Microsoft's upcoming and long awaited operating system Windows 8, and they are  Windows 8   Consumer Preview,  Windows 8 Developer Preview & Windows 8 Release Preview. According to Microsoft - Windows 8 Enterprise features include all the capabilities that customers get with Windows 8 Pro* plus premium features designed to provide the mobile productivity, security, manageability and virtualization needs of today’s businesses. Developers can write their own apps in widely used languages such as C#, C++, JavaScript, and Microsoft’s Visual Basic. Windows 8 Enterprise also includes a built-in print driver that supports “a wide range” of printers without the hassle of installing printer drivers from CDs or the Web onto print servers or client devices.

Some of the key features that will be available exclusively to Windows 8 Enterprise customers are:-

• Windows To Go is a fully manageable corporate Windows 8 desktop on a bootable external USB stick. This will allow IT organizations to support the “Bring Your Own PC” trend and businesses can give contingent staff access to the corporate environment without compromising security.
• Direct Access allows remote users to seamlessly access resources inside a corporate network without having to launch a separate VPN and helps IT administrators keep remote users’ PCs in compliance by applying the latest policies, software updates. When used with Windows Server 2012, Windows 8 makes Direct Access easier to deploy and implement with the existing IPv4 infrastructure.
• BranchCache allows users’ PCs to cache files, websites, and other content from central servers, so content is not repeatedly downloaded across the wide area network (WAN). When used with Windows Server 2012, Windows 8 brings several improvements to BranchCache to streamline the deployment process, optimize bandwidth over WAN connections and ensure better security and scalability.
• AppLocker can help mitigate issues by restricting the files and apps that users or groups are allowed to run.
• VDI enhancements: Enhancements in Microsoft RemoteFX and Windows Server 2012, provide users with a rich desktop experience with the ability to play 3D graphics, use USB peripherals and use touch-enabled devices across any type of network (LAN or WAN) for VDI scenarios.
• New Windows 8 App Deployment: Domain joined PCs and tablets running Windows 8 Enterprise will automatically be enabled to side-load internal, Windows 8 Metro style apps.

Windows 8 Enterprise is available to Software Assurance customers via the Volume License Service Center (VLSC), allowing you to test, pilot and begin adopting Windows 8 Enterprise within your organization. For those customers who are interested in trying out the key features in Windows 8 Enterprise, you can also now obtain Windows 8 Enterprise through your TechNet Professional Subscription or MSDN Subscription. For IT professionals that don’t have access to any of the above options, a 90-day evaluation version is now available for download through the TechNet Evaluation Center. 

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Microsoft Said : Windows 8 Will be As Revolutionary As Windows 95

Microsoft Corp's Windows 95 truly reinvented the PC experience and revolutionized the PC industry back sixteen years ago in 1995. This week Microsoft opened up Windows 8 development blog and said that its next-generation Windows 8, which will be available for public testing in the coming months, will be as revolutionary as the legendary Windows 95.
 

"So much has changed since Windows 95 - the last time Windows was significantly overhauled - when the 'desktop' metaphor was established. Today more than two out of three PCs are mobile (laptops, netbooks, notebooks, tablets, slates, convertibles, etc.). Nearly every PC is capable of wireless connectivity. Screen sizes range from under 10" to wall-sized screens and multiple HD screens. Storage has jumped from megabytes to terabytes and has moved up to the cloud," said Steven Sinofsky, the president of Windows and Windows Live division at Microsoft.
 

Although Microsoft continues to remain mum about the release date of Windows 8, many believe that the next-generation Windows will be launched in 2012. In its new blog, the world's largest designer of software plans to share how it focuses on performance, reliability, compatibility, security, and quality of Windows 8 and plans to continue the dialog around performance and fundamental engineering of Windows with its customers and end-users.
Microsoft previewed its Windows 8 in June and started by showing user experience and interface on a range of mobile devices. The graphics user interface (GUI) is one of the most important elements of operating systems as end-users interact with it every day. But Microsoft stresses that the new GUI along with compatibility with ARM-based system-on-chips are not the only innovations when it comes to Windows 8. The software giant claims it has engineered changes across the full range of Windows capabilities.
 

"We know people who care a lot about networking want to know our plans there. We know people who are invested heavily in storage want to know what is new in that area. Many want to know about performance and fundamentals. We know developers, IT pros, and gamers all want to know what's new for them. There is so much packed into Windows 8 and there are so many unique and important lenses through which to view Windows 8, and so we want to be sure to take the time to cover as many of these topics as possible, to build up a shared understanding of why we’ve taken Windows where we have. So in the next weeks we will just start talking specifics of features, since there is no obvious place to start given the varying perspectives. From fundamentals, to user interface, to hardware support, and more, if something is important to you, we promise we'll get to it in some form or another," said Mr. Sinofsky.

To See of official Blog of Windows 8 Click Here 

-News Source (Xbitlabs)

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Windows 8 Will Reduce Runtime Memory Usage

Microsoft has tweaked the use of memory in Windows 8 to help people juggle more applications and files with less physical RAM. In the latest Building Windows 8 blog, Bill Karagounis, group program manager for Microsoft's Performance team, detailed some of the tricks that the company has employed in the new OS to optimize the use of memory.
One such trick is memory combining. Windows applications can reserve multiple chunks of system memory, not just what for they need now but what for they may need in the future. The more apps that do this, the more memory used up.
Memory combining searches system RAM for duplicate content and then frees up the duplicates to hold just a single copy. If an app needs that freed-up memory in the future, Windows provides what's called a "private copy." Such a process can make anywhere from 10s to 100s of megabytes available, according to Karagounis.
A healthy amount of system RAM is also taken up by Windows services. Open Task Manager, click on the Services tab, and you'll see the sheer number of services chewing up precious memory. To make Windows 8 more memory efficient, Microsoft has removed 13 different services, changed a number of others from automatic to manual, and moved still others into a "Start on Demand" mode so they're not eating up memory from the get-go.
Yet another trick was to find various core but low-level components that have been in Windows for almost 20 years and consolidate certain ones so they don't take up as heavy a memory footprint as they would individually.
Finally, Windows 8 will be smarter about which allocated memory to keep and which to free up. For example, antivirus programs need memory when they check on files opened by other applications. Since this is typically a one-time allocation, that specific chunk of memory probably wouldn't be needed again by the AV software. As such, Windows 7 might free up that RAM for something else if memory became scare. But such an action could drag down performance.
Instead, "In Windows 8, any program has the ability to allocate memory as 'low priority,' Karagounis said. "This is an important signal to Windows that if there is memory pressure, Windows can remove this low priority memory to make space, and it doesn't affect other memory required to sustain the responsiveness of the system."
Overall, the new memory optimization should coax better performance out of PCs with an ample supply of RAM but also benefit those with only 1 or 2 gigabytes of memory. As an example, Karagounis looked at the Netbook that Windows president Steven Sinofsky used in a demo at the company's recent Build conference. Comparing the PC's memory usage under Windows 7 and Windows 8 under the same conditions, Karagounis found that Windows 7 chewed up 404MB of RAM, while Windows 8 used only 281MB.

The tweaks will also squeeze more juice out of tablets and other lower-powered devices that don't hold much physical RAM, explained Karagounis. The more RAM a device contains, the more battery power it chews up. Manufacturers of Windows 8 devices can now get by with less physical memory, thereby delivering more life on a single battery charge.

For more information and to see the windows 8 Official Blog Click Here

-News Source (Windows 8 Blog, Cnet)

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Microsoft's Windows 8 Will Be Available On October 26

Microsoft's Windows 8 Will Be Available On October 26

The final countdown of Windows 8 begins as software giant Microsoft announced that they will start selling Windows 8 from coming October 26, a little more than three months from now. This release will be first stable one of Windows 8, earlier we got three pre-release version of Windows 8 -Consumer Preview, Developer Preview & Release Preview. Windows 8 is Designed to work on both PCs and tablet computers, So far Windows 8 is Microsoft's best hope for competing with devices. According to official blog of Windows Steam - "Steven Sinofsky announced at Microsoft’s annual sales meeting that customers will be able to get Windows 8 – whether in upgrade fashion or on a new PC – starting on October 26^th. Earlier this month at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, Tami Reller told attendees Windows 8 would be available in October. But now everyone has a specific date to mark on their calendars."

The Oct. 26 date is also significant to users now running Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7, as it marks the debut of the $39.99 upgrade to Windows 8. The price is a dramatic discount from other Windows upgrade. All users who upgrade will receive Windows 8 Pro, the more advanced of the two retail editions. Microsoft has also tied the launch of its Windows RT operating system, and its first-ever tablet, dubbed "Surface" to the debut of Windows 8. It does have some wiggle room, however, for the tablet, because it has said that the device would go on sale around the time of Windows 8's release. Microsoft officials have not said how much the promised System Builder SKU will be for those who want to build their own PCs. They also have not said whether a full, non-upgrade version will be available via retail and how much it will cost.

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Microsoft Launched Windows 8 Release Preview (Final Pre-Release Version of Windows 8)

Microsoft Launched Windows 8 Release Preview (Final Pre-Release Version of Windows 8)

After Consumer Preview Windows 8 & Windows 8 Developer Preview now Microsoft just announced final pre-release version of Windows 8 named Windows 8 Release Preview. Windows 8 is considered to be the biggest change in decades to Microsoft's widely used operating system. In a blog post, Steven Sinofsky, Microsoft's top Windows executive, touted the Release Preview as the "final pre-release" build, and talked about the next milestone, RTM, for "release to manufacturing," the label that describes the completed version used by computer makers to pre-install the operating system on new PCs. 

The software displays applications in a mosaic of tiles and has been designed so it can run desktop, laptop and tablet computers. In this final pre-release, and includes Windows 8, Internet Explorer 10, new Windows 8 apps for connecting to Hotmail, SkyDrive, and Messenger (and many more), and hundreds of new and updated apps in the Windows Store. Other new apps in this release include a Bing Travel app, as well as Gaming and Music Xbox apps that integrate with Microsoft’s Zune music service. Microsoft says that it will focus its resources before launching the final version of Windows 8 on improving the installation process, security and privacy, as well as device and software compatibility. As Microsoft’s president of its Windows Division Steven Sinofsky noted, his team “will still be changing Windows 8, as we have done in past releases of Windows.”

Microsoft also says that it has increased personalization options for the Start screen and refined the way “the way people find and download apps through the Windows Store.” The touch-friendly Metro version of Internet Explorer now also supports Adobe’s Flash player and features a Do Not Track feature that is turned on by default.
 

 To Download Windows 8 Release Preview Click Here

 

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Microsoft Unveils Windows Phone 8 Codenamed “Apollo”

Microsoft Unveils Windows Phone 8 Codenamed “Apollo”

Few days ago in a report we have said that Microsoft is expected to launch it's own tablet (Microsoft Surface) while aiming to compete with iPad. Redmond based software and hardware giant just unveiled the next big step in its mobile software, Windows Phone 8 codenamed “Apollo” Windows Phone 8 brings the platform in line with other mobile OSes by adding support for muti-core processors, higher screen resolutions and newer wireless technologies like near field communication (NFC). Importantly, Microsoft has re-coded Windows Phone from the ground up for the new version. Previous versions of Windows Phone were based on Microsoft’s old mobile OS, Windows CE, but now the platform will share the same source code as the company’s coming desktop OS, Windows 8. That has big consequences for developers and consumers. For developers, it will be extremely easy to create a Windows Phone app if they already have a Windows 8 app that runs in the Metro environment (and vice versa). For consumers, it means more apps and better hardware to run them. It also has the effect of rendering every current Windows Phone obsolete, since those phones won’t be able to run the new software. They will, however, get an upgrade to Windows Phone 7 to 8. Windows Phone 8 adds support for many new hardware features. The most anticipated is support for multi-core devices, which have become common on both Android and iOS platforms. There’s also support for better screen resolutions, including 720p and 1,280 x 768 (WXGA). That’s not quite retina, but it’s better than the 800 x 480 screen of the Nokia Lumia 900, one of the current leading Windows Phones.

New Features At a Glance :-

• Support for multi-core processors. Existing support for single core has been a major concern for some high-end users wanting faster processing ability.

• Two new high-definition screen resolutions for the coming OS. They are 1280 x 768 and 1280 x 720.

• Removeable micro-SD support for the first time to allow expansion of base storage.

• A busier start screen with room for more live tiles than in Windows Phone 7.5. Today's Windows Phones have room for up to eight live tiles and WP8 will have room for up to 32 live tiles, which can be sized differently.

• IT support. Adminstrators will see some gaps in the existing OS filled, including support for encryption and secure boot in WP8, as well as the ability to allow IT to deploy apps without going through Windows Marketplace.

• Built-in Nokia Navteq map technology, with turn-by-turn driving instructions in many countries.

• Full Internet Explorer 10 support with more features of HTML 5 added. Belfiore said that Windows Phone 8 with IE10 will download Web pages slightly faster than three other popular smartphones on the market.

• Native code support, a feature seen as useful to developers eager to move their apps from iOS or Android to Windows Phone. 

-Source (Mshable & CW)

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Famous Framework Metasploit v4.0.0

The Metasploit Framework is a penetration testing toolkit, exploit development platform, and research tool. The framework includes hundreds of working remote exploits for a variety of platforms. Payloads, encoders, and nop slide generators can be mixed and matched with exploit modules to solve almost any exploit-related task.

New Exploit Modules:

VSFTPD v2.3.4 Backdoor Command Execution
Java RMI Server Insecure Default Configuration Java Code Execution
HP OpenView Network Node Manager Toolbar.exe CGI Buffer Overflow
HP OpenView Network Node Manager Toolbar.exe CGI Cookie Handling Buffer Overflow
Mozilla Firefox nsTreeRange Dangling Pointer Vulnerability
Black Ice Cover Page ActiveX Control Arbitrary File Download
Microsoft Office Visio VISIODWG.DLL DXF File Handling Vulnerability
MicroP 0.1.1.1600 (MPPL File) Stack Buffer Overflow
Lotus Notes 8.0.x – 8.5.2 FP2 – Autonomy Keyview
RealWin SCADA Server DATAC Login Buffer Overflow
Siemens FactoryLink vrn.exe Opcode 9 Buffer Overflow
Iconics GENESIS32 Integer overflow version 9.21.201.01
Siemens FactoryLink 8 CSService Logging Path Param Buffer Overflow
Sielco Sistemi Winlog Buffer Overflow
Blue Coat Authentication and Authorization Agent (BCAAA) 5 Buffer Overflow
HP OmniInet.exe Opcode 20 Buffer Overflow
HP OmniInet.exe Opcode 27 Buffer Overflow
Citrix Provisioning Services 5.6 streamprocess.exe Buffer Overflow
Lotus Notes 8.0.x – 8.5.2 FP2 – Autonomy Keyview

New Post-Exploitation Modules:

Winlogon Lockout Credential Keylogger
Windows Gather Microsoft Outlook Saved Password Extraction
Windows Gather Process Memory Grep
Windows Gather Trillian Password Extractor
Windows PCI Hardware Enumeration
Windows Gather FlashFXP Saved Password Extraction
Windows Gather Local and Domain Controller Account Password Hashes
Windows Gather Nimbuzz Instant Messenger Password Extractor
Windows Gather CoreFTP Saved Password Extraction
Internet Download Manager (IDM) Password Extractor
Windows Gather SmartFTP Saved Password Extraction
Windows Gather Bitcoin wallet.dat
Windows Gather Service Info Enumeration
Windows Gather IPSwitch iMail User Data Enumeration

New Auxiliary Modules:

John the Ripper Password Cracker Fast Mode
Microsoft Windows DNSAPI.dll LLMNR Buffer Underrun DoS
Kaillera 0.86 Server Denial of Service
2Wire Cross-Site Request Forgery Password Reset Vulnerability
SIPDroid Extension Grabber
MSSQL Password Hashdump

Notable Features & Closed Bugs:-

Feature #4982 – Support for custom executable with psexec
Feature #4856 – RegLoadKey and RegUnLoadKey functions for the Meterpreter stdapi
Feature #4578 – Update Nmap XML parsers to support Nokogiri parsing
Feature #4417 – Post exploitation module to harvest OpenSSH credentials
Feature #4015 – Increase test coverage for railgun
Bug #4963 – Rework db_* commands for consistency
Bug #4892 – non-windows meterpreters upload into the wrong filename
Bug #4296 – Meterpreter stdapi registry functions create key if one doesn’t exist
Bug #3565 – framework installer fails on RHEL (postgres taking too long to start)

Armitage integrates with Metasploit 4.0 to:-

Take advantage of the new Meterpreter payload stagers
Crack credentials with the click of a button
Run post modules against multiple hosts
Automatically log all post-exploitation activity
Revision Information:
Framework Revision 13462

Several import parsers were rewritten to use Nokogiri for much faster processing of large import files. Adding to Metasploit’s extensive payload support, Windows and Java Meterpreter now both support staging over HTTP and Windows can use HTTPS. In a similar vein, POSIX Meterpreter is seeing some new development again. It still isn’t perfect nor is it nearly as complete as the Windows version, but many features already work. Java applet signing is now done directly in Ruby, removing the need for a JDK for generating self-signed certificates. The Linux installers now ship with ruby headers, making it possible to install native gems in the Metasploit ruby environment.

Another flexibility improvement comes in the form of a consolidated pcap interface. The pcaprub extension ships with the Linux installers as of this release and support for Windows will come soon. Modules that used Racket for generating raw packets have been converted to Packetfu, which provides a smoother API for modules to capture and inject packets.

To download Metasploit Framework v4.0.0 Click Here

For more information abous MSF click here

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Adobe Says Windows 8 Users are Vulnerable to Active Flash Exploits (Microsoft Will not Patch the Bug Until October)

Adobe Says Windows 8 Users are Vulnerable to Active Flash Exploits (Microsoft Will not Patch the Bug Until October 26)

Adobe confirmed a serious security hole in Windows 8, hackers have been aiming at  Microsoft's Windows 8 PCs for several weeks as it is vulnerable to attack by exploits. Its very unfortunate for those who runs all the four (consumer preview, developer preview, release preview & enterprise) pre-release version of Windows 8, because the Redmond based software giant Microsoft said it will not patch the bug in Flash Player until what it called "GA," for "general availability." That would be Oct. 26, when Windows 8 hits retail and PCs powered by the new operating system go on sale. 

"We will update Flash in Windows 8 via Windows Update as needed," a spokeswoman said in a reply to questions. "The current version of Flash in the Windows 8 RTM build does not have the latest fix, but we will have a security update coming through Windows Update in the GA timeframe."
Microsoft, not Adobe, is responsible for patching Flash Player in Windows 8 because the company took a page from Google's playbook and integrated the popular media software with Internet Explorer 10 (IE10), the new operating system's browser. Last month, Adobe issued two updates for Flash Player that patched eight vulnerabilities, some of which were ranked as "1" by the company, its highest threat warning. One of the vulnerabilities, tagged as CVE-2012-1535, was patched Aug. 14, but had been exploited for an indeterminate time before that.
In fact, CVE-2012-1535 was one of four "zero-days," or unpatched vulnerabilities, exploited in a 16-week stretch by an elite hacker gang revealed by Symantec researchers on Friday. Microsoft has not updated the Flash in IE10 within Windows 8 to accommodate those two sets of patches, Adobe confirmed Friday. "Flash Player 11.3.372.94 does not incorporate the fixes released in APSB12-18 and APSB12-19," said Wiebke Lips, a spokeswoman for Adobe, referring to the Aug. 14 and Aug. 21 Flash updates.
Windows 8 RTM's IE10 identifies the integrated Flash Player as version 11.3.372.94, a more recent build than the one in Windows 8 Release Preview, but older than the most-up-to-date version for Windows, 11.4.402.265, which Adobe delivered on Aug. 21.

Adobe actually told some users about Windows 8's Flash situation two weeks ago. On an Adobe support forum, a company representative announced on Aug. 23 that there would be no Flash update for Windows 8 and IE10 until late October. "Since Windows 8 has not yet been released for general availability, the update channel is not active," said Chris Campbell, identified as an Adobe employee. "Once this goes live, you'll start getting updates to Flash Player."

-Source (Computer World)

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Microsoft Released Windows 8 Preview For All (Anyone Can Download & Fell The Next Generation of OS)

Long awaited Windows 8 came closer to us. Today Microsoft released  the first windows 8 preview for all. It can be free;y downloaded from Microsoft, Any one can have Windows 8, an early look at the next-generation OS. The downloads, which range from 2.8GB to 4.8GB in size, come with no restrictions, a company spokeswoman confirmed earlier in the day.

According To Microsoft:- 

The Windows Developer Preview is a pre-beta version of Windows 8 for developers. These downloads include prerelease software that may change without notice. The software is provided as is, and you bear the risk of using it. It may not be stable, operate correctly or work the way the final version of the software will. It should not be used in a production environment. The features and functionality in the prerelease software may not appear in the final version. Some product features and functionality may require advanced or additional hardware, or installation of other software.

Windows Developer Preview with developer tools

Englis4-bit (x64):-

DOWNLOAD (4.8 GB)

• 64-bit Windows Developer Preview
• Windows SDK for Metro style apps
• Microsoft Visual Studio 11 Express for Windows Developer Preview
• Microsoft Expression Blend 5 Developer Preview
• 28 Metro style apps including the BUILD Conference app

Windows Developer Preview English

64-bit (x64):-

DOWNLOAD (3.6 GB)

Includes a disk image file (.iso) to install the Windows Developer Preview and Metro style apps on a 64-bit PC.

Windows Developer Preview English

32-bit (x86):-

DOWNLOAD (2.8 GB)

Includes a disk image file (.iso) to install the Windows Developer Preview and Metro style apps on a 32-bit PC.

System Requirements:-

Windows Developer Preview works great on the same hardware that powers Windows Vista and Windows 7:

• 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
• 1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
• 16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
• DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
• Taking advantage of touch input requires a screen that supports multi-touch

-News Source (Microsoft)

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