Windows 8 Release Preview Now Available To Download 363
MrSeb writes "Microsoft has announced the immediate availability of Windows 8 Release Preview. Unfortunately there isn't a Consumer Preview > Release Preview upgrade path — you'll have to format and perform a clean installation. After downloading the ISO, simply burn Windows 8 RP onto a USB stick or DVD, reboot, and follow the (exceedingly quick and easy) installer. Alternatively, if you don't want to format a partition, ExtremeTech has a guide on virtualizing Windows 8 with VirtualBox. After a lot of fluster on the Building Windows 8 blog, the Release Preview is actually surprisingly similar to the Consumer Preview. Despite being promised a new, flat, Desktop/Explorer UI, Aero is still the default theme in Windows 8 RP. The tutorial that will introduce new users to the brave new Start buttonless Windows 8 world is also missing. Major features that did make the cut are improved multi-monitor support — it's now easier to hit the hot corners on a multi-monitor setup, and Metro apps can be moved between displays — and the Metro version of IE10 now has a built-in Flash plug-in. There will be no further pre-releases of Windows 8: the next build will be the RTM."
IF YOU WANT TO PIRATE A COPY (Score:5, Informative)
Here's a working activation key:
TK8TP-9JN6P-7X7WW-RFFTV-B7QPF
Re:IF YOU WANT TO PIRATE A COPY (Score:5, Informative)
If activation works in the release preview like it did in the consumer preview, there will only be one "activation key" for the publicly downloadable copy. Presumably, that key activates it for the limited time period and each copy will expire or de-activate on whatever their target date is.
What you're suggesting is about as far from piracy as you could get. I personally 'pirated' the consumer preview because the tail end of the official download (which I tried 3 times on that release day) was corrupted by whoever's transparent proxy service I had the joy of unknowingly using. Probably Time Warner's, as I've had corruption isses with other large downloads from official sources for other software.
Odds of Microsoft coming after you for torrenting freely available 'free' previews are pretty darn low. They have bigger fish to fry.
Re:Metro apps (Score:4, Informative)
Simply put, it's so that Metro app developers don't have to concern themselves with supporting anything smaller.
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Re:Ok, Sherlock, your mystery is not a, uh, myster (Score:2, Informative)
The secure boot was only for arm based devices (TABLETS) that will carry windows 8.
Partially correct. It's also for x86 devices, the only difference is that it's mandatory with no ability to disable for ARM.
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