Microsoft Announces Cloud-Powered OS Backup and Restore for Windows 11, Better ARM Support (windowscentral.com) 50
Microsoft's annual developer event Build 2023 unveiled ChatGPT's integration into Bing and an AI 'personal assistant' for Windows 11.
But Windows Central also notes two more big (non-AI) announcements: Windows 11 is getting cloud-powered OS backup and restore Smartphone owners have long enjoyed a similar functionality, where you could buy a new device and upon the first start, simply log in to your platform account and select "Restore my apps" from the cloud backup. And now Windows will be able to do the same. ["If the user chooses yes, Windows will automatically apply the old wallpaper and settings and even begin preloading apps you had installed on your old PC. Once the user hits the desktop, they'll see all their previously pinned apps already in the Taskbar, and clicking on them will initiate an automatic download from the Microsoft Store."]
Windows 11 on ARM devices gets a big boost [B]ecause Microsoft has no intention of dropping x86 support, they have been slow in adopting ARM architecture to make it a viable alternative for Windows users. With Build 2023, this is moving ahead...
Elsewhere Windows Central argues that "should result in a better experience on devices like the Surface Pro 9 (ARM), Surface Pro X, and the new Dell Inspiron 14 with a Snapdragon 8cx 2 processor.
On the gaming side of things, Unity with native Windows on ARM support will become available in early June. Once launched, the tool will let developers target Windows on ARM devices for current and future games, resulting in better performance. Unity is a very popular development platform for games, and native support for Windows on ARM is a welcome addition...
Visual Studio having Multi-platform App UI (MAUI) support for Arm will give developers another way to target Windows on ARM PCs.
Even Node.js v20.0.0 now officially supports ARM64 Windows, "allowing for native execution on the platform. The MSI, zip/7z packages, and executable are available from the Node.js download site along with all other platforms."
And in addition, Visual Studio 17.71 Preview 1 now ships with support for Linux development with C++.
But Windows Central also notes two more big (non-AI) announcements: Windows 11 is getting cloud-powered OS backup and restore Smartphone owners have long enjoyed a similar functionality, where you could buy a new device and upon the first start, simply log in to your platform account and select "Restore my apps" from the cloud backup. And now Windows will be able to do the same. ["If the user chooses yes, Windows will automatically apply the old wallpaper and settings and even begin preloading apps you had installed on your old PC. Once the user hits the desktop, they'll see all their previously pinned apps already in the Taskbar, and clicking on them will initiate an automatic download from the Microsoft Store."]
Windows 11 on ARM devices gets a big boost [B]ecause Microsoft has no intention of dropping x86 support, they have been slow in adopting ARM architecture to make it a viable alternative for Windows users. With Build 2023, this is moving ahead...
Elsewhere Windows Central argues that "should result in a better experience on devices like the Surface Pro 9 (ARM), Surface Pro X, and the new Dell Inspiron 14 with a Snapdragon 8cx 2 processor.
On the gaming side of things, Unity with native Windows on ARM support will become available in early June. Once launched, the tool will let developers target Windows on ARM devices for current and future games, resulting in better performance. Unity is a very popular development platform for games, and native support for Windows on ARM is a welcome addition...
Visual Studio having Multi-platform App UI (MAUI) support for Arm will give developers another way to target Windows on ARM PCs.
Even Node.js v20.0.0 now officially supports ARM64 Windows, "allowing for native execution on the platform. The MSI, zip/7z packages, and executable are available from the Node.js download site along with all other platforms."
And in addition, Visual Studio 17.71 Preview 1 now ships with support for Linux development with C++.
who buys apps or games at the Microsoft Store? (Score:5, Interesting)
who buys apps or games at the Microsoft Store?
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I'm worried that it might not backup all my critical malware and viruses. I can't afford to lose my BonziBuddy or the Punch-the-Monkey thingy.
Can Microsoft assure me that all my malware will be reactivated from a restored backup file?
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I haven't bought anything (like for money) but installed a bunch of stuff for free. It's pretty convenient.
I'm not a fan of giving someone money for a record somewhere in the cloud that I'm allowed to use something so I don't buy from play store or steam either. But if someone does use those, there's no reason not to use the MS store.
But as for backup, maybe it was just my experience, but the phone "cloud" backup sucks and seems to not restore everything. A bare metal image is the way to go, absolutely zero
Unity (Score:2)
Uh, who uses that when Unreal is 100x better? I want Unity to succeed but they really stalled over the last few years.
Hmmmm (Score:3)
What about offline? (Score:5, Insightful)
Microsoft has had the worst backup methods since... ever. Why bother with the cloud when they can't even manage backing up to an external or extra drive correctly? They're in this strange mindset that we only want to backup the useless stuff in "Libraries". And every time you've got it figured out, the next Windows release gets a brand new and incompatible method of making backups. Really, so very incompetent.
Re:What about offline? (Score:5, Informative)
Microsoft has had the worst backup methods since... ever. Why bother with the cloud Really, so very incompetent.
Nope, they are locking down the PC, this has been a 20 year project to kill piracy and turn the comuputer into a locked down device like a console see here:
https://youtu.be/U7VwtOrwceo?t... [youtu.be]
Secure boot wasn't about "protecting your PC" from malware it was about putting hardcore antipiracy tech in your PC and turning your pc into a locked down device like the iphone and console so you never see plaintext binary - the thing that enabled mass piracy of windows os, apps and games. Microsoft founded the trusted computing intiative with Intel, AMD and other companies to re-engineer and take over every microchip in every device on the planet, that's why shit like your mice and sd cards need "certificates" if they want to be used with the xbox console.
The whole thing was to move us to encrypted computing.
See the patent abstract here:
"A digital rights management operating system protects rights-managed data, such as downloaded content, from access by untrusted programs while the data is loaded into memory or on a page file as a result of the execution of a trusted application that accesses the memory. To protect the rights-managed data resident in memory, the digital rights management operating system refuses to load an untrusted program into memory while the trusted application is executing or removes the data from memory before loading the untrusted program. If the untrusted program executes at the operating system level, such as a debugger, the digital rights management operating system renounces a trusted identity created for it by the computer processor when the computer was booted. To protect the rights-managed data on the page file, the digital rights management operating system prohibits raw access to the page file, or erases the data from the page file before allowing such access. Alternatively, the digital rights management operating system can encrypt the rights-managed data prior to writing it to the page file. The digital rights management operating system also limits the functions the user can perform on the rights-managed data and the trusted application, and can provide a trusted clock used in place of the standard computer clock."
https://cryptome.org/ms-drm-os... [cryptome.org]
That is why you have secure boot and the TPM requirement for windows 11, they are phasing out plaintext compiled binaries over the next 20 years, so I hope you enjoy your locked down OS. Game developers and everyone in the industry was hell bent on killing honest plaintext binaries to kill piracy they didn't give up, they've already had it in the bag in 1997 when you all took up client-server exe's like MMOS and steam, Microsoft was jealous of Richard garriot and Gabe newell.
Microsoft's UWP has been cut up into multiple parts to convince developers to sign and encrypt their binaries over the next 20 years they are phasing out binary plaintext access to your device.
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Secure boot wasn't about "protecting your PC" from malware it was about putting hardcore antipiracy tech in your PC and turning your pc into a locked down device like the iphone
No mods otherwise you would get them all. In the past when people mentioned secure boot and lock down, they would get modded down.
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Secure boot wasn't about "protecting your PC" from malware it was about putting hardcore antipiracy tech in your PC and turning your pc into a locked down device like the iphone
No mods otherwise you would get them all. In the past when people mentioned secure boot and lock down, they would get modded down.
Well most people are ignorant, even among tech literate. The battle was one and lost in 1997 when the industry realized 99% of the people on the planet did not understand the evils of mainframe computing and IBM of the 60's. When the first mmo's were released (rebrand of PC games), that put death to OS/games/apps as local applications.
UO devs on ultima 9 cancellation when UO beta was a success
https://youtu.be/lnnsDi7Sxq0?t... [youtu.be]
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Secure boot wasn't about "protecting your PC" from malware it was about putting hardcore antipiracy tech in your PC and turning your pc into a locked down device like the iphone
No mods otherwise you would get them all. In the past when people mentioned secure boot and lock down, they would get modded down.
The "Apple products are a permanently closed locked walled garden!" people are going to lose one of their biggest soundbytes.!
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Tp paraphrase Rick Wilson, "Everything Microsoft touches turns into a credit card receipt."
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Nope, they are locking down the PC, this has been a 20 year project to kill piracy
Yep Microsoft is doing this to kill piracy. I mean sure for the past 20 years they have been able to trivially identify pirated copies of Windows to the point where at one point they were replacing the desktop wallpapers of the offenders, but they've done literally nothing to actually prevent anyone from pirating Windows. Nothing. The tools that worked to activate Windows 8, work the same way on Windows 11.
Maybe you're right, maybe Microsoft has been playing a long game all the while ignoring some truly tri
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I'll just leave this here, now anyone who watches this talk, you can tell he's obsessed about locking down the device end to end to prevent access to plaintext assembly. AKA all PC's up until 2010, windows XP, your games, apps were compiled to assembly plaintext, because that's how CPU's work. In 1997 Intel, MS and AMD and other companies began the trusted computing group to figure out how a way to bring copyright enfrocement to plaintext microcontrollers, this was a 20 year+ project.
""A digital rights ma
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But SecureBoot doesn't encrypt the assembly, it signs it. If the signature validation fails, the OS will refuse to launch the application. That's why you can disable secureboot and still run an unsigned binary. If the binaries were encrypted rather than signed, then it would be impossible to decrypt and run with secureboot disabled. All that secureboot does is introduces cooperation between the bootloader and the OS so that the bootloader can validate the initial OS startup code to make sure its signed by a
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But SecureBoot doesn't encrypt the assembly, it signs it. If the signature validation fails, the OS will refuse to launch the application.
Yes and you don't grasp this is taking over your PC, aka it's used to kill file sharing, TPM was specifically designed to tie files to your device with encryption keys so they can't be shared or copied.
The whole thing was to put the copyright police on your pc and give game developers ways so they could have anti-cheat programs loaded that you can't get rid of or modify without the developer knowing (aka remote attestation). The whole point is to transfer ownership of your PC to software, music, and movie
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"A digital rights management operating system protects rights-managed data, such as downloaded content, from access by untrusted programs
Nice find.
Re: What about offline? (Score:2)
This goes along with the general "Fascism is cool, freedom is for dirty criminal animals" mindset that has been increasing in America for many years now. People here are being monstered into accepting a world of being ruled by a dictator and being watched all the time, even when they are taking a shit. Next will be lynch mobs and public book burnings with the State behind the curtain (in)direct(ly)ing these activities. Then it will be soldiers with the latest high tech gear and huge guns on city street corn
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They're in this strange mindset that we only want to backup the useless stuff in "Libraries".
You do know you can define your own libraries, right? Nobody ever does, but it's pretty easy.
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Yea, but with Windows at least you have access to back up everything, plus multiple third party programs that work really well. With Android for example only some very basic settings are restored and even for the core apps where everything is tied to your Google account (Google Maps for example) you still need to fiddle with it to get it to what it was before. Otherwise each app has its own settings and workflow for backups - IF they bothered to imple
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Yea, but with Windows at least you have access to back up everything, plus multiple third party programs that work really well.
Wait - what is the program that allows you to 100 percent restore a Windows device - and I'm not talking about imaging either?
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I use Synology Active Backup. You could argue about "imaging" but I don't know why it would matter, it just works.
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I use Synology Active Backup. You could argue about "imaging" but I don't know why it would matter, it just works.
How much does this cost?
If imaging doesn't matter, for someone like myself, working on maybe a hundred or mor files a day - how often does an entire image have to be made?
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It's free though the business version does cost something i think? You can get it for free too if you really wanted.
It does incremental/differential backup so it's not necessary to do a full image any more often than you want.
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Wait, you're asking about the program that restores everything without saving everything? Obviously, that isn't possible. However, if you relax the obviously pointless and counter-productive constraint there are many that do: Acronis Trueimage, Veeam Agent, Macrium Reflect. Note that the last 2 have free fully functional versions. Also note they aren't a dumb dd or anything,
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Wait, you're asking about the program that restores everything without saving everything? Obviously, that isn't possible.
I better let Apple know that Time Machine is not possible, and find out what hallucinatory drugs I took every time I needed to fully restore a system. Weird world, eh? 8^)
When you start a time machine backup, it writes a fully restorable version of everything on the drive - programs, files, the whole shebang. Then every X number of minutes, it saves any file that changes, and keeps a copy of the old file as well. If you update a program or the OS, it backs up the new, and keeps the old.
The backed up o
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Like almost everything else they have in terms of softwares, :(
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Microsoft has had the worst backup methods since... ever. Why bother with the cloud when they can't even manage backing up to an external or extra drive correctly? They're in this strange mindset that we only want to backup the useless stuff in "Libraries". And every time you've got it figured out, the next Windows release gets a brand new and incompatible method of making backups. Really, so very incompetent.
Apple has had on-site backup via Time Machine for a long time now, it can restore your Mac, with operating System and all programs to any point you wish.
For my Windows machines, I just manually back up files, and expect to just scorched earth it and start over again. Reload the OS, reload the programs, then put my files back until the next time it breaks.
They need to miss me with the cloud backup as well. Once they can come up with a constant backup restore of the entire system like Apple has had fore
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Apple Time machine is just awesome. Simple and straight forward, even in implementation (ie, uses hard links). No encryption or compression formats. Use the normal GUI or command line to find your files, etc. And normally very fast, since most files never change. Except Outlook... Every tiny incremental backup got lots bigger because of Outlook.
Is it really a backup? (Score:5, Interesting)
Older versions of Windows Backup refused to backup applications because they were copyrighted content. I'd suspect any cloud backup tools will attempt to re-install apps rather than actually back them up... and once those apps are "unsupported", you can't re-install them. Also, most "backup" utilities only do mirroring with no support for catalogs or version control. It's not much better than dumping your files to flash drives.
Yeah, call me overly cynical, but nobody in the PC realm has ever had built-in backup worth a damn... or even at all. I'll continue to rely on 3rd-party tools, thank you.
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Older versions of Windows Backup refused to backup applications because they were copyrighted content. I'd suspect any cloud backup tools will attempt to re-install apps rather than actually back them up... and once those apps are "unsupported", you can't re-install them. Also, most "backup" utilities only do mirroring with no support for catalogs or version control. It's not much better than dumping your files to flash drives.
Yeah, call me overly cynical, but nobody in the PC realm has ever had built-in backup worth a damn... or even at all. I'll continue to rely on 3rd-party tools, thank you.
I'll call you completely likely correct in your outlook. Was that a pun? Anyhow, once a person has used Time machine, there doesn't seem to be much in Windows world to compete. I've restored individual files, recovered older versions of files, and entire drives restored or new drives to 100 percent functional status, with the user seeing no difference than before they needed the total restore.
Windows world, yes, might as well manually write files to a disk, or make a new image every time something update
Re:Is it really a backup? (Score:4, Insightful)
Older versions of Windows Backup refused to backup applications because they were copyrighted content.
Windows backup hasn't changed. This is installing software from the Microsoft store which are tied to your account, you know, like ... err... give me a second ... Oh oh Netflix. I downloaded the Netflix app from the Microsoft Store. I think the other 99 programs are excluded, but at least Netflix will be good to go.
This isn't a PC backup. This is a profile cloud sync. Your files and settings from your Documents folder and your user profile are backed up, as is a list of apps to reinstall. Nothing more.
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I downloaded the Netflix app from the Microsoft Store.
Why? I'm pretty sure the Netflix "app" is really just a UI-less Edge session that goes to the Netflix website.
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Offline downloads. Can't do that in a browser. I spend a significant portion of my life in planes. But a better question is: why not? Your UI is low, you probably remember Slashdot as a place which praised dedicated applications and UIs instead of make everything a website approach. The UI in the app and the website is a bit different and it will enable thinks like 4K (if you pay for it, LOL) Dolby Digital audio, and like I said the big one, downloads.
"Cloud-Powered" (Score:5, Insightful)
Don't like. Just get two USB disks, put encfs on both. Mount disk one and dd/rsync to it. Depending if you want block level or file level. Repeat with second disk. Put one disk somewhere random at home, put second disk in friend/family/office. This is on and offsite backup depending on level of disaster recovery.
Doesn't require monthly subscription, doesn't matter /much/ if lost or stolen as encfs'd.
Cloud-powered, just means monthly subscription where $someoneelse has access to your data. Don't know if it'd be used against you at some point either to target adverts... maybe train a bot, or deal with google for advert targeting...
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This is not entirely fair. Backblaze encrypts your data on your machine and sends only the encrypted files across, for instance. (Actually, re-reading your comment before posting my own, it seems that you're saying that Microsoft's cloud-powered solution is giving them access to your data. Yes, I agree. I'm still going to post this as a boost to Backblaze, since I think it's a safe, excellent service.)
There are good ways to do backups and bad ways, and Microsoft only seems interested in the bad ways.
Not eve
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I'm fully with you. But likewise I'm also fully in support of cloud powered backup solutions (not this one, this isn't a backup in the normal sense) because unlike you or I who actually go through that juggling act of backups 99.9% of users do not, and can't be convinced to either.
Like it or not, cloud backup is a solution to a very real problem. Just a social one, rather than a technical one.
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This doesn't sound very convenient, quick or likely to be very recent. Compare to Apple's Time Machine: it creates snapshots every hour, and thins them as they get older or as storage runs low. It's efficient with space and time, using file system level copy-on-write clones. Hourly snapshots are created whether or not the external backup disk is connected. Having regular backups
Can I get that without the cloud shit? (Score:4, Interesting)
And if not, how do I turn it off?
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Yeah though it's involving. To do a cloud backup without the cloud you first need to close your doors and windows, light up like 10 joints at a time. Smoke yourself to your absolutely limit, and then without letting any of the cloud out of the room run your normal USB backup.
There. Cloud backup without a cloud service, while high as a cloud.
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And if not, how do I turn it off?
Get a non-Windows device. I have no idea how something that Apple first produced 17 years ago that automatically backs up individual iterations of files, and can restore a entire ecosystem, programs and all, is somehow seemingly impossible foe Microsoft, and if they have actually managed to do it - which I doubt - it's in the cloud, the perfectly secure method of storing your files..
This isn't even an "aPPle iz BeTTer thAN wINdoWS" thing. It is why Microsoft cannot produce something with Functionality 1
Would rather MS Make Fix Windows 11 (Score:1)
Is it as good as Time Machine? (Score:2)
No way in hell I'm going to install all my apps from the Microsoft Store.
I think the only thing I covet from MacOS is Time Machine. That thing is a beauty in how simple it is to set up, run, and restore. Perfect in functionality and elegance. Pretty much everything else about MacOS and Macs in general can go burn in hell though.
Until then, I'll continue to use Macrium Reflect on my Windows machine. Incremental backups to an external drive, I can boot from a USB flash drive and do a perfect and complete rest