Windows 8 to include automated cloud backup, Live services integration + Firefox addon aims to prevent social networking hangovers

Windows 8 to include automated cloud backup, Live services integration + Firefox addon aims to prevent social networking hangovers

 
Microsoft is hard at work on Windows 8 and as we approach the suggested 2012 release date, little bits of information about what to expect from the new OS will start to leak out. Microsoft has posted two new job listings on its site that gives a good clue as to what we can expect when Windows 8 launches.

According to Windows8news.com, Microsoft posted a new job listing that states:

"We are currently working on a Windows Azure-based service and integrating with certain Microsoft online services and Windows 8 client backup. Many of the features we develop have ended up in the Windows Client and Windows Server OSes."The job posting does leave a lot to speculate but its safe to say that Microsoft is working on a way to integrate cloud based backup solutions as an option in Windows 8. Another job listing states that Microsoft is looking to further embed its Live services into Windows 8 too:

"Want to work on products that your friends and family use every day? Windows Live designs and runs some of the largest web applications in the world. We are Cloud Directory Platform, and our services are used by Windows Live, Office, Windows Mobile, Xbox, Bing, and MSN-branded properties. We are the backend of Windows Live providing identity (LiveID), contacts (ABCH), and social graph (SUP) for individuals and Microsoft services and applications. For the most part, you would know these as Messenger and Hotmail, as well as the entire Windows Live suite. We are seeking a highly motivated individual to come join our team and pour passion and talent into building some of the most used services on the planet. We are a growing team with a strategic and highly visible charter helping to build and operate some of Microsoft’s most strategic Internet assets. Our service supports hundreds of millions of users, who exchange billions of instant messages, photos and email each day, and store billions of contact relationships in our service. We live the life of “software and a service” every day, at high scale and you will play a pivotal role as we integrate our online services with Windows 8."These little bits of information dont provide much detail about Windows 8 but do provide a general sense of direction. It's safe to say that we will probably see deep integration for cloud based backup solutions as well as Live integration into the Windows 8 platform. As the technology world moves forward, the line between Internet and desktop OS becomes a little bit more obscure.

Black Screen Of Death(BSOD) For Windows 8

With the recent videos and screenshots posted on web earlier today it seems like finally the Microsoft is done away with legendary Blue Screen Of Death and has replaced it With Black Screen of Death in Windows 8 as can be seen the Following Screenshot Windows 8 milestone 3 leaked build 7955.Blue screen of death has been with windows since the time Microsoft’s first ever operating System was launched back in 1985. But finally it seems like Microsoft has replaced it with a black screen of Death in Windows 8. As you can see in the above snapshot it says

    Your computer needs to restart.
    It encountered a problem and will restart immediately

It also shows the error information as was shown in Blue screen of death the only added feature is that it wont just stand there staring at you and will reboot the PC itself.  here is a video posted by an anonymous user on the net..S.  Well Microsoft also introduced a Red screen of Death during the early builds of Windows 98 and Windows 7 and later replaced it with the traditional Blue Screen Of Death. So its still a possibility that by the time Windows 8 Beta is released Microsoft will get the Blue screen of death back.
Windows 8 has Immersive Internet Explorer :-> Screenshot leaked

Well With the leak of Windows 8 m1 Build 7850 and then Pre-m3 build 7955 it was rumored that we will finally be able to see the much anticipated immersive  Internet Explorer as soon as somebody gets a registry tweak to unlock the same.Well our wait was over when on Monday noon Neowin put up the following screenshot on the net.The Browser seems to have a pretty limited functionality and User Interface though. Only with a Back,Forward,Refresh and an address bar with bookmark button. The tile interface is new but very much visually challenged..Well we certainly hope that this is just the tip of the ice-berg and by the time Windows 8 beta is launched there will be many more features added in the browser.

New Task Manager for Windows 8

With the leak of the Windows 8 Milestone Build 7850(6.1.7850.0.winmain_win8m1.100922-1508) MDL user NaiveUser seems to have got a whole new purpose to his life.  naiveUser has been unlocking various features that Microsoft has made in Windows 8. He has been able to do so with the help of some Registry Hacks. The recent registry Hack introduced by Naïve User was to unlock the Modern Windows Task Manager.You can see how it looks in the above screenshot. The Modern Task manager is pretty different from one we have been using in Windows XP/vista/7. Following are the changes we have noted

1. New Interface to kill an existing process

2. A tab to manage the Startup programs. We wont have to go to “wpconfig” utility anymore to manage startup programs/processes.

3. Separate Dropdowns for System processes, Which would make it easier for us to recognize the user Processes and hence kill any application which is causing trouble and not system requirement.If you have already installed the Windows 8 build 7850, then here is registry hack you can use to unlock the Modern Windows Task Manager

    Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurr entVersionTaskUI
    Create a 32bit value “TaskUIEnabled”, set its value to “1″

Since this Build is from the milestone 1 stage we expect lots of changes to the final version of Windows 8 which is supposed to be launched in its beta version by the fall of 2011 and  Windows 8 will be in market by 2013.

Black Screen Of Death(BSOD) For Windows 8

Windows 8 Milestone 1 6.1.7850
Breaking news
Microsoft not only referred to the next release of its PC operating system as Windows 8, which is the first time it has done so officially, but the company said it is about two years away from release. Microsoft has widely said that after the long time it took the company to bring Windows Vista to market, it would go back to a three-year cycle. The company managed to deliver early with Windows 7, in time for last year's holiday season. It is thus widely expected that Microsoft will have Windows 8 ready for the 2012 holiday season, but now the company has gone on record saying that it should arrive two years from now.

Microsoft is of course refusing to comment on the information and the company's American blog posts celebrating Windows 7's anniversary do not mention Windows 8 at all. Sometime next year we will hopefully see an official announcement, followed by beta versions of the new OS.