The title says it all…well…not really. While Windows 8 is getting some new features many are saying the “refresh” and “reset” features are new to Windows 8. While the names are new the basic concept is not.

In Windows 8 they will offer a feature call “refresh” which will bring your computer back to a like new state without having to be reactivated. While calling this feature “refresh” an making it more available to end users, it is not entirely new. The refresh option does essentially what a restore point of your computer would do if you were to create one when you got your computer completely setup. The one feature that has changed however is the fact that with this “new” feature you can use this functionality at any time and it will keep everything on your computer; programs, files, etc. all intact.

The reset feature in Windows 8 is going to be the same thing as a fresh installation of Windows. It will clear everything out and you will have to re-enter your product key and activate Windows once again when this is complete.

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As many of you have heard by now Windows has been working on their new operating system “Windows 8”. While I still do not feel this is going to be a very business friendly operating system due to drastic changes in the layout/design, I do think Microsoft is coming up with some good ideas to build off of.

As the title states, once of the new technologies Microsoft is testing for possible release with the new operating system is the use of picture passwords. These “Passwords” can be personalized using your own pictures rather than a predefined group of pictures. Being able to use your own personal pictures, such as a family portrait, allows users to make unique and hard to guess picture passwords.

The way the password is designed to work at this point is by allowing a user to draw three separate images (either tapping on the screen, drawing a line, or drawing a circle) on the picture with their finger for touchscreen devices or with the mouse for computers to allow access to the computer. Users can use this alongside a normal password to make their computer more secure. This not only records what you have drawn on the image but the order you did it in as well as the direction of your drawing strokes.

One thing is for sure, Microsoft is developing some great technology that will improve overall security (though I still have my doubts about the operating system as a whole).

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With Windows 8 releasing a developers version several weeks ago people are already beginning to form conclusions to the success and usefulness of this new operating system. Many users complain that the new GUI is not user friendly stating that it looks like a big mess of icons with little to no organization at all.

Many users want to have their old start menus back, or at least have it as an option. A lot of users are complaining that this drastic change to the way Windows functions will cause a huge drop in productivity as it will take many users longer to get to the programs they normally use.

Microsoft, though defending the design of Windows 8, is beginning to take some of the criticisms into consideration since there are so many people angered by the new design. Though Microsoft does see the comments being made they are not getting rid of the new “Metro” interface entirely, or even giving you the option to replace it with your old start menu. Instead, they are adjusting the GUI they have already designed to allow you to group your programs based on various factors to allow you to more easily navigate. If you haven’t gotten to see the new Windows 8 start screen just take a look at the picture posted with this article.

In my opinion, unless Microsoft changes the way this OS is designed drastically, or at least allows its users to use the old style start menus, I think this OS is going to flop horribly just like Vista did several years ago. While I think many home users may like the new GUI, I do not think this will be adopted to businesses as it is just too different. At this point it seems that Windows 7 is going to be the new Windows XP and will stick around for years to come.

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Are you eager to try out the newest installment of Windows?  Well now you can try out a preview of Windows 8.  Microsoft has released a “Developers Preview” of their new OS to help developers create new apps, and updating current applications.  With over 500,000 downloads since yesterday’s release, it looks like a lot of people are interested in trying it out.  Some of the new features of Windows 8 include a new start menu called “Metro” that runs on-top of the Desktop that will load up by default.  Metro is where you will find all of your apps; it will handle your social media needs including Facebook and Twitter.  You can also visit the Windows Store (Microsoft’s take on an app-store)and download Metro-style applications build for the new OS, including apps for productivity, photos, entertainment, and of course, games.

This is only a preliminary release and by no means is it available for use on your primary everyday machine.  If you want to give Windows 8 a try, you might want to consider dual-booting the OS alongside your current Operating System because if you upgrade your current OS, there is no way to uninstall Windows 8 if you do not like it.  You will have to format your hard drive and start over with a clean installation of your previous OS.

For more information click here.