Windows 8 FAQ

Windows 8 FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

For years I thought FAQ meant frequently answered questions!  Silly me!

Windows 8 Frequently Asked Questions

• Windows 8 Release Dates
• Metro UI
• Media Player
• New Explorer Ribbon
• Hardware Requirements
• Boot Time
• Hyper-V 3.0
• Task Manager TM.exe

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Windows 8 Release Dates

Question:  When will Windows 8 be released?
Answer:  October 26th 2012.

Metro-style UI

Question:  Will the New UI replace the traditional Start Menu, Desktop and Taskbar.
Answer:  Yes, the best way forward is to think of the new Metro UI as a giant start button.

Question:  What’s the difference between a Windows 8 Tile and an Icon?
Answer:  Tiles are not only larger, but also they are capable of display underlying data dynamically, e.g. Weather, Stock Prices.  See more on the Metro-style UI.

Question:  How do you close, or escape from, a Metro-style App?
Answer: Hit the Windows key!  Technically the App is suspended rather than closed, but no worries, the same thing happens on Smart Phones.

Question: What font does Microsoft’s New UI use?
Answer:  Windows 8 Metro uses fonts from the Segoe family.

Media Player

Question:  Will Windows 8 have Media Player?
Answer:  Yes, no worries Windows 8 will have Media Player.

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New Explorer Ribbon

Question:  Will the Windows 8 Explorer possess the Office Ribbon?
Answer:  Yes Explorer has the ribbon.  While you can minimise the ribbon, there is no way of going back to the Windows 7 style Explorer.  See more on Windows 8 Explorer.

Question:  Can you get PowerShell instead of cmd in the new Ribbon?
Answer:  No, but Windows 8 will have PowerShell v 3.0 built-in.

Hardware Requirements

Question:  Can I run Windows 8 on my existing hardware?
Answer:   Yes.  The hardware requirements are the same, or less, than Windows 7.  However, I recommend that you don’t skimp and get at least 4 if not 8 MB of RAM.

Question:   I hear Microsoft has designed Windows 8 will run on ARM hardware, what if any, are the advantages?
Answer:  Low cost, and low power consumption make the Advanced RISC Machine chip a compelling choice for a laptop or tablet computer.

Another Batch of Popular Windows 8 Frequently Asked Questions

Boot Time

Question:  Is it true that Windows 8 boots in 10 seconds?
Answer:  Not that fast, but it should boot in less than 30 seconds on most hardware.  Windows 8 has perfected the use of hiberfile for rapid awakening from power-off.

Question:  Can I dual-boot Windows 8 and Windows 7?
Answer:  Yes provided you create a 40 GB+ partition before you start the Windows 8 install.

Question:  How do you Shut down Windows 8?
Answer:  Bring up the 5 ‘Charms’. Click on the top item, Settings, on the right side of the screen seek out the Power button.

Question: Is it true there is no Last Known Good in Windows 8?
Answer: True, at least in the preview versions so far.  See more on Windows 8 Boot.

Hyper-V 3.0

Question: Will Hyper-V support USB drives?
Answer: Yes.

Question:  With Windows 8 Hyper-V, can you install a 64-bit child OS?  (Because Windows Server 2008 did not.
Answer:  Yes, the guest operating system can be 64-bit in a Windows 8 VM.  See more on Hyper-V

Question: Can Windows 8 join a domain.
Answer: Yes. Both free standing and Windows 8 in a Hyper-V can join an Active Directory domain.  See more on Windows 8 joining a domain.

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Windows 8 FAQ

Task Manager TM.exe

Question:  I cannot find taskmgr.exe.  What am I doing wrong?
Answer:  The Windows 8 task manager is now launched from TM.exe.  In fact, the whole interface has been revamped; seek out extra tabs such as Startup, also check out the new column arrangement. 

Question:  Where is Task Manager’s networking tab?
Answer:  Information in the network tab has been absorbed by the Performance tab.  See more on the Windows 8 Task Manager tabs.

Question:  Where are ‘My Documents’?  (A very common question.)
Answer:  XP’s ‘My Documents’ have been moved to the C:\Users folder.  See more here on Windows 8 AppData.

Question:  Can I create a custom Library in Windows 8
Answer: Yes but it may be better to edit the settings of an existing library to incorporate your files.  See more on Windows 8 Libraries.

Question:  Does Windows 8 have a run command?
Answer:  Yes, WinKey +r works as it did in XP.  But please don’t be a Luddite, use Search instead.

Release Dates

Question:  When was Windows 8 released?
Answer: From October 2012.

Question:  When will the pre-beta copy expire?
Answer:  January 2013, see more about Windows 8 expiry.

Question:  When will "Blue" A.K.A. Windows 8.1 be released?
Answer:  October 2013, see more about Windows 8.1 Blue.

Summary of Guy’s Windows 8 FAQ

Please send me your frequently asked question(s) for Windows 8.

Microsoft Windows 8 Tips and Tricks

• Windows 8 Overview  • Windows 8 Keyboard Shortcuts   • IE 10 Desktop Version  • Windows 8 FAQ

• Windows 8 Tips  • Windows 8 God Mode  • Disable Windows 8 UAC  • Windows 8 Reliability Monitor

• Windows 8 Wireless  • Windows 8 Run Command  • Windows 8 Tablet  • Review of Engineers Tookit