Windows 8 Setup Here is a compact yet deep technical exploration of how to setup Windows 8. Related topics elsewhere on this same website (WilsonMar.com):   1. Windows 8 Index - Gurus, Websites, Books, Classes, Videos, Chats, etc.   2. Windows 8 Versions   3. Windows 8 Devices and Carrier Selection   4. Windows 8 Setup   5. Windows 8 Usage Basics   6. Windows 8 App Side-loading   7. Windows 8 App Markets   8. Windows 8 Utility Apps   9. Windows 8 User Apps 10. Windows 8 USB Connections 11. Windows 8 OS Rooting and Unlocking 12. Windows 8 App Frameworks 13. Windows 8 Visual Studio Setup 14. Windows 8 Emulators 15. Windows 8 C# Programming and Testing 16. Windows 8 Js Programming and Testing 17. Windows 8 App Localization and Testing 18. Windows 8 Lifecycle Data Management and Testing 19. Windows 8 User Preferences and Experience Features 20. Windows 8 UI Programming and Testing 21. HTML5 Features 22. HTML5 Coding and Testing 23. Windows 8 User Controls Coding and Testing 24. Windows 8 Hardware Control and Testing 25. Windows 8 Services Coding and Testing 26. Windows 8 App Monetization 27. Windows 8 App Marketing

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Skill Certification

Microsoft has a MCSA (Microsoft Cetified System Administrator) on Windows 8 certification earned through certification exams

• 70-687 Configuring Windows 8
• 70-688 Managing and Maintaining Windows 8

WinRT

WinRT does not include the Pivot and Panorama controls available in Silverlight for Windows Phone.

Wikipedia: WinRT

WinRT is not cross platform - it is one of the platforms supported in Windows 8.

Direct 3Dv11 is the graphics API now. So existing Direct 3D code only need to be verified to run on Direct 3Dv11. But existing code using GDI at the presentation layer would need to be extracted and ported to Direct 2D/XAML.

Supported APIs for WinRT

Windows Server 8

Debugging connected Windows 8 apps

Windows 8 kernel debugging: New protocols and certification requirements

Editions and Memory

WinRT use only 32-bit CPUs, so are limited to 4GB memory.

But 64-bit editions of Windows 8/RT can have different amounts of memory.

Windows 8 RT	(32-bit)
Windows 8	16 GB
Windows 8 Pro	192 GB
Windows 8 Enterprise	192 GB

Booting Options

The classic approach to dual booting by splitting a large hard drive into multiple partitions.

VHD using Microsoft's diskmgmt.msc program.

VHD (Virtual Hard Drives)

Windows 7 required the primary boot drive to be IDE (not SCSI). But a virtual SCSI controller can control up to 64 hard drives.

Clean Boot

If there is any software conflict as clean boot helps in eliminating software conflicts.

To put the computer in Clean Boot state, using a minimal set of drivers and startup programs, according to KB 929135:

1. On the Start screen, type msconfig, and then press Enter.
2. On the Services tab of the System Configuration dialog box, tap or click to select the Hide all Microsoft servicescheck box, then tap or click Disable all.
3. On the Startup tab, tap or click Open Task Manager, right-click (or, on a touch device tap and hold) and then disable each Startup item, and then close Task Manager.
4. On the System Configuration screen, tap or click Apply/OK, and then restart the computer.

To return the computer to Normal startup mode, according to this page:

1. On the Start screen, type msconfig, and then press Enter.
2. On the General tab, tap or click the Normal Startup option, then tap or click OK.
3. When prompted to restart the computer, tap or click Restart.

USB (Universal Serial Bus)

USB 3.0 support by Windows 8 is among the announcement fanfare. Microsoft test engineers came up with a programmable plug (MUTT) to test software.

Apple Thunderbolt support is not certain, and unfortunately unlikely, since it competes with USB 3.0.

Bluestacks

TOOL: Bluestacks runs Android apps on Windows 8.

VHD (Virtual Hard Disk)

Hard Disk Encryption: BitLocker

Anyone who has physical access to a laptop can remove the hard disk, and read all files without knowing Windows passwords.

That's unless the hard disk is encrypted by software such as Microsoft Bitlocker, which Microsoft provides as a feature of Enterprise and Ultimate editions of Windows 7. It offers full volume encryption and system protection, possibly without users noticing.

BitLocker To Go protects removeable volumes.

BitLocker boot integrity protection is enabled on computers with a built-in TPM (Trusted Platform Module) chip holding the encryption key

Users of machines with Bitlocker can supply a PIN (of at least 12 characters, according to Group Policy) or a startup key in a USB plug.

TPM PINs can be backed up to AD DS (Active Directory Domain Services) where administrators can recover the TPM PIN using an organization-wide account setup as Data Recovery Agents (DRAs) holding a digital certificate issued by an AD DS certificate authority (CA). So the first step to configure BitLocker is to invoke Group Policy Editor (in Start > Search type gpedit.msc). Add the DRA account to Computer Configuration\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Public Key Policies\BitLocker Drive Encryption node.

Control Panel > BitLocker Drive Encryption.

Bitlocker uses a US keyboard map when it reads the encryption password. Since Microsoft does not allow this to be changed, those using a keyboard for other languages may have a problem setting up the password.

Other encryption should not be used on folders and files on the same disk encrypted by Bitlocker.

Anti-Virus

Windows Defender

Updates

Windows Updates

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