Want to try Windows 8? Consumer Preview free to download and test-drive today

Peter Dockrill
01 March 2012, 4:00 PM


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Lots of Microsoft action overnight, with the Windows 8 Consumer Preview made available to download plus the app-centric Windows Store now open for business.


We've already looked at the Windows 8 Developer Preview in some depth, but now Microsoft's next-gen OS has reached its pivotal pre-release step, with the mainstream-targeted Consumer Preview (read: final beta polished up sufficiently for everyday folk) made available to download today, following a Microsoft showcase overnight at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, led by Windows chief Steven Sinofsky.



With a heavy emphasis on Windows 8 signifying Windows "reimagined and reinvented", Microsoft is presenting the release as a 'best of both worlds' OS, offering the contemporary bells and whistles approach of touch via the Windows Phone-like Metro interface and new Start screen, but it's also eager to assure traditional mouse-and-keyboard users that the desktop "is still around, and it still runs all of your [desktop Windows] apps". Windows 8's future legacy will turn upon whether users come to accept this inherent duality as a successful marriage of new and traditional elements (and not as a clash of disparate UIs).

In addition to releasing the Consumer Preview, Microsoft has also announced that the 'Windows Store', the OS's app store for Metro apps, is now open for business (in beta form), accessible exclusively from within the Consumer Preview itself. For the duration of the Preview's availability, these apps are free to try at no cost (although only a limited number are present currently). Expect a more significant commercial marketplace launch once Win 8 reaches final release.

If you're keen to give Windows 8 a spin, the Consumer Preview can be downloaded here. As part of the setup process, the program will determine whether your PC is capable of running the Consumer Preview, but if you'd like to do it the old-fashioned way a full list of system requirements is available in the official FAQ here. In short, you'll need a 1GHz CPU, 1GB RAM (for a 32-bit install) and 16GB free hard disk space, plus a minimum resolution of 1,024 x 768. Obviously, if you want to take advantage of any of the touch functionality built into the OS, you'll need a multi-touch monitor (or tablet).


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Tony Grooby (User):

Looks Like i wont Be changing from windows 7 anytime soon. I need a start menu

01 March 2012, 6:10 PM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Tin (User):

Agree - the new "start" menu is a shocker. In fact, I'd say this will reduce usability of Windows to pre-Windows 3.1 levels.

Oh, and I'm sure as heck not looking forward to the steady flow of "how do I shut down my computer" phone calls at work...

01 March 2012, 9:03 PM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Me In Oz (User):

Nice, Running it on HP Laptop in 'Desktop' mode and it is slicker than W7 even in beta. Can't wait. Large file copying is much faster than W7.


02 March 2012, 11:57 AM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Your Average Joe (User):

Shut down and start up is quicker than W7.
But the install is not fully loaded with goodies yet.
Not too sure about Metro, but hey, I went through the same thing between Win3.1 and Win95.

02 March 2012, 12:01 PM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Tin (User):

Quoting Your Average Joe:
Shut down and start up is quicker than W7.
But the install is not fully loaded with goodies yet.


Yeah - I noticed that too on the dev preview. But I put that down to not having any AV and other random rubbish running (especially startup stuff, like updaters for Adobe, Oracle, etc).

Quoting Your Average Joe:
Not too sure about Metro, but hey, I went through the same thing between Win3.1 and Win95.


I didn't. All they did there was move the program groups into menus. Took about half a day to get used to clicking "Start" instead of restoring "Program Manager".

This time the "improvement" has made it harder to quickly get to things. Admittedly I haven't run this latest release, but in the dev preview, it sometimes took a ridiculous time to get to the shortcut to run a program. And that was without installing additional software.

Yes, I am aware you can turn it off. I am also aware that tiles can be moved and there's a search option... But what I am very aware of is customers I have to support. Customers that don't want to learn new ways to do things. They simply want to get on with their daily computer usage.

02 March 2012, 7:20 PM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

ss-rotel (User):

i've just installed this on a spare lappy @ work.. and the general consensus is Blah!

still need to finish setting it up, and i know it's abit round about, but if you hit your mouse cursor on the right hand site, you'll bring up a menu, hit search, and if the start bar looked like that, everything would be good.

i HAVE had the pleasure to play with this on a tablet PC, (all be it, I5, 8gb ram, fast SSD), and it's perfect. the touch interface is awesome, was using a sketch program, (i think it was a Corel bit of software), there was cut the rope installed, everything was were it should be and metro even made sense.

BUT this tablet was worth more than a few $$$. i am interested to see how well the ARM version, (this one is not), will work on a table made for android.

02 March 2012, 3:14 PM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

bmurray2250 (New user):

I have played with Windows 8 in a Virtual environment for the last few days and find the new menu system is a pain to use. The team developing Win 8 must be the same as Vista. It is quick but it isn't a user friendly environment and especially not for business.

I think Microsoft needs to look carefully at the present beta as this doesn't inspire me to want to purchase it nor companies will decide to move to it if they have to retrain everyone to use. They need to add the classic view of Win 7 into the Win 8.

03 March 2012, 4:45 PM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

rudies86 (New user):

???

20 March 2012, 11:37 AM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

rudies86 (New user):

Which hardware manufacturers are teaming up with Microsft for the Windows 8 platform and when can we expect to get our hands on portable devices?

20 March 2012, 11:40 AM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

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