The next world-changing version of Microsoft’s operating system is due to hit the market on October 26th. Assuming that you are happy with your current Windows XP or Windows 7 operating system, the following eight reasons are enough to make you switch to the Windows 8.
Switch to Windows 8
Windows Store
Windows 8 will be the first operating system from Microsoft with the built-in store. You get to purchase or free download and install the Modern UI apps and install, the apps in the store are Microsoft verified, so there is no chance of installing something malicious on your PC. Also, the updates are automatically handled.
Touchscreen support
If you’re using a device with the touch screen then upgrading to windows 8 will be just a snap. The start page is optimized for touch support, and so is the desktop, it uses the touch controls for the most basic PC operations for instance shutting down. This won’t make it any different to work with as compared to the earlier versions of Windows.
Native file handlers
Windows 8 support the popular file types for example the pdf. You can read the pdf file in the reader app without having to install the third party program.
The mounting of VHD and ISO images directly in the OS is another interesting new feature.
Avoids the Modern UI
If you don’t really prefer the Modern UI, missing start menu or start page, you can avoid them with ease. You can install the Classic Shell or Start8 programs to bypass the start page during booting while at the same time adding the start menu back to the OS.
Supports the traditional x86 and ARM processors
Windows 8 not only runs on the x86 hardware but also on the ARM processors. Support for the ARM processors brings the OS on devices that the previous versions of Windows could not have been installed on.
File Transfers
While copying or moving files you can display the graph that is shows the transfer speeds in real-time. You get the operations’ current speed as well as the mean speed, the remaining items, their size and the time that it will take to transfer.
Another feature that was added in the file management is that you can now be in a position to pause the transfers, which was not applicable in the in the previous versions. Another additional feature is that the multiple file transfers aren’t spawned in the individual file transfer windows any longer.
File History
The File History now makes the files from the previous versions available; this makes it possible to recover the original file if it has been modified. It’s an improvement over the Windows Backup and the Previous Versions as it’s easier to handle. The backups can be stored on network storage or locally.
Reset and Refresh
Reset restores the factory defaults of the OS similar to what the reinstallation does, however the reset feature is much faster with very less user interaction.
Refresh on the other hand basically creates the new copy of the OS without affecting the personal files, installed apps, the user profiles and without losing access to any installed desktop program.