windows 8
Unless you’ve been wearing earplugs and covering your ears for the last few hours, you’re likely aware that Microsoft finally took the wraps off Windows 8 today, and promised that a developer preview would be released today as well. Best of all, it’s accessible to everyone, not just developers.
If you’ve been waiting to get your hands on Windows 8, now is your chance: Microsoft is making the same developer preview it handed out to developers at BUILD today available to users around the world, free of charge and without requiring a registration. This is a departure from what Microsoft has done with previous versions of Windows, where developer previews were only available to a narrow range of users, and only the next milestone, the first Beta, would be available publicly, and always with a registration. With this move, Microsoft is clearly trying to get more users in the game as early on in the development process as possible.
As promised, three versions of the Developer Preview are being made available today: a 64-bit version with all the developer tools built-in, along with sample Metro apps to get developers started; a 64-bit version only with the sample apps and without the tools; and a similar 32-bit version without any developer tools. All of these three versions should operate in a similar fashion, so unless you’re aiming to develop Windows 8 apps, you’ll probably be fine with either one of these.
Keep in mind that no in-place upgrades are possible using the Developer Preview, only clean installs are supported, which is understandable given the system’s early development state. If your machine currently works with Windows 7, chances are it will work with Windows 8, since the requirements are the same: 1GHz Processor, 1 GB of RAM, 16 GB of free hard drive space and a DirectX 9 graphics card with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver. You’ll also need multi-touch capable hardware in order to try Windows 8′s multi-touch support, of course.
The next version of Windows, currently known as Windows 8, was showcased in depth by Microsoft’s own Steven Sinofsky and other members of his team. Teased as a system that would "change everything", Windows 8 indeed includes new usage paradigms that are unheard of on the Windows platform, such a full-screen tile-based user interface and an app store, among others. Microsoft has pledged to keep the Developer Preview fresh by issuing periodic updates.
Download Windows 8 Developer Preview (64-bit) with Developer Tools
Download Windows 8 Developer Preview (64-bit) without the developer tools
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Windows 8 Developer Preview downloads
The Windows 8 Developer Preview is a pre-beta version of Windows 8 for developers. These downloads include prerelease software that may change without notice. The software is provided as is, and you bear the risk of using it. It may not be stable, operate correctly or work the way the final version of the software will. It should not be used in a production environment. The features and functionality in the prerelease software may not appear in the final version. Some product features and functionality may require advanced or additional hardware, or installation of other software.Note: You can't uninstall the Windows 8 Developer Preview. To go back to your previous operating system, you must reinstall it from restore or installation media.
Windows 8 Developer Preview with developer tools English, 64-bit (x64)
DOWNLOAD (4.8 GB)Sha 1 hash - 6FE9352FB59F6D0789AF35D1001BD4E4E81E42AF
All of the following come on a disk image file (.iso). See below for installation instructions.
- 64-bit Windows 8 Developer Preview
- Windows SDK for Metro style apps
- Microsoft Visual Studio 11 Express for Windows 8 Developer Preview
- Microsoft Expression Blend 5 Developer Preview
- 28 Metro style apps including the BUILD Conference app
Windows 8 Developer Preview English, 64-bit (x64)
DOWNLOAD (3.6 GB)Sha 1 hash – 79DBF235FD49F5C1C8F8C04E24BDE6E1D04DA1E9
Includes a disk image file (.iso) to install the Windows 8 Developer Preview and Metro style apps on a 64-bit PC.
Note: This download does not include developer tools. You must download the Windows 8 Developer Preview with developer tools 64-bit (x64) to build Metro style apps.
Windows 8 Developer Preview English, 32-bit (x86)
DOWNLOAD (2.8 GB)Sha 1 hash - 4E0698BBABE01ED27582C9FC16AD21C4422913CC
Includes a disk image file (.iso) to install the Windows 8 Developer Preview and Metro style apps on a 32-bit PC.
Note: This download does not include developer tools. You must download the Windows 8 Developer Preview with developer tools 64-bit (x64) to build Metro style apps.
Live SDK
DOWNLOAD (1.3 MB)The Live SDK provides a set of controls and APIs that enable applications to integrate Single Sign On (SSO) with Windows Live ID and access information from SkyDrive, Hotmail and Windows Live Messenger. To learn more and to download the SDK, go to the Live Connect Dev Center.
System Requirements
The Windows 8 Developer Preview works great on the same hardware that powers Windows Vista and Windows 7:- 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
- 1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
- 16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
- DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
- Taking advantage of touch input requires a screen that supports multi-touch
- To run Metro style Apps, you need a screen resolution of 1024 X 768 or greater
Notes about installing the Windows 8 Developer Preview
A clean install is supported on all builds, but you can upgrade if you are installing a download without the developer tools. You will receive the full set of migration options when setup is launched in Windows. To dual-boot, you must first boot from media and choose an alternative partition.| Install on: | Windows 8 Developer Preview with developer tools | Windows 8 Developer Preview without developer tools (32-bit or 64-bit) |
| Windows 7 and Windows Vista | Clean install only | You can keep accounts, files, and settings |
| Windows XP | Clean install only | You can only keep accounts and files |
How to install the Windows 8 Developer Preview from an ISO image
The Windows 8 Developer Preview is delivered as an .iso image that must be converted into installation media stored on a DVD or a USB flash drive. On Windows 7, the easiest way to convert this file is to use Windows Disc Image Burner. On Windows XP and Windows Vista, a third-party program is required to convert an .iso file into installable media—and DVD burning software often includes this capability.Note: The .iso file that contains the developer tools requires a large capacity DVD called a DVD-9, as well as a DVD burner that can handle dual-layer (DL) DVDs. Most modern burners should be able to handle this format.
Are you an MSDN Subscriber?
Go to the MSDN subscriber page to see additional developer preview downloads available.
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