Bob wants to know the advantages of Windows 8 over Windows 7
What is the advantage of Windows 8 over Windows 7? Smaller footprint? Better memory management? etc, etc, etc….
Our answer
Other than the “once known as Metro” interface, most of the changes which make Windows 8 different from Windows 7 are under the hood. Windows 8 has many features which make it more secure — especially in boot sequence. This snippet from an article which appear on InfoWorld explains it about as well as it can be explained.
“Security enhancements in Windows 8 boot process
One of the more controversial features to the new Windows release is called Secure Boot. The hubbub doesn’t have anything to do with the technology itself but with the drama surrounding Microsoft’s mandates for its implementation on Intel and ARM systems. Essentially, it takes advantage of UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface), the modern-day replacement to the BIOS.
The problem with the BIOS is that it can’t tell the difference between the legitimate boot loader and a rootkit. That’s why Windows 8 systems will ship with a certificate in the UEFI that analyzes the boot loader to ensure it is both the right one and is signed by Microsoft. If your system were infected with a rootkit, the UEFI won’t boot. In other words, UEFI protects the pre-OS environment. To me, this is essential to avoid the horrible scenarios described by Mark Russinovich in his book “Zero Day” — these kinds of attacks can harm us in many ways.
Secure Boot is the first part of what Microsoft calls the Trusted Boot process. The second part is a new security feature where Windows can protect the integrity of the kernel, system files, boot-critical drivers, and even the antimalware software (which is the first third-party piece to start up). As the system is booting, Windows 8 detects if any of these elements have been tampered with and automatically restores the unmodified versions. I don’t know why this wasn’t implemented long ago, but I’m happy to see it now…”
Windows 8 ships with anti-virus/anti-malware. It’s reviving an old name for its new built-in security program, Windows Defender. The previous Windows Defender should have been called Windows Pretender — it was a very poor, unreliable security application. But the Windows Defender in Windows 8 is more akin to Microsoft Security Essentials than the old Widnows Defender. In fact, looking at it, you can’t tell it apart from MSE.
I’ve been using Windows 8 (consumer preview) for about eight weeks. One thing I can saw in its behalf is that it boots faster and shuts down faster. As far as memory management, it depends on what you’re running. If you’re running regular programs, memory management is the same as it was in Windows 7. If you’re using Windows Apps memory management is handled differently. Apps which are open but not in use don’t use memory the way regular programs do. They don’t use any memory until you actually use them. The only problem is, none of the apps I’ve tested actually work right — the “Metro Mail” app is a basic email application which offers very few features — and no way to import email from any other email program. I have no idea what Microsoft was thinking.
Windows 8 has a feature which sounds great. It’s called Windows Refresh. This feature actually reinstalls Windows while keeping your personal files and folders, apps and settings. However, since none of the apps work all that well yet (most are uni-functional — Weather, Shopping, Mail, etc) the saving of the apps isn’t a big deal. Don’t misread “apps” as “programs” because Windows Refresh doesn’t save your programs. Once the refresh is complete, you’ll be spending time reinstalling all your programs. I guess for those who don’t do image backups this feature will come in handy… but for those who dozens and dozens of programs installed (like us), Windows Refresh sure won’t do anything to make us rethink drive image backups.
The biggest gripe we have about Windows 8 is the lack of a start button and start menu. There are three third-party apps which will put the start button back on Windows 8. We’ll feature those after the final version of Windows 8 is released on October 26. We have heard rumors than none of these “put the start button back on Widnows 8” apps work in the final version. So we’ll wait on that.
Windows 8 has done away with the memory-draining Aero Glass feature (?) that was first featured in Vista and then in Windows 8. It’s gone from Windows 8. This is a good thing. For those who liked the glass-like toolbars, etc. going back to flatland may seem like a regression — but Aero Glass was resource hungry and provided nothing but a cool appearance (cool is a subjective term).
The most improved Windows 8 feature I’ve seen is Task Manager. Task Manager has tons of new features including a start-up manager and better display of memory and CPU used by each program. It also measure “startup impact” — i.e. the time delay a start-up program causes when you boot your computer. It gives all users more control of their computers and a much easier to read layout. A huge improvement over all previous versions of Task Manager.
Widnows 8 has Hot Corners. I find them annoying. If you touch or move your mouse to the top right corner of your screen you’ll get the Charms bar. The Charms Bar has 5 big icons for Search, Share, Start, Devices and Settings. You may like it, I haven’t used it that much since I’ve got a start button and a start menu.
Windows 8 “Metro” desktop is designed for touchscreens – and not for mouse and keyboard. You can use it with a mouse and keyboard but it’s awkward and frustrating. Microsoft has made a serious mistake by not giving users who don’t have touch screens a start button or a traditional start menu. I’m betting by the time Windows 8 SP-1 comes out, we’ll see a start button and a traditional start menu. Microsoft cut corners by designing one operating system for PCs, smartphones and tablets. Apple has a different OS for its computers than it does for its phones and tablets. All the Metro interface is going to do for those who use a keyboard and mouse if frustrate them. Fortunately, someone, somewhere will be finding a way to put a start button and traditional start menu back in Windows 8 — if they haven’t already.
In my opinion, in my two months with Windows 8 — and my start button back thanks to a third-party app, to me it feels and looks like Windows 7. But since the upgrade to Windows 8 Professional is only $39.95 through January, and since Windows 7 users can upgrade and keep everything (even their programs), I should think it would be a good investment because it’s a much more secure operating system and the faster boot and shutdown times are a bonus. If you’re a mouse and keyboard user, I’d try to find a freeware start button replacer – otherwise the Metro interface with its huge tiles is going to be annoying and cumbersome.