Oxymoron of the day: User Friendly
|
|
|
Microsoft will allow USB key installs of Windows 8
CLOSED SOURCE SOFTWARE DEVELOPER Microsoft is working on getting Windows 8 to boot from a USB stick.
An early beta version of Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 operating system was leaked last week allowing users to take a peek at some of its features. One of the most interesting features is Microsoft's Portable Workspace Creator, which allows Windows 8 to run from a USB storage device.
Microsoft is pitching the feature at its enterprise customers, giving them the ability to have a uniform Windows experience on multiple computers. Users are saying that the minimum storage capacity required for a portable Windows 8 setup is 16GB, suggesting that the operating system will need at least that for a standard installation.
The ability to take an installation of Windows 8 around has both pros and cons for enterprises. Microsoft's ability to create a portable Windows 8 shows it has made some progress in lightening the dependency on a specific installation and allowing users to take their setups with them. It can also mean that verified installations, ones without malware, can be used for corporate work without the risk of passwords being stolen thanks to keyloggers.
On the flip slide, being able to carry Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system around on a 16GB USB drive does mean it can get lost fairly easily. It's also likely to give system administrators even greater headaches, since they will have even less control over the setup and configuration of Windows PC systems.
The ability to run a complete operating system from a USB drive isn't particularly new. Linux users have been able to do just that for years and these days Linux installation can even be done from a running Windows installation.
It's important to bear in mind that Microsoft often shows off features in early beta releases that do not make the final cut. There's no doubt that Portable Workspace Creator is a handy feature to have, but at this time there's no confirmation about whether it will available only to Windows 8 Enterprise users. µ
Tags: Microsoft
Share this:
Share
Beside the fact Linux has been booting from all manner of storage devices for years, this just smacks of a trip back to the late 90's. Remember the whole Pocket PC buzz? Remember how we were all going to be carrying our PCs with us and then plugging them into a display and keyboard? Except it never actually happened because Pocket PC fell flat on it's face.
And lets face it. Of all the people who use portable Linux set ups, what do they use them for? I bet the number one reason is installing Linux. The number two reason will be trouble shooting.
Then there is the whole licensing issue and copy protection. If Windows no longer cares about hardware changes how will Microsoft fight those pesky pirates?
And just why does anybody need this? What are they going to plug this portable USB Windows into? "Excuse me Mr. Client you don't mind if I borrow your PC to plug in my portable Windows do you"? Not very professional. Which means you'll likely have a laptop anyway.
This is a stupid idea that shows just how far behind the times Microsoft and Windows really are and where they're stealing their ideas from.
And just wtf are they putting in Windows 8 to demand a 16GB installation footprint? Talk about fat!
ONE COULD HACK THE BIOS OF A COMPUTER TO BE A KEYLOGGER EVEN BEFORE KEYPRESSES ARE TRANSFERRED TO OS.
YOU COULD HOOK A USB KEYLOGGER BETWEEN THE KEYBOARD AND THE COMPUTER PLUG.
LIKE "THE CLOUD", THIS IS A STUPID SOLUTION IN SEARCH OF A PROBLEM. HOW ABOUT I SPRING $500 FOR A WICKED BAD LAPTOP AND JUST BRING THE SHIT WITH ME? NOW YOU GOTTA PHYSICALLY ASSAULT ME TO STEAL MY JUNK. BRING IT FOOL!
My first thought when reading the headline....
WTF, since when do you need permission?
But after reading I see it's about provide an option more tailored to running from USB.
Hopefully this will also mean your odds of not getting a blue screen are better for your normal HDD installs if you want/need to rebuild your machine or move your installation to a new machine.
But I suspect if "Microsoft is pitching the feature at its enterprise customers" as the article says, it won't be an option in the home version.
Later, Seeker
Might catch up with Linux, that will be all though.
Installing with a USB stick is old hat, and even Windows XP can be installed via a USB stick. You can even boot OSes from USB sticks as the installed copy.
The major "innovation" by Microsoft here is that their OS will be made so that it is *designed* to run from the memory stick like many live installations for Linux. For example you don't want to keep a pagefile on a memory stick, or perform disk-intensive operations on it. Windows 8 will probably have a special mode that will keep memory disks and other features to keep disk usage to a minimum, as well as to prevent the contents of the flash drive from being harmed by potentially malicious software (or perhaps just software that wants to duplicate the OS for piracy).
Mike you misread it. Not install Windows FROM a USB drive but install it ON a USB drive
Guy above has no clue what he is talking about..........REALLY!
Windows 7 can also be installed from a USB stick. I have been able to boot Windows 7 from a USB stick very easily - all I needed to do was to format it, make it bootable using the install CD and then transfer the contents of the CD to the stick.
So this is really a formalization of that process that I had to do manually. Microsoft already recognised a USB device as a bootable media.