Windows 8: preliminary version available to OEM’s and History Vault

Microsoft has apparently made a Windows 8 build available to OEM assemblers to complete their testing. The OS also appears to have taken inspiration from Mac OS X’s Time Machine backup.

After Win7China, new rumours about the Windows 8 operating system have started to appear. Nothing official has been coming out from Microsoft about the OS besides that it will be compatible with the ARM architecture, so people are making do with whatever rumours are available.

This time it’s WinRumors who has announced that Microsoft has started releasing a preliminary version of Windows 8 to OEM partners, including HP. Could this be that we are able to see some leaks about the OS? Nothing is sure, as such messages could certainly cost the person making them dearly.

Such information nevertheless figures in a lot of people’s thinking, as feedback from OEM’s will have to be made so that a beta can be developed for release next September. As for the commercial release, rumours have it that it will be on the shelves in 2012, or early 2013.

At this time, WinRumors has reiterated a few rumours about the OS like the Metro design for the Windows 8 user interface, with the main interface being dynamic and completely in 3D to adapt to the users habits. The icons and shortcuts adapt to various use scenarios so that daily tasks can be sped up and made easier.

Besides the function which resets the system to factory settings and a quick hibernation system to put the OS to sleep in less than 6 seconds while backing up open documents, there is also talk of a History Vault function similar to Mac OS X’s Time Machine backup.

This system will automatically backup files and data and make it possible to restore the computer to a particular moment in time. History Vault backups up files numerous times daily, with the system being a lot more in depth than what Windows currently provides. The system comes with a graphical user interface allowing you to restore old files from specific dates.

With all of these rumours, the notion of cloud computing is for the moment rather discreet. There is little doubt though that Windows 8 will take this direction though give Microsoft’s previous statements.