Windows 8

The next operating system from Microsoft will be much more affordable than ever, according to a Monday's announcement.

When Windows 8 Pro becomes available, PC users will be able to upgrade at the cost of only $39.99, which is about a fifth of what people have to pay to upgrade to the current version of Windows. Windows Media Center could be added for free as a part of the deal.

"We set out to make it as easy as possible for everyone to upgrade to Windows 8," wrote Brandon LeBlanc on Blogging Windows.

"Starting at general availability, if your PC is running Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 you will qualify to download an upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for just $39.99 in 131 markets," LeBlanc added.

Users will be able to purchase the upgrade at Windows.com later this year, and the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant will help the process, including evaluation the readiness of the machine to step-by-step walk through. The new OS could be installed immediately or saved in .ISO file for a later use. The file could also be burned onto a DVD as well.

LeBlanc explained that the upgrade experience will be a "breeze".

Microsoft will also make a packaged DVD version for $69.99 during the promotion period, which will run through January 31, 2013.

Could this be Microsoft's attempt to close the gap between Apple's Mountain Lion operating system for desktop, who costs only $19.99 to upgrade? Or is it just a friendly gesture from the company to make it more easily acquirable?

In the mean time, the company is running another promotion where a person can get Windows 8 Pro for $14.99 by purchasing a Windows 7 PC.

Windows 8 Logon Screen For Win XP & 7.

Windows 8 Logon Screen for Windows 7 and XP

Windows 8 developer preview was released the past week with much enthusiasm and encouragement. The Windows 8 welcome screen is clearly based on the Windows Phone 7 lock screen that has been appreciated by consumers. The Metro based user interface of the welcome screen gives it a clear look.

As of now in the developer build, you can only change the background image and the rest are not configurable, but this surely looks to change by the time the commercial release is made available.



Windows 8 Login Screen



The log in screen has also been made more touch screen friendly owing to the fact that this version supports multiple hardware platforms. In the build conference, Microsoft showcased how an user could log into his or her system by touching two unique points on a photograph. Facial recognition and other bio-metric security is planned for the main release.

Windows 8 Login Screen for Windows 7

You can get the Windows 8 log in screen for your Windows 7 desktop or laptop by following these steps

    1.      Download the Windows 7 Logon Changer tool from here

   2.     Install the application

   3.     Run the application

   4.     Follow the on screen information to change the Windows 7 log in screen

   5.     You have successfully changed the Windows 7 log in screen

Windows 8 Logon Screen for XP

You can download this pack created by a DevianArt user here.  Replace the  logonui.exe file  in the system 32 with the new logonui.exe you downloaded. Your log in window will change to the Windows 8 style. There is also another way to change the screen manually, this involves tweaking the Windows Registry and is not advice for novice users. Follow these steps to change your log in screen manually:

   1.    Download this registry file to your computer

   2.    Go to your System32 folder. This should usually be at C:\\windows\system32
          file://oobe/

   3.    Create a new folder named info

   4.    Create a new folder inside the folder info named backgrounds

   5.    Copy the Windows 8 Login screen image into this folder. This file should be less
          than 256KB in JPG format

   6.    Restart your computer

   7.     You have successfully changed your Windows XP login screen

Note: The above registry hack should not be used by users who do not know about the Windows registry files.