Microsoft Surface Windows 8 Tablet : Keynote

Surface by Microsoft

Create bootable USB Windows 8 Release Preview

To craete bootable USB Windows 8 Release Preview from Windows 7 PC, you need to download and install Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool.

Download Windows 8 Release Preview ISO images.

- With a USB inserted.

- Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool.

- Browse to choose downloaded Windows 8 ISO file.

- Choose media type of USB device.

- Select inserted USB and click Begin copying.

- Bootable USB device created successfully.

Official announced: Buy a Windows 7 PC and get Windows 8 Pro for $14.99.

Microsoft officially announced - Buy a Windows 7 PC between June 2, 2012 and January 31, 2013, you can upgrade Windows 8 Pro for $14.99 when available.

Details: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/upgrade-offer?ocid=O_MSC_UPG_Display_Upgrade_en-us

MSDN 2012 May issue is available to download now

Download MSDN 2012 May issue digital version in PDF here.

Read Online

Get the code

Internet Explorer 10 Release Preview

This video discuss how Internet Explorer 10 is designed to make website interaction fast and fluid for touch as well as for heavy mouse and keyboard use. With IE10, websites participate in the Metro style experience in Windows 8, including the Start screen, charms, snap, and more. IE10 also provides the best protection from malicious software on the web while providing convenient control over your online privacy. http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2012/06/01/web-browsing-in-windows-8-release-preview-with-ie10.aspx

Set background using LinearGradientBrush

Example to set background using LinearGradientBrush.

    <Grid x:Name="root">
        <Grid.Background>
            <LinearGradientBrush StartPoint="0 0" EndPoint="1 0">
                <GradientStop Offset="0" Color="Red" />
                <GradientStop Offset="1" Color="Blue" />
            </LinearGradientBrush>
        </Grid.Background>
    </Grid>

Add UI element in Metro Style application using C++ code

To add UI element in Metro Style application dynamically using C++ code, instead of XAML:

Modify XAML to have a name in the root content, the <Grid> in this exercise:

    <Grid x:Name="root" Background="{StaticResource ApplicationPageBackgroundThemeBrush}">

    </Grid>

Modify the C++ code behind:

MainPage::MainPage()
{
 InitializeComponent();
 
 Uri^ imageUri = ref new Uri("http://goo.gl/fHDLv");
 BitmapImage^ bitmapImage = ref new BitmapImage(imageUri);
 Image^ image = ref new Image();
 image->Source = bitmapImage;
 image->Width = 100;
 image->Height = 53;

 root->Children->Append(image);


}

winlogon error on Windows 8 Release Preview

I have updated Windows 8 from Consumer Preview to Release Preview. When I shutdown the Windows I get a message as "winlogon.exe - No Disk"!

Solution is to turn off fast startup.

- Search "Shutdown Settings" from Settings, and click to run "Change what the power buttons do".



- "Change settings that are not currently available".



- Scroll-down and uncheck "Turn on fast startup (recommended)" and Save changes.

Embed MediaElement in XAML to play media

    <Grid Background="{StaticResource ApplicationPageBackgroundThemeBrush}">
        <MediaElement
            Source="http://media.ch9.ms/ch9/3748/ad8542fd-4b59-4951-bf4a-7e98cb4e3748/VSToolbox37_high.mp4"
            Width="640"
            Height="480"
            HorizontalAlignment="Center"
            VerticalAlignment="Center"
            />
        
    </Grid>

Free ebook: Programming Windows 8 Apps with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript (First Preview)

To help celebrate the Windows 8 Release Preview and the Visual Studio 2012 Release Candidate, Microsoft Press release a preview edition of Programming Windows 8 Apps with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, by Kraig Brockschmidt (who, some of you might remember, many years ago worked with us on a couple editions of Inside OLE).

Download a PDF of the ebook here (4.34 MB).

Download the ebook’s sample code here (27.5 MB).

(We’ll release EPUB and MOBI versions of the final ebook.)

This first preview contains the first four chapters of what we think will be an 18-chapter final ebook:

Chapter 1   The Life Story of a Metro Style App: Platform Characteristics of Windows 8

Chapter 2   Quickstart

Chapter 3   App Anatomy and Page Navigation

Chapter 4   Controls, Control Styling, and Basic Data Binding

Chapter 5   Collections and Collection Controls

Chapter 6   Layout

Chapter 7   Metro Style Commanding UI

Chapter 8   State, Settings, Files, and Documents

Chapter 9   Input and Sensors

Chapter 10   Media

Chapter 11   Purposeful Animations

Chapter 12   Contracts

Chapter 13   Tiles, Notifications, the Lock Screen, and Background Tasks

Chapter 14   Networking

Chapter 15   Devices and Printing

Chapter 16   Extensions

Chapter 17   Apps for Everyone: Localization, Accessibility, and the Windows Store

Chapter 18   Services

Source: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/microsoft_press/archive/2012/06/04/free-ebook-programming-windows-8-apps-with-html-css-and-javascript-first-preview.aspx

Download Windows 8 Release Preview Product Guide

Get the product guide (PDF), read in-depth info about Windows 8 Release Preview.

Load Image using XAML

To load Image in Metro style app, simple insert <Image...> elements in XAML.

Example:

    <Grid Background="{StaticResource ApplicationPageBackgroundThemeBrush}">
        <Image Source="http://goo.gl/fHDLv"
               Stretch="None"/>
        <TextBlock
            Text="Hello Visual Studio Express 2012 RC for Windows 8"
            FontFamily="Arial"
            FontSize="30"
            Foreground="AntiqueWhite"
            HorizontalAlignment="Center"
            VerticalAlignment="Center"/>
        
    </Grid>

Hello Visual Studio Express 2012 RC for Windows 8

As common practice, click New Project... on starting page of Visual Studio Express 2012 RC for Windows 8.

Select template of Visual C++ Windows Metro style, Blank App (XAML), with name of HelloMetroCpp. And click OK.

Double click on MainPage.xaml in Solution Explorer to open it.

- Manual edit XAML to show something. Insert the code in-between <Grid></Grid>

        <TextBlock 
            Text="Hello Visual Studio Express 2012 RC for Windows 8"
            FontFamily="Times New Roman"
            FontSize="30"
            Foreground="White"
            HorizontalAlignment="Center"
            VerticalAlignment="Center"/>

Save, Build and Run it.

To close the test app, you can switch back to Visual Studio Express IDE by Alt-Tab keys, then click the icon to stop debugging.

Or, drag on top of the hello app, move to bottom on screen to close it.

Visual Studio Toolbox: Visual Studio 2012 Release Candidate

In this episode, Jason Zander joins us to celebrate the availability of Visual Studio 2012 Release Candidate. Jason shows off a number of features that have been added to Visual Studio since Beta, including

• IDE updates
• Web site optimization (bundling/minification)
• Web publishing
• Enhancements to Blend for designing both XAML and HTML apps
• OData support in LightSwitch

Download Visual Studio Express 2012 RC

• Microsoft Visual Studio Express 2012 RC for Web is a free and robust development environment for building, testing, and deploying web applications across the Microsoft Web Platform.
• Microsoft Visual Studio Express 2012 RC for Windows 8 provides the core tools that are required to build compelling, innovative Windows Metro style apps.
• Visual Studio Team Foundation Server Express 2012 RC provides small teams of up to five developers with source code control, work item tracking, and build automation for their software projects so that they can deliver predictable results.

Download here: Visual Studio Express 2012 RC

You can notice that Visual Studio Express 2012 have no option to develop Desktop Application. But you can still download Visual Studio Express 2010 for free.

Visual Studio 2012 RC released

Visual Studio 2012 is a comprehensive family of products for every organization, team and individual developer that wants to modernize or create exciting apps. Visual Studio 2012 also simplifies the product family by integrating capabilities that were previously available in separate products and bringing exciting new capabilities to every edition.

Get Visual Studio 2012 RC today and start preparing for the next generation of development.

Learn more details about What's New in Visual Studio 2012 RC.

Windows 8 Release Preview is available now

It's Windows reimagined and reinvented from a solid core of Windows 7 speed and reliability. It's an all-new touch interface. It's a new Windows for new devices. And it's easy to try now—whether you're installing it for the first time, or moving from Windows 8 Consumer Preview. Download Here: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkId=254225