Microsoft is offering a glimpse at how Windows 8 will provide access to ISO and VHD files.
Microsoft is
continuing its public deep-geek dive into the particulars of Windows 8, with a
new corporate blog entry focusing on the upcoming operating system's easy
interoperability with two popular file-storage formats.
"The trend of
incredibly large- and small-form-factor hard discs means we can store ever
increasing amounts of data without worrying about running out of capacity,"
Rajeev Nagar, group program manager for Windows' Storage and File Systems team,
wrote in an Aug. 30 posting on the Building Windows 8 blog. "Windows 8 enables
easy access to the contents of two important storage formats, ISO and VHD
files."
ISO stands for
International Organization for Standardization, which publishes standards for
organizing content on media such as DVDs. With these standards in place, that
content is transferrable between systems such as a laptop and a DVD player. "An
ISO file is simply a disc image as a file, composed of all the contents of a CD-ROM
or DVD disc," Nagar wrote. "You can also think of an ISO file as a
full-fidelity image (digital copy) of the optical disc."
But discs
themselves aren't exactly in vogue, thanks to the growing popularity of cloud
computing and other new technologies. Optical drives also aren't exactly an
omnipresent hardware feature in tablets, and more manufacturers have begun
discarding them from ultra-thin laptops.
Windows 8 will
allow users to access an ISO file "without either needing to burn a new disc or
needing to find/download/install additional software just to logically access
the ISO," Nagar added.
Microsoft is
also intent on streamlining procedures related to the VHD, or Virtual Hard
Disk, format. In Windows 8, VHDs will appear as new hard drives, one that users
can work with "just like any other file storage in your system."
Over the past
few weeks, the Building Windows 8 blog has focused on everything from support
for USB 3.0 to revisions to Windows Explorer to the reasoning behind the user
interface. In addition, Microsoft will almost certainly reveal additional
details at September's BUILD conference. Current rumors suggest Microsoft could
hand out quad-core tablets loaded with a test version of Windows 8 to
conference attendees.
Windows 8,
which is expected to launch sometime in 2012, represents something of a radical
departure for Windows. In place of the traditional desktop interface, the
upcoming operating system will center on a set of colorful tiles linked to
applications. The Windows franchise continues to draw substantial revenues for
Microsoft, meaning a commercially successful Windows 8 is one of Redmond's key
priorities.
Follow Nicholas Kolakowski on Twitter
Nicholas Kolakowski is a staff editor at eWEEK, covering Microsoft and other companies in the enterprise space, as well as evolving technology such as tablet PCs. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, Playboy, WebMD, AARP the Magazine, AutoWeek, Washington City Paper, Trader Monthly, and Private Air. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
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