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Rumor: Windows 9 Going RTM in Q4 2014

By - Source: Myce | B 39 comments

Russian leaker WZOR reports that some news outlets already have Windows 9 "Threshold" as of Tuesday but are not allowed to publish reviews until September 30, the day Microsoft intends to reveal the upcoming OS to the public. This press version will be updated during Microsoft's press event to unlock a number of features previously not provided.

The report claims that Microsoft plans to ease up on its activation policies, allowing customers to re-install the platform an unlimited number of times on the same hardware. The company also plans to increase the number of times customers can re-activate Windows 9, allowing consumers to transfer their copy to a new system or the same system with a new hard drive.

Previous reports from unnamed sources indicated that Microsoft will offer Windows 9 free to customers still running Windows 7 and Windows 8. However, we presumed that Microsoft would instead use the same Windows 8 scheme for Windows 9: charge $40 to those on the latest version (Windows 8.1) and full price for consumers on all older versions (Windows 8, 7, Vista, XP). As before, the discount would only last until January.

A separate report regarding Windows 9 indicates that Microsoft has inserted a new anti-piracy system to help reduce the number of pirated copies of Windows. This seemingly goes against rumors that Windows 9 will be a free upgrade -- why would you beef up anti-piracy features in software that will be freely handed out to everyone? Remember, Windows 8.1 with Bing isn't free to OEMs; the software merely has a reduced price.

That all said, the Windows 9 consumer/technical preview is expected to be released on September 30. The platform will then go RTM before the end of the year, and be made available as a retail product in April 2015. There's a good chance the company plans to remove the numbering system from the Windows brand, as seen with the recent Windows Phone leak.

Based on recent leaks, Windows 9 is expected to bring back the Start Menu and allow Modern UI "Start Screen" apps to run in a windowed mode on the desktop. The OS will supposedly boot into desktop mode if the platform doesn't detect a touch screen, and the Charms bar will likely be ripped out and replaced by a more functional PC Settings drop-down menu.

Cortana is also expected to play a big role in Windows 9, as will virtual desktops and a notifications center. ARM-based tablets running Windows RT won't have the desktop at all and will likely merge with Windows Phone by April 2015.

Follow Kevin Parrish @exfileme. Follow us @tomshardware, on Facebook and on Google+.

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Top Comments
  • 10 Hide
    Urzu1000 , September 17, 2014 1:26 PM
    I'll definitely be looking forward to trying this. I've been pleased with every version of Windows I've used. I liked 95, 98, XP, Vista, 7, and 8.

    Yeah, I liked Vista and 8. Sue me.
Other Comments
  • 10 Hide
    Urzu1000 , September 17, 2014 1:26 PM
    I'll definitely be looking forward to trying this. I've been pleased with every version of Windows I've used. I liked 95, 98, XP, Vista, 7, and 8.

    Yeah, I liked Vista and 8. Sue me.
  • 6 Hide
    junkeymonkey , September 17, 2014 1:37 PM
    i'm sure Microsoft spent more time on all the crapware leaching to the os then they did on the os itself like as we seen from everything above XP . they need to release a os that's just a os and let me decide if I want or need all the extra gimmickware bloating things up . a streamlined fast stable os is all we need not a bunch of crap to weed through to just get to the os
  • Add your comment Display all 39 comments.
  • 2 Hide
    4ktv , September 17, 2014 1:43 PM
    Hope Windows 9 is more stable than 8 and has better old software support like 7 does.

    Better be free for my 8.1 pro laptop or else I will have to say screwed my M$ again just like that buggy thing called vista that SP1 nor SP2 could fix. Ran a non-public dev build of windows 7 just to not deal with vistas BS anymore. (I knew a guy, he is retired now.)

    I hope they also shoot for a microkernel OS again, because I think that's really the next step to really make the OS it's self better.

  • 0 Hide
    Devoteicon , September 17, 2014 1:46 PM
    Thanks, but no thanks.
  • 2 Hide
    srap , September 17, 2014 1:48 PM
    Quote:
    I'll definitely be looking forward to trying this. I've been pleased with every version of Windows I've used. I liked 95, 98, XP, Vista, 7, and 8.

    Yeah, I liked Vista and 8. Sue me.

    There is nothing wrong with you liking those.
    The problem usually starts when Microsoft or other commenters try to tell me that I like it, or Microsoft acts as if I liked it.
  • 5 Hide
    memadmax , September 17, 2014 2:02 PM
    Ignoring the business sector, stubbornness, wanting to be like apple, and wanting to be part of a stupid fad... was what brought Win8 down...

    We shall see with 9....
  • 0 Hide
    junkeymonkey , September 17, 2014 2:04 PM
    and has better old software support like 7 does. ??????

    this windows 7 don't support nothing like xp and vista did I got stuff that had no issues on xp and vista but to work with 7 it was a small hack jobs to do so
  • 1 Hide
    4ktv , September 17, 2014 2:18 PM
    Quote:
    and has better old software support like 7 does. ??????

    this windows 7 don't support nothing like xp and vista did I got stuff that had no issues on xp and vista but to work with 7 it was a small hack jobs to do so


    XP yes and it was the best OS ever, vista maybe if it didn't blue screen so much even on SP2. Windows 7 is better than windows 8 at supporting older software by far and that was what I was commenting on.
  • -1 Hide
    ohim , September 17, 2014 2:20 PM
    Quote:
    I'll definitely be looking forward to trying this. I've been pleased with every version of Windows I've used. I liked 95, 98, XP, Vista, 7, and 8.

    Yeah, I liked Vista and 8. Sue me.

    Don`t worry, i liked it also , i think Vista had the best visuals from all Windows releases, and i enjoy now how Win 8.1 works thou i would love to have WIn 8.1 with Vista`s visuals. Back in the day i had a pretty good computer to run Vista not like all those guys with 96 MB of Ram crying that Vista blows.
  • 0 Hide
    junkeymonkey , September 17, 2014 2:27 PM
    I guess its all so you need to buy new programs and not use old so the money keeps rolling in to them they remove certin core items to render older software useless I took parts of vista and xp and ''installed'' them into 7 where they were conveniently left out of 7 I just hate to think how many of my nice programs I would loose going to 8 or above .. its not like there free like with Linux
  • 4 Hide
    blppt , September 17, 2014 2:28 PM
    "i'm sure Microsoft spent more time on all the crapware leaching to the os then they did on the os itself like as we seen from everything above XP . they need to release a os that's just a os and let me decide if I want or need all the extra gimmickware bloating things up . a streamlined fast stable os is all we need not a bunch of crap to weed through to just get to the os"

    The last two releases (7 and 8) have each consumed less resources than the former. MS has been on the "streamlining" bandwagon ever since OEMs started installing Vista on inadequate hardware and ruining their image.
  • 1 Hide
    junkeymonkey , September 17, 2014 2:43 PM
    consuming resources and functionality are not the same so it used slightly moer memory or cpu so what at least all my programs worked with it what good is the having the rest if you can use the program ?? maybe that's why it uses less cause the program don't work on it anymore
  • 1 Hide
    Zeroplanetz , September 17, 2014 2:48 PM
    I'll be pissed if they upgrade my surface rt tablet and remove the desktop side. Pissed I tell you!
  • 3 Hide
    Avus , September 17, 2014 3:23 PM
    Honestly, the age spend more than $100USD for an OS should be a thing of past. Tell me why an OS worth $100+?
  • 3 Hide
    Cryio , September 17, 2014 3:24 PM
    Technical Preview on 30 September and RTM by Christmas ?

    Ahahaha. Good one.
  • 0 Hide
    junkeymonkey , September 17, 2014 3:39 PM
    Honestly, the age spend more than $100USD for an OS should be a thing of past. Tell me why an OS worth $100+?

    don't Microsoft want to have you rent this os ?? seemed like they want a monthly fee to use it and not just buy it like before??

    http://www.extremetech.com/computing/181419-extremetalk-what-would-you-pay-for-a-windows-8-or-9-subscription

    bad part is it may just be all cloud os and all your files will be as Microsoft puts it ''out there''
  • 0 Hide
    Dyseman , September 17, 2014 3:46 PM
    Why do people gripe about paying $100 to $200 every few years for a new OS? I mean, people upgrade their Video Cards every year to 3 years for a hell of a lot more. You still end up with out of date hardware that goes down the line to secondary computers to sitting on a shelf to getting recycled or trashed.

    Change is good. Otherwise you'd still be on 3.11 or 95. For this being a Tech site showing the latest and greatest in hardware, people want to be crippled by OS's that should be revamped every now and then.

    I've used and liked all OS's from MS since 3.1 days EXCEPT Windows ME. Bought EVERY one of them. Never Pirated a thing. I guess having a good paying job and education has its perks.
  • 3 Hide
    junkeymonkey , September 17, 2014 4:04 PM
    and fools and there money are soon parted too... I mean pay $200 for a os load it and be done with it or pay rent and something goes wrong in some way and you cant pay or your account gets screwed up or hacked or stolen where are you at then??

    at least I got the hard copy on my hard drive and after I activate it I never have to deal with anyone forever if I so choose . right ?? all my stuff is on my drive not on there cloud server in a remote village in India or china .
    you guys just don't get whats going on, think of the last cloud hack job with the nude photos now think that could be your files cause cloud is so great and we all want that bad... they done screwed you over good with pc games where you got to rely on something like steam where you rent the right to play at there terms cause with out them you got nothing for your money if they say your done so now Microsoft sees that you all go for that and now they want to cash in --- get your money give you nothing cause if you don't do things just there way your done and you loose it all so where's your investment then ?? its floating around on that cloud and if you don't pay you don't access , your stuff
  • 1 Hide
    blppt , September 17, 2014 6:14 PM
    "consuming resources and functionality are not the same so it used slightly moer memory or cpu so what at least all my programs worked with it what good is the having the rest if you can use the program ?? "

    You asked about bloating; win 8/8.1 is many things, but you cannot call it bloatware unless you include the more resource-using 7 in that. If you want to attack Metro being forced on you, that's a usability issue.

    As far as I'm concerned, once you get the 8.1 update that allows you to boot directly to the desktop, there absolutely nothing I can do on 7 than I cant do on 8.1.

  • -2 Hide
    jas340 , September 17, 2014 8:43 PM
    Nothing wrong with Windows 7. Works perfect and is rock stable. Why in the world would I want to change it? It is all a scam. MS moves things around and calls it "new". Ever notice how you can switch from XP to Vista to Win 7 and all the same stuff is there just called a different name or has a different path?
    If MS wanted to make a boatload of money they should re-release windows Xp and Windows 7 and call them "Classic" and offer full support for the next 10 years or so
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