AfterDawn: News

Windows 8 will allow you to login using Windows Live

One of the new features Microsoft is adding to Windows 8 is the ability to login to your computer using a Windows Live ID.

The primary purpose for this is sharing of Windows settings across multiple computers, all of which would have to be running Windows 8 of course. You can either select settings to share between computers or simply use Microsoft's default settings.



In addition, it will allow you to automatically load Metro style apps purchased from the Windows App Store and automatically login to websites which use Windows Live authentication.

Shared settings will be divided into the following groups:

• Personalize
• Themes
• Ease of access
• Language preferences
• Apps
• Web browser
• Other stuff
• Some passwords

If you have a regular Windows login, you will also be able to associate your Windows Live ID with it later on. There will be a password requirement in order to do that.

They haven't clarified exactly how strong the password will need to be. They've just said a blank password will be forbidden.

Written by: Rich Fiscus @ 27 Sep 2011 19:22

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• 15 comments

• xnonsuchx

  The more I hear about Windows 8, the more I just don't care. How about just making it less buggy and more efficient than previous versions first before worrying about adding new bugginess and inefficiencies?

  27.9.2011 20:54 #1

• KillerBug

  Originally posted by xnonsuchx: The more I hear about Windows 8, the more I just don't care. How about just making it less buggy and more efficient than previous versions first before worrying about adding new bugginess and inefficiencies? You do realize we are talking about MICROSOFT here? They feel it is their duty to make operating systems less efficient over time in order to force people to buy new hardware, and thus keep the industry going. As for stability, that is what the BSOD is for...a nice stable blue screen with a cryptic error.

  27.9.2011 21:52 #2

• ZippyDSM

  Er why? Why not make it log in with live, that would make more sense.....
  

  Until lobbying is a hanging offense I choose anarchy!
  Ah modern gaming its like modern film only the watering down of fiction and characters is replaced with shallow and watered down mechanics, gimmicks and shiny-er "people".
  http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com/

  27.9.2011 22:01 #3

• llongtheD

  Maybe I'm not understanding this article correctly, but I think this will just open up a huge security hole. The more I hear about windows 8, the less attractive it becomes.
  

  If your fish seems sick, put it back in the water.

  27.9.2011 23:05 #4

• nizers99

  Originally posted by ZippyDSM: Er why? Why not make it log in with live, that would make more sense..... You can just login with Live. That's actually the standard method.
  

  28.9.2011 12:37 #5

• Interestx

  All that is happening here is a titivating of Windows 7.
  Provided the upgrade is very very easy & bug free - and most of all cheap - they might even sell some.
  
  But I suspect we are in for another round of what happened with XP.
  Lots of people have now moved to Windows 7 & will see no good reason to budge for a long time to come.
  
  .....and who can blame them?
  

  28.9.2011 20:34 #6

• xaznboitx

  I would never use email to log into my computer because of hackers that already cracked into hotmail

  29.9.2011 17:27 #7

• Mez

  xaznboitx, apparently you have more intelligence than the combined intelligence of the M$ decision makers. Looks like W8 ought to bomb bigger than Vista! I guess they will be blaming it on the pirates again!
  
  Even AD appears to have some kind of keylogger to steal your ID. I complained about this months ago. Either it is theirs or they don't care.

  30.9.2011 12:39 #8

• plazma247

  Yeah i cant agree more with others, i think someone in microsoft has forgotten what makes windows sell in the first place and has got so focused on the tablet end of things and just gone way to far switching focus.
  
  So far im yet to see one thing about W8 that would make me want to upgrade or advise other people to, as it stands i will be recommending people stick with W7 for some time to come.
  
  If microsoft really wanted to do anything useful with W8 i think instead of replacing explorer shell you should have an option to set it to media centre/tablet mode or desktop mode and not force the desktop users to have to even attempt to deal with the remived version of ehome (tablet interface).
  
  Look at samsung they are going to give us all video streaming from the main media system (TV) to phones etc, microsoft had a project for this ages ago called softsled for streaming media centre content to other pcs, although i cant see why this couldn't be extended into the mobile side. This was canned due to the fact Microsoft wanted us to all use xbox's to interface with media centre as extenders and this was one of the worst decisions. IF ANYONES LISTENING GIVE W8 either a media centre sharing of tuners support for live TV and the ability to extend live tv into phone OS and tablet, its a feature every one would actually like to see.
  
  The half assed approach in W7 MCE to share existing content between media centre's was a poor excuse, not really a new feature and something you could do before if you knew how.. ITS LIVE TV and having something like remote potato or original app which for the lift of me i cant remember what it was called that worked with vista mce pre-fuji mce core update.
  
  This would then extend nicely into tablets... but this is ms and although this would be one of the killer functions of the new windows we all want.. it probably means we wont ever see it as ms doesn't want you to do this and instead purchase an xbox, however you would think with their move into the tablet market place and now offering a smartphone capable of this it would have been a SMART MOVE.. but no.
  
  Please excuse my rant, i love media centre, however it pains me how its been hindered so much with Microsofts desire to sell more xbox's, it could have been so much better... !!
  
  @ MEZ can you provide more details of this, are you talking a browser based logger ?

  2.10.2011 06:25 #9

• alostsoulxxxx (unverified)

  If you stay logged in you will not see it. Otherwise before you login there is a popup add as you type. It is for real. My Mez password has been changed. I guess I didnt always cut and pasted my ID & pass. I STUPIDLY stopped using a key scrabbler a while back. That will change.
  
  I think I will quit AD.
  
  I think this is the work of a very clever hacker who AD has pissed off.

  2.10.2011 21:33 #10

• plazma247

  @ MEZ - alostsoulxxxx
  
  Im not sure what browser you use mate, but ive never seen a popup when login in using chrome... using either the main page login or the page footer login.
  
  Tested the login using IE 8 and didn't see the issue either with either logins.
  
  So possibly if its not your side it could be an new banner exploit ive not seen before (not sure what advertisers feed AD uses) and not AD them actually feeding the code.
  
  Its a shame you have now left and cant provide more detailed information.. such as browser/which login box/screen shot/dumped page code etc. to trace the source...
  
  Without proof your not going to get anywhere with AD Admins...!
  
  PS anyone whos interested i remembered the original streaming addon to vista mce was webguide. Interestingly the creator of this original app started working for MS, made webguide free then never updated past fuji update from memory. There was a rumour that windows 7 would get a system using live mesh from this guy.. but alas that didn't fully make the light of day either and i think was instead plugged into media player as a way of sharing media, so no epg or tv support for mce.

  2.10.2011 22:15 #11

• Mez

  I was down for a while. I stopped till I got a key scrambler. The logger shows up using IE, Firefox and Chrome. I can see it from every computer I have used. Library, hotel, work, ect. It is probably using ip address to select a target. If you are in the US, try logging into AD from a public computer.

  22.10.2011 09:33 #12

• plazma247

  Originally posted by Mez: I was down for a while. I stopped till I got a key scrambler. The logger shows up using IE, Firefox and Chrome. I can see it from every computer I have used. Library, hotel, work, ect. It is probably using ip address to select a target. If you are in the US, try logging into AD from a public computer. Connected onto a 2 Different US pipes and saw no sign of any key logger in IE 8 or Chrome, although IE gave me a JS fault at line 2165 saying console was not defined the first time i hit the page, this is part of the goolge ad JS.
  
  To prove this your going to have to flag, high light what is rendering the code your seeing as it has to called some place from the HTML if its coming from AD, even if its calling an external script.
  
  At the very least provide a screen shot.

  22.10.2011 09:45 #13

• herbman7 (unverified)

  My colleague installed Win8 Consumer Preview, and he said it forced him to use Windows Live ID
  Will this make it easier for MS to trace specific users? because I prefer the anonymity of Win7/XP
  
  Anyone know if the user agreement has changed? because I thought MS wern't allowed to gather personal info

  1.3.2012 13:14 #14

• plazma247

  http://www.verboon.info/index.php/2011/...o-logon-screen/
  
  This appears to suggest that its possible to turn off the metro login and fall back to a local account, i dont know if its possible to completely do a full install without using the live account where once someones got your live password they have got access to all your devices that you use it on. Personally i never use the same admin password on any of home network as it makes it much hard for someone to play pass the hash.. another useless feature of windows 8. By the time you have reg hacked it back to look like 7 and turned off the features you dont want/need you might have as well just stuck with 7.

  1.3.2012 14:11 #15