Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

Windows 8 to support USB 3.0 and all previous USB devices

By
usb-3-0-market-forecast-microsoft
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Microsoft’s Steven Sinofsky has been busy lately updating the new Windows 8 blog. A few days ago, he revealed the entire list of Windows 8 feature teams and now he’s decided to detail out the upcoming operating system’s USB 3.0 support. In a blog post, he reveals that, as expected, Windows 8 will be compatible with USB 3.0, the next generation of USB port, and the more than “10 billion” USB devices around the world. 

Unfortunately, USB 3.0 comes with its own set of challenges. To maintain support for USB 2.0 and 1.0 devices, Microsoft has had to combine their compatibility software from Windows 95 through Windows 7 with a completely new program for USB 3.0 devices. The task wasn’t easy. If you don’t believe us, check out the flow chart behind these two Windows architects, Randy Aull and Vivek Gupta.

usb-3-0-flow-chart
Image used with permission by copyright holder

 The team is testing more than 1,000 physical devices and many more using software. If they’ve done their job right, when you plug in a USB device into your Windows 8 machine, it will just work. 

Recommended Videos

USB 3.0 has a theoretical max data transfer speed of 5 Gbps. This half the 10 Gbps max speed of Intel’s new Thunderbolt ports, which Apple has been adopting at breakneck speed, but it’s still a big leap from what we’ve been living with for 11 years, the 480 Mbps max speed of USB 2.0. At the end of the video, Microsoft also shows a Windows 8 computer (in compatibility mode) transferring an HD movie at USB 3.0 speeds. Microsoft claims that you can transfer a full HD movie in about 80 seconds, much better than the 15 minutes it would take on USB 2.0.

Sinofsky reiterates how big a focus Microsoft is making on backward compatibility with this version of Windows. While Windows has always focused on backward compatibility, it’s likely that the Redmond giant sees its historical dominance as a way to leverage any weary users to try out Windows 8, despite its innovative new interface. We look forward to learning more, but we do hope that it’s possible to transfer files to USB without having to leave the new Windows 8 interface. The more Microsoft relies on its old Windows 7 design, the weaker its Windows 8 foundation becomes. 

Topics
Jeffrey Van Camp
Jeffrey Van Camp
Former Digital Trends Contributor
As DT's Deputy Editor, Jeff helps oversee editorial operations at Digital Trends. Previously, he ran the site's…
The Meta Quest 3 will get an exciting new type of app
A Windows app extends into 3D space via a Meta Quest 3 VR headset.

A Windows app extends into 3D space via a Meta Quest 3 VR headset. Microsoft

At Build 2024, Microsoft announced it partnered with Meta to extend Windows apps into 3D space with the help of a Quest VR headset. When working on physical objects, it’s important to have spatial awareness of components.

Read more
How to build a PC from scratch: A beginner’s guide
Installing RAM in a desktop PC.

Building a PC for the first time, or even the second or third time, can feel a little intimidating. But one of the best parts about building a computer is that, for the most part, the parts fit where they should, and don't fit where they shouldn't. A graphics card will fit in the graphics card slot, and good luck putting the CPU in the wrong socket.

With a little care, time, and this handy guide, you can build a PC without hassle. We're here to walk you through it.

Read more
Microsoft just made Paint relevant again
Person using Windows 11 laptop on their lap by the window.

The controversial Recall feature has grabbed all the headlines from Microsoft’s Copilot+ announcements yesterday, but this new AI feature is also making Paint relevant again.

It’s called Cocreator, and it’s a new AI feature that can turn your quick sketch, augmented by text, into a much more realistic and impressive image. The exciting thing is that it does all this in real time. It might not get it right the first time, so you'll need patience, and the more details you give about what you want in the image, the better.

Read more