Windows 8 History Vault to ape Time Machine

A leak Wednesday has uncovered plans for Windows 8 to imitate the behavior of Time Machine in Mac OS X. Nicknamed History Vault, it would use the Shadow Copies feature that came as early as Vista but give it a proper visual interface for restoring older files. The WinRumors shot doesn't provide many details of the restoration process but shows that users could use both real and virtual drives to make a History Vault archive.

Apple's equivalent feature first appeared in Mac OS X Leopard in 2005, roughly two years before Vista, and was considered one of the first easy backup options to include an individual file restore system. Mac OS X Lion is due to add a Versions parallel that will let users go back through many edits of a single file instead of simply going by date.

The OS is due to have at least a few major changes and could be the first major revision since Windows Vista, if not XP. It should introduce a Metro-influenced interface with some Windows Phone 7 cues. Microsoft may finally optimize the majority of the interface for finger touch, and it has already said it will support ARM processors to compete properly in battery life with the iPad and a slew of Android tablets.

Speed may be a focus with a fast resume or shutdown in just a few seconds, and the OS may have more dynamic elements that change the interface based on commonly used tasks. The OS isn't due to ship until late 2012 and still has room for new features or improvements to existing ones.

By Electronista Staff

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computers, industry, software, Microsoft, Leopard, Vista, Time Machine, Apple, Windows 8, Lion, History Vault