Windows 8 RTM Complete!

The long awaited Windows 8 has finally gone gold! For those who don’t know, “going gold” is an expression that comes from the fact that the final reference copy from which commercial copies are made is molded in gold. Therefore in simple terms, “going gold” means the final version that will be released to consumers is complete. This version is Windows 8 RTM. Before it actually appears on shelves on the official release date, a final version called RTM is sent to developers and manufacturers beforehand so they can start assembling devices and computers in time for retail release. RTM stands for “Release to Manufacturing”.

So basically, RTM is the final version us common folk will be able to grab off shelves on October 26th, 2012 which is the retail release date. Also, Windows 8 computers and tablets will be available to purchase on that day and yes that includes the Microsoft Surface. For those curious, the final build of Windows 8 RTM is 9200 and not 8888 as previously expected, although that would have been fitting. The complete build is 9200.16384.WIN8_RTM.120725-1247. Reportedly, there have been leaks of the RTM version and more new features not in the release preview are present. For now, we know that there are more customization options than previously known, which includes themes, wallpapers, color schemes and the like.

Now, even though Windows 8 RTM is complete, the availability for developers and manufacturers still varies. Other than release schedule, we also know of the editions Windows 8 will be released in, Curiously, other than the 15$ upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 8 for PC’s bought since June there have been no announcements on pricing. If you have a new Windows 7 computer, check for your Windows 8 upgrade here. Here’s the release schedule:

Windows 8 RTM Release Schedule

• August 15: MSDN and Technet subscribers can download Windows 8 RTM.
• August 16: Microsoft Partner Network and Software Assurance members get access to Windows 8 RTM.
• August 20: Microsoft Action Pack developers will be able to access Windows 8 RTM.
• September 1: Volume license customers that are not Software Assurance members can purchase Windows 8 licenses.
• October 26: Retail release of Windows 8 and Windows 8 PC’s/devices.

Apart from Windows 8, even Windows Server 2012 has reached the RTM milestone. We’re pretty excited about the Windows 8 release and can’t wait to sample Microsoft’s new operating system. Now that it’s almost final, what do you think about the complete reinvention of Windows? Let us know by dropping a comment below!

How To Rebuild Icon Cache In Windows 7 – Fix Corrupted Icons

Incorrectly displayed icons are some of the most common yet annoying problems a Windows user can face and the fix is simple, rebuild icon cache. Users who frequently apply transformation packs/themes and the like run into this problem. What usually happens is, icons displayed on any part of the GUI, be it the start menu or desktop are corrupted or show entirely wrong icons meant for other files. This happens because Windows messes up the icon cache. To speed up performance, Windows caches all icons at a single place. If icons are repeatedly modified, this cache can get corrupted and files are assigned incorrect or corrupted icons.

The fix for this problem is quite simple and doesn’t require too much effort, however it’s good if you have a system restore point ready just in case. So here’s what you have to do to rebuild icon cache.

Steps to rebuild icon cache:

Step 1 – Open “Computer” or anything in Windows Explorer.

Step 2 – Click “Organize”, then navigate to “Folder and search options”.

Step 3 – Under the “View” tab, set it to “Show hidden files, folders and drives” as given below and click Apply.

Step 4 - Now navigate to “C:\Users\*Username*\AppData\Local”. delete the file named “IconCache.db”. Here *Username* is whatever user account you are using currently.

Step 5 – Delete the file named “IconCache.db”.

Step 6 – Reboot your computer and all icons will be displayed correctly if all steps were followed.

Instead of rebooting you can also simply stop and restart the “explorer.exe” service from the task manager. After everything is done I recommend that you set the folder view to default where hidden files, folders and drives are not shown for safety’s sake. It can be quite a bit of headache if that all important Windows file is deleted by mistake or someone fiddles around with files and folders they shouldn’t be seeing. Alternately, if you’re uncomfortable with doing this manually, you can get a little tool that will do all the work, not that there’s much anyway. You can get the icon cache rebuilder tool from here.

That’s how to fix corrupted icons and rebuild your icon cache. Please leave us your comments, suggestions or any questions below!