Microsoft has released the Windows 8 Consumer Preview so that everyone can get a sneak peek at the newest Windows operating system. Installing the Windows 8 OS to run side-by-side with your current OS can seem tricky, so we’re here to help. It’s easy to install Windows 8 if you follow these 7 simple steps.
Before you can get a first taste of Windows 8, you’ll need to prepare the following ingredients:
1: 1 PC
1: 1 PC
2: Internet connection
3: Windows 7
4: 1 blank DVD and 1 DVD burner.
To run Windows 8 side-by-side with your current operating system, you need to install Windows 8 on a separate hard drive. If you don't have a spare drive, you can divide your existing hard drive into sections and install Windows 8 on a new section. These sections of the hard drive are called “partitions”.
To create a partition, go to the Start Menu, right click on Computer, and select Manage to open the Computer Management window.
Select which hard drive to split up into partitions. Pay close attention to where you click. Click on Disk Management under the Storage category in the sidebar menu on the left. Next, right click on the hard drive you’d like to partition and select Shrink Volume. On the picture above you can see we chose to partition drive C:
Choose the amount of space to shrink for your new partition and click Shrink. We recommend having 40,000MB of space in the new partition.
Now you’ll see the new partition you created, labeled as “Unallocated”. You will soon install Windows 8 onto this Unallocated drive. Your existing OS will remain unharmed on the first partition.
Step 3: Download + Burn
Now it's time to download the Windows 8 image file (“.iso”) from the Microsoft website . Click the download link next to your language and PC architecture. If you are unsure of your PC’s architecture, choose x86. Download the image file.
To install, you’ll need to burn the image file you just downloaded onto a DVD. Insert a recordable DVD into your disc drive.
Go to the folder where you saved the download. Right click on the .iso file you downloaded, and then click “Burn disc image”.
Check the “Verify disc after burning” check box and click Burn. It may take a few minutes until the burn is completed.
Step 4: Starting the Installation
To create a partition, go to the Start Menu, right click on Computer, and select Manage to open the Computer Management window.
Select which hard drive to split up into partitions. Pay close attention to where you click. Click on Disk Management under the Storage category in the sidebar menu on the left. Next, right click on the hard drive you’d like to partition and select Shrink Volume. On the picture above you can see we chose to partition drive C:
Choose the amount of space to shrink for your new partition and click Shrink. We recommend having 40,000MB of space in the new partition.
Now you’ll see the new partition you created, labeled as “Unallocated”. You will soon install Windows 8 onto this Unallocated drive. Your existing OS will remain unharmed on the first partition.
Step 3: Download + Burn
Now it's time to download the Windows 8 image file (“.iso”) from the Microsoft website . Click the download link next to your language and PC architecture. If you are unsure of your PC’s architecture, choose x86. Download the image file.
Don't forget the product key
In order to install Windows 8, you'll need a valid product key. You can find it on Microsoft’s website, under the download link you used to download the image file. It'll look like this:
Product Key: xxxxx- xxxxx - xxxxx - xxxxx - xxxxx
Write it down, you'll need it later.
Go to the folder where you saved the download. Right click on the .iso file you downloaded, and then click “Burn disc image”.
Check the “Verify disc after burning” check box and click Burn. It may take a few minutes until the burn is completed.
But before you go interrupting the boot up process, put the disc containing the Windows 8 image into your computer drive.
Now restart your PC. While the PC is booting up, you will have to press a key to force the PC to boot from the disc before Windows loads.
Each PC vendor asks you to press a different key, but it is easy to figure out the right key for you. If you do not see a prompt on your screen during boot up directing you to a boot menu (the text-based screen described above), these are some common keys:
HP [F9], Lenovo [F12], Dell [F12], Acer [F12], ASUS [Esc] and Sony [F10].
If your vendor is not listed here, try to find the instructions on your PC before the operating system takes charge. Sometimes it disappears too quickly so you may need to restart several times to catch it.
Once your PC boots up from disc, Windows 8 installation process will begin.
Select your language preferences, and press Next.
Step 6: Installation Process
Tip
Tips: From now on, when you restart your PC, you’ll have a choice of whether to log into Windows 8 (which will be the default) or into your previous operating system. Switching between them is easy - just restart your PC and choose the operating system.
Step 7: Personalization
Now it’s time to personalize the Start screen. Choose a color and a name for your PC.
If you have a Microsoft Live ID account, you can enter your email address here to link your PC to your account. By linking a Microsoft account to your PC, you will be able to sync your apps, files, and settings across all of your Windows 8 devices, which is cool.
Unlike the Microsoft account, a Local account is a user profile stored only on this PC, similar to the account you have on your current OS. Select the Local account option to continue.
All Done And Enjoy Windows 8
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