How to Install Windows 8 In Simple Steps

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 i am here to help. It’s easy to install Windows 8 if you follow these 7 simple steps.

1. Step 1: Ingredients

Before you can get a first taste of Windows 8, you’ll need to prepare the following ingredients:
1 PC, Internet connection, Windows 7, 1 blank DVD and 1 DVD burner.

Step 2: Create a Partition

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.

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.

1. 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 InstallationTo start the installation, you'll need to boot up from the disc you burned. Normally when a PC boots up, the operating system (e.g. Windows 7) takes charge after a few seconds and starts loading itself. During those first few seconds before your operating system loads, you typically see a text-based screen with a black background. When that screen is up, you have a chance to intervene in the normal boot up process. To boot from a disc, you’ll have to do just that. Most PC vendors have a very simple trick to achieve this, as detailed below.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.Press Install Now.Enter the product key you wrote down earlier and click Next.Read the License Terms, check the “I accept” box, and press Next. We know this part can be boring and you'll be tempted to just accept it without reading. Most people probably skip it. But we checked with our lawyers and they told us we must tell you to read it, so please do. Thanks.Select the Custom Install option (this is because you’re installing Windows 8 alongside your current OS).

Step 5: Choose a Destination

It’s time to use the partition you created in step 2. Select the drive and partition where you want to install Windows 8. This will be the “Unallocated Space” partition you created earlier. Be careful! Do not choose the partition where your old OS is installed. Install only on the newly created “Unallocated Space” partition.

Step 6: Installation Process

Windows 8 is installing.

You can watch the installation progress, it’s pretty.

The computer will automatically reboot.

Tip

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.

1. Step 7: Personalization

Now it’s time to personalize the Start screen. Choose a color and a name for your PC.

To keep it simple, select the Express settings option. You can always change your settings later.

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.

If you don’t have an account, or you don’t have an internet connection, you can link your PC to a Live ID account later. For now, click the “Don’t want to sign in with a Microsoft account?” link at the bottom of the page.

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.

Create the login information for your user account in Windows 8 on this PC. Enter a User name, Password (optional) and Password hint. Then press Finish.

The PC is finalizing your settings. 

Congratulations! You’ve installed Windows 8.