Recently Microsoft released Windows 8 CP that you can use free of cost till the time they release the final version,once it will be out then you can use the Windows 8 final version if they provide any trial period and after that you have to buy it.There are many people who do not know how to install Windows because they never did it and there wasnt any requirement as such.If there is any problem with their computer software they just pick up the phone and dial the technical support to get their problem resolved after paying money.I can understand that as they dont have time for all this and they are from a different profession in which they are perfect and other arent.
But there are people who really want to know this so that they can save few dollars to spend somewhere else and this is not a tough job for a computer user specially when Microsoft has made things so simple.There are many who got their first computer with Windows 7 preinstalled and now love to try Windows 8.So here is the step by step guide how to do that.
1 ) If you are installing Windows for the first time on your own its highly recommended to install it as a guest OS using a virtualization software like Virtual Box here is the tutorial for that as its not recommended to mess your host Operating System.
2 ) If you have installed Windows earlier you must be aware of that you need to set the boot priority in your BIOS that you can access using either ESC,F1,F10 or Del key depending upon your BIOS manufacturer that would show up on the screen once you start your machine like press F10 to enter BIOS or setup.If this is your first time then I already informed you what you need to do in virtual machine.Incase you wish to install Windows 8 using a USB flash drive or pendrive just follow the guide here after making your first boot device as USB in your BIOS if it supports the same.
3 ) Now lets start with the installation assuming you have set the boot priority as optical drive if installing on a test computer.Incase you are installing as a guest OS then the tutorial of the Virtual Box software informs you how to use the ISO file that you downloaded here
4 ) Once you boot your machine using the Windows 8 files you would see the screen as shown below,simply select your language and keyboard input then click on next
5 ) On the new screen just click the install now button as this is the first time we are installing Windows 8 and not repairing the existing installation of our Windows
6 ) Now on the next screen it will ask you to punch in your product key so type in " DNJXJ-7XBW8-2378T-X22TX-BKG7J " as its a genuine key from Microsoft for Windows 8 Consumer Preview and not any pirated one then click next
7 ) It will show the license terms for Windows 8 just check I accept box and click next
8 ) Now you need to select the type of installation you want if you wish to upgrade your existing installation lets say Windows 7 select upgrade option else select custom to double boot or multiboot your computer with other OS including Windows 8
9 ) It will show you the drive options select the partition where you wish to install the Windows 8 and click next as shown below
10 ) It will pop up a warning message that Windows might create additional partitions for system files as shown in the image simply click ok
11 ) Now you can see it divided the partition in two parts one is the system reserved as type System and other one as Primary.Just highlight the primary one and click next
12 ) Incase you wish to differently partition your hard drive just highlight the partition that you need to modify or extend and click drive options as shown below.It will also help you in solving the error " Windows is unable to find a system volume that meets its criteria for installation ".Just select the drive where you are trying to install Windows and facing error then click on drive options>>delete the partition >>highlight the unallocated space and click new>>you may also try to format
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927520
13 ) Once you click next setup will start copying files,relax for sometime and have a Coffee
14 ) Then it will show you that it needs to restart you computer
15 ) After restart you will see getting devices ready screen
16 ) Now you will see the personalize screen where you need to select the background color and PC name then press enter
17 ) Next it will show the settings screen just press enter
18 ) Now comes the sign in screen where you have two options either to sign in using your email account ( this is a new feature in Windows 8 using which you can access your files and photos anywhere ) or you may sign in using a local account that we will create next,choice is completely yours simply press enter for the next screen
19 ) Here is the screen where you can sign in using you email address,just type it in and press enter
20 ) However I was facing issues at that time with internet so it showed me the local account creation screen.Create a local account for Windows 8 then press enter key
21 ) After that you will see the Preparing Windows screen
22 ) Then you will see finalizing your settings screen which is that we did till now
23 ) Next you will see the most amazing change in Windows 8 that is the START screen as there is no START button in Windows 8,yup you read it right no START button which is replaced by START screen itself
24 ) Click on the desktop icon to go there and next you will see your desktop with a fish,if I remember correctly in Windows 7 Preview release as well there was a fish with more faded background color as I was like whats that,even at the time of installation there was no option to select the background color but Windows 7 final release was an awesome looking Windows
25 ) Now you can customize your desktop as we do in Windows 7 by making a right click on the desktop and going to the options
26 ) Now you will notice that there is no start button at the bottom left for programs menu,logging off or shutting down your computer however when you will take your mouse cursor to the extreme bottom left a shortcut appears there to take you to the start screen as discussed above or you can simply press the Windows button anytime on your keyboard ( the key with four blocks printed on it,at bottom left corner of your keyboard ) to go to start screen
27 ) You can also make a right click on that area to see more options like Command Prompt,Task Manager,Search,Run etc as shown below
28 ) Now once you would be on the start screen make a right click at the bottom left to get the All apps menu option as shown below
29 ) Once you click on that will see apps on your computer like Calendar,Calculator,Notepad,Paint etc that we see in All Programs as if now
30 ) If you click on Desktop and go inside the Windows 8,open up your Task Manager and will be surprised to see the brief Task Manager in Windows 8
31 ) Now simply click on more details and you will be happy to see the advanced Task Manger in comparison to what we have now
32 ) Here is how the PC settings screen look in Windows 8
33 ) Now after exploring everything if you wish to shut down your computer and cant locate it dont panic or dont use Alt + F4 which works the same way,simply go to start screen and click on your user name at the top right then click on lock or sign out
34 ) This is how the locked screen appears in Windows 8
35 ) Once you press the enter key it will ask for your password to go inside the computer or you can simply click the power icon at bottom right to shut down the computer
36 ) If you turn on the high contrast option this is how Windows looks
37 ) Once you turn on the high contrast option start screen will look as shown below
After following all these steps your computer will be running Windows 8 and you can explore more about it.Isnt it easy to install Windows 8 on your own?If you think that you want to experiment more by installing other versions of Windows we have all the tutorial for you in a step-by-step guide way but its highly recommended that if you are new to all this installation stuff do this by using a virtualization software which means Windows inside Windows like the way you use any software on your existing Windows XP,vista or Windows 7
Click Here For The Step-by-Step Guide For Virtualization Software
Click Here For The Step-by-Step Guide Of Windows XP Installation
Click Here For The Step-by-Step Guide Of Windows Vista Installation
Click Here For The Step-by-Step Guide Of Windows 7 Installation
Dont forget to share your experience with us of installing Windows 8 as well.
But there are people who really want to know this so that they can save few dollars to spend somewhere else and this is not a tough job for a computer user specially when Microsoft has made things so simple.There are many who got their first computer with Windows 7 preinstalled and now love to try Windows 8.So here is the step by step guide how to do that.
1 ) If you are installing Windows for the first time on your own its highly recommended to install it as a guest OS using a virtualization software like Virtual Box here is the tutorial for that as its not recommended to mess your host Operating System.
2 ) If you have installed Windows earlier you must be aware of that you need to set the boot priority in your BIOS that you can access using either ESC,F1,F10 or Del key depending upon your BIOS manufacturer that would show up on the screen once you start your machine like press F10 to enter BIOS or setup.If this is your first time then I already informed you what you need to do in virtual machine.Incase you wish to install Windows 8 using a USB flash drive or pendrive just follow the guide here after making your first boot device as USB in your BIOS if it supports the same.
3 ) Now lets start with the installation assuming you have set the boot priority as optical drive if installing on a test computer.Incase you are installing as a guest OS then the tutorial of the Virtual Box software informs you how to use the ISO file that you downloaded here
4 ) Once you boot your machine using the Windows 8 files you would see the screen as shown below,simply select your language and keyboard input then click on next
5 ) On the new screen just click the install now button as this is the first time we are installing Windows 8 and not repairing the existing installation of our Windows
6 ) Now on the next screen it will ask you to punch in your product key so type in " DNJXJ-7XBW8-2378T-X22TX-BKG7J " as its a genuine key from Microsoft for Windows 8 Consumer Preview and not any pirated one then click next
7 ) It will show the license terms for Windows 8 just check I accept box and click next
8 ) Now you need to select the type of installation you want if you wish to upgrade your existing installation lets say Windows 7 select upgrade option else select custom to double boot or multiboot your computer with other OS including Windows 8
9 ) It will show you the drive options select the partition where you wish to install the Windows 8 and click next as shown below
10 ) It will pop up a warning message that Windows might create additional partitions for system files as shown in the image simply click ok
11 ) Now you can see it divided the partition in two parts one is the system reserved as type System and other one as Primary.Just highlight the primary one and click next
12 ) Incase you wish to differently partition your hard drive just highlight the partition that you need to modify or extend and click drive options as shown below.It will also help you in solving the error " Windows is unable to find a system volume that meets its criteria for installation ".Just select the drive where you are trying to install Windows and facing error then click on drive options>>delete the partition >>highlight the unallocated space and click new>>you may also try to format
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927520
13 ) Once you click next setup will start copying files,relax for sometime and have a Coffee
14 ) Then it will show you that it needs to restart you computer
15 ) After restart you will see getting devices ready screen
16 ) Now you will see the personalize screen where you need to select the background color and PC name then press enter
17 ) Next it will show the settings screen just press enter
18 ) Now comes the sign in screen where you have two options either to sign in using your email account ( this is a new feature in Windows 8 using which you can access your files and photos anywhere ) or you may sign in using a local account that we will create next,choice is completely yours simply press enter for the next screen
19 ) Here is the screen where you can sign in using you email address,just type it in and press enter
20 ) However I was facing issues at that time with internet so it showed me the local account creation screen.Create a local account for Windows 8 then press enter key
21 ) After that you will see the Preparing Windows screen
22 ) Then you will see finalizing your settings screen which is that we did till now
23 ) Next you will see the most amazing change in Windows 8 that is the START screen as there is no START button in Windows 8,yup you read it right no START button which is replaced by START screen itself
24 ) Click on the desktop icon to go there and next you will see your desktop with a fish,if I remember correctly in Windows 7 Preview release as well there was a fish with more faded background color as I was like whats that,even at the time of installation there was no option to select the background color but Windows 7 final release was an awesome looking Windows
25 ) Now you can customize your desktop as we do in Windows 7 by making a right click on the desktop and going to the options
26 ) Now you will notice that there is no start button at the bottom left for programs menu,logging off or shutting down your computer however when you will take your mouse cursor to the extreme bottom left a shortcut appears there to take you to the start screen as discussed above or you can simply press the Windows button anytime on your keyboard ( the key with four blocks printed on it,at bottom left corner of your keyboard ) to go to start screen
27 ) You can also make a right click on that area to see more options like Command Prompt,Task Manager,Search,Run etc as shown below
28 ) Now once you would be on the start screen make a right click at the bottom left to get the All apps menu option as shown below
29 ) Once you click on that will see apps on your computer like Calendar,Calculator,Notepad,Paint etc that we see in All Programs as if now
30 ) If you click on Desktop and go inside the Windows 8,open up your Task Manager and will be surprised to see the brief Task Manager in Windows 8
31 ) Now simply click on more details and you will be happy to see the advanced Task Manger in comparison to what we have now
32 ) Here is how the PC settings screen look in Windows 8
33 ) Now after exploring everything if you wish to shut down your computer and cant locate it dont panic or dont use Alt + F4 which works the same way,simply go to start screen and click on your user name at the top right then click on lock or sign out
34 ) This is how the locked screen appears in Windows 8
35 ) Once you press the enter key it will ask for your password to go inside the computer or you can simply click the power icon at bottom right to shut down the computer
36 ) If you turn on the high contrast option this is how Windows looks
37 ) Once you turn on the high contrast option start screen will look as shown below
After following all these steps your computer will be running Windows 8 and you can explore more about it.Isnt it easy to install Windows 8 on your own?If you think that you want to experiment more by installing other versions of Windows we have all the tutorial for you in a step-by-step guide way but its highly recommended that if you are new to all this installation stuff do this by using a virtualization software which means Windows inside Windows like the way you use any software on your existing Windows XP,vista or Windows 7
Click Here For The Step-by-Step Guide For Virtualization Software
Click Here For The Step-by-Step Guide Of Windows XP Installation
Click Here For The Step-by-Step Guide Of Windows Vista Installation
Click Here For The Step-by-Step Guide Of Windows 7 Installation
Dont forget to share your experience with us of installing Windows 8 as well.
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