Microsoft took the veil off Windows 8 officially this
Tuesday along also seeded the first Developer
Preview to public and gained massive attraction.
While many have installed them on their spare
computers, what if you donÕt have one? Today weÕre
showing you how to run Windows 8 and mostly all its
features from within your current operating system.
In order to be up and running, all youÕll need is a free
tool known as VirtualBox, which allows many
operating systems to be installed as guests from
within your main (host) system. YouÕll also need the
Windows 8 Developer Preview. Once youÕre ready,
just follow the steps below.
Step 1: Launch VirtualBox and click on the "New"
button to create a new virtual machine. YouÕll be
asked to enter your new virtual machineÕs name; just
give it any name you wish. As for the operating
system, you should select "Windows 7", as shown
below.
Step 2: YouÕll now be asked to choose how much
physical RAM youÕd like to attribute to Windows 8.
Typically, 1 GB is the ideal amount. You can go over
it if you have the resources, just make sure you
select nothing below 1 GB.
Step 3: YouÕll now have to create a virtual hard
drive: this is a file where the operating system will
be installed. Just follow the on-screen instructions,
but remember to choose a size equal toor above 20
GB, as shown below:
Step 4: Your virtual machine should have now been
created, now youÕre all set to run it. The first time the
virtual machine is started, a first-run wizard will
appear: simply select your Windows 8 image file
when asked, click "Continue" and wait for the
installation to begin.
Step 5: Once the installer has fully booted up, simply
select your language settings and follow the standard
installation process. Since it is similar to that of
Windows 7, we wonÕt go over into much detail here.
Step 6: Once the installation is finished and your
virtual machine reboots, you should be faced with
Windows 8?s first run wizard. Just select your
settings as you see fit, until you see Windows 8?s
Start screen.
Keep in mind that although the screenshots above
depict Windows 8 running on a Mac, the process is
the same for all operating systems, as long as
VirtualBox supports them.
Enjoy Windows 8!
