{"id":426,"date":"2012-02-28T21:08:40","date_gmt":"2012-02-29T02:08:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/techwalls.com\/?p=426"},"modified":"2019-08-02T10:51:20","modified_gmt":"2019-08-02T14:51:20","slug":"install-dual-boot-microsoft-windows-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.techwalls.com\/install-dual-boot-microsoft-windows-8\/","title":{"rendered":"Install and Dual-Boot Windows 8 with Windows 7\/Vista"},"content":{"rendered":"

The technology world was buzzing about the Windows 8<\/strong> for months and Microsoft has revealed it more clearly during its launch event. We all were impressed with a smart tile-based UI and robust developer options of the new OS. Undoubtedly, this is a complete overhaul of Windows 7 and will gain Microsoft’s position on the OS market of both computer and mobile devices. Android and OS also need to be careful as Windows 8 will be a strong competitor in mobile OS.<\/p>\n

If you want to experience the great new features of Windows 8, I will show you a quick way to install and dual-boot it with older platforms like Windows 7, Vista or XP. Although Windows 8 is a powerful OS, it is amazing that its system requirements are quite low and it is runnable on almost computers. However, you possibly can’t take advantages of touch input if you don’t own a screen supporting multi-touch. Other requirements are 1 GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor, 1 GB RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit), 16 GB available hard disk space for 32-bit or 20 GB for 64-bit version, DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver.<\/p>\n

Now, let’s get started by following these steps to install Windows 8 along with your current OS:<\/p>\n

1. Download Necessary Files<\/h2>\n

– If you are using Windows XP, you need to download and install Microsoft Image Mastering API V2<\/em> and .NET Framework 2.0 Service Pack 2<\/a> first.<\/p>\n

– Download Windows 8 Pro<\/a> 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64).<\/p>\n

– Download and install Windows 7 USB\/DVD download tool.<\/p>\n

– If you have just one partition, create a new partition to install Windows 8.<\/p>\n

2. Create Bootable Windows 8 USB<\/h2>\n

– Run the Windows 7 USB\/DVD Download Tool.<\/p>\n

– In step 1, browse to the ISO file of Windows 8 you downloaded earlier.<\/p>\n

– In step 2, choose USB Device<\/em>.<\/p>\n

– In step 3, insert your USB and choose it in the list. Click on Begin Copying<\/em>.<\/p>\n

– In step 4, the process will start and just wait for it to complete.<\/p>\n

\"create-boot-usb\"<\/p>\n

– Restart your computer.<\/p>\n

3. Install Windows 8<\/h2>\n

– Change the BIOS boot order so that your USB device is listed first. Save and exit.<\/p>\n

– Now your computer will boot from your USB and start installing Windows.<\/p>\n

– In the first step, click on Install Now<\/em>\u00a0on the Windows Setup<\/em> screen.<\/p>\n

\"window-8-setup\"<\/p>\n

– Enter product key to activate Windows on the next screen.<\/p>\n

– There will be 2 options to install, Upgrade and Custom. As we want to run dual-boot, we will choose Custom: Install Windows only (Advanced)<\/em>.<\/p>\n

– Subsequently, choose the partition you want to install Windows 8, it must be different from the partition containing your current Windows. Click Next<\/em> to start installing.<\/p>\n

– Wait for the installation process to complete, it will restart your computer. Now you can remove your USB device.<\/p>\n

– Finally, there will be some simple steps to personalize your user account and settings.<\/p>\n

– Now, each time rebooting your computer, you will see the following boot menu to choose between your last Windows version and Windows 8.<\/p>\n

\"Windows_8_dual-boot_menu\"<\/p>\n

If you don’t want to make Windows 8 the default OS, click on the text Change Defaults or Choose Other Options<\/em> at the bottom and choose Choose the Default Operating System<\/em>. Then, set your Windows 7 or Windows Vista as the default OS. Next time you boot, the boot menu will show up in a few seconds for you to choose, so you can switch to Windows 8 anytime.<\/p>\n

All done. Have fun with the Windows 8 and let me know your experience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The technology world was buzzing about the Windows 8 for months and Microsoft has revealed it more clearly during its launch event. We all were impressed with a smart tile-based UI and robust developer options of the new OS. Undoubtedly, this is a complete overhaul of Windows 7 and will gain Microsoft’s position on the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":429,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1146],"tags":[156,8,154,155],"class_list":{"0":"post-426","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-guide","8":"tag-microsoft","9":"tag-technology-news","10":"tag-windows","11":"tag-windows-8","12":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nInstall and Dual-Boot Windows 8 with Windows 7\/Vista<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you want to experience the great new features of Windows 8, the guide will help you install and dual-boot it with older OS like Windows 7, Vista or XP.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.techwalls.com\/install-dual-boot-microsoft-windows-8\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Tuan Do\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.techwalls.com\/install-dual-boot-microsoft-windows-8\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.techwalls.com\/install-dual-boot-microsoft-windows-8\/\",\"name\":\"Install and Dual-Boot Windows 8 with Windows 7\/Vista\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.techwalls.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.techwalls.com\/install-dual-boot-microsoft-windows-8\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.techwalls.com\/install-dual-boot-microsoft-windows-8\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.techwalls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/windows-8-setup-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2012-02-29T02:08:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-08-02T14:51:20+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.techwalls.com\/#\/schema\/person\/8e0374331f6dab83e97eb683907dca90\"},\"description\":\"If you want to experience the great new features of Windows 8, the guide will help you install and dual-boot it with older OS like Windows 7, Vista or XP.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.techwalls.com\/install-dual-boot-microsoft-windows-8\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.techwalls.com\/install-dual-boot-microsoft-windows-8\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.techwalls.com\/install-dual-boot-microsoft-windows-8\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.techwalls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/windows-8-setup-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.techwalls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/windows-8-setup-1.jpg\",\"width\":400,\"height\":300,\"caption\":\"windows-8-setup\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.techwalls.com\/install-dual-boot-microsoft-windows-8\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.techwalls.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Tech Guide\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.techwalls.com\/guide\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Install and Dual-Boot Windows 8 with Windows 7\/Vista\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.techwalls.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.techwalls.com\/\",\"name\":\"TechWalls\",\"description\":\"Technology News | Gadget Reviews | Tutorials\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.techwalls.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.techwalls.com\/#\/schema\/person\/8e0374331f6dab83e97eb683907dca90\",\"name\":\"Tuan Do\",\"description\":\"I am the founder and editor of TechWalls technology blog. 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