Upgrading from Windows 7 or Windows Vista to Windows 8 is not easy for some PC users. Windows 8 features a whole new user interface that may take a little getting used to at first. If you're still on the fence about upgrading to Windows 8, it's possible to test it out on your Windows 7 or Windows Vista PC using a dual boot installation. The dual boot installation lets you get hands-on experience with Windows 8 without upgrading your Windows 7 operating system. Your Windows 7 OS will remain the same, you will just be given the option to run Windows 8 when booting up your PC. This dual boot installation only works on computers running Windows 7 or Windows Vista and not for any other operating system. Here's how to perform a Windows 8 dual boot installation in three easy steps. A tutorial video is also featured at the end of this guide.
STEP 1: Backup your system:
Before anything you should back up all of your important documents. This dual boot process won't cause you to lose any files, but it's better to be safe. You can back up your docs, photos and videos using the built-in Windows 7 backup feature.
STEP 2: Create a Partition:
To create a partition, click the Start button and then type "diskmgmt.msc" in the search area. The Disk Management utility will display a list of all of your drives. The drive with Windows 7 installed should be marked as Boot or System. When you find it, right click and select "Shrink Volume" from the menu. A pop-up will appear on the screen that says "Querying Shrink Space". It will take a while, so be patient and let it do what it needs to do.
Another message will appear to let you know how many megabytes MB of free space can be squeezed out of the drive. The minimum installation requirement for Windows 8 64-bit is 20GB so between 25GB to 50GB would be the ideal size to enter.
You need to enter an amount that is at least 16GB for the 32-bit version of Windows 8 and more than 20GB for the 64-bit version. Once you've entered an amount, hit the Shrink button.
Once the volume is finished shrinking, an "Unallocated" region will appear, right click on it and select New Simple Volume. Here you can click through the dialog windows and name the new volume "Windows 8" or whatever name you'd like. Leave all of the other settings alone and let the new partition format, which will take a short while.
STEP 3: Windows 8 Installation:
You may want to install a full version of Windows 8 or the 90-day trial. You can choose between the 32-bit and 64-bit version. You will need to have this on a DVD or USB stick.
You can use Windows 7's built-in disc image burning utility to make an installer DVD or create a bootable USB key using the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool. Once you're done, insert the DVD or USB into the correct slot and reboot your computer and start the installation process.
Please note that you must boot to the upgrade disk or USB drive (You may have to change the boot priority of the DVD/USB drive which can be done in the BIOS). For instructions for getting to the BIOS, check out this helpful guide here.
Once you reboot your PC, select "Choose your language", then "Install Now" and enter the product key. When given the option, choose Custom Install (not Upgrade) and when you're given the choice of partitions/volumes, select the Windows 8 partition (or whatever you named it) that you created earlier. Be sure you are selecting the correct partition/volume and then click Next.
Let the Windows 8 installer run, it will reboot once or twice before you see the multi-boot menu that will let you select which OS to load. If you don't choose which OS to load, by default, Windows 8 will load after 30 seconds. You can change the default OS back to Windows 7 under the selection "Change defaults or choose other options" located at the bottom of the screen.
