BleepingComputer.com: windows 8 and windows 7

Hi all,

I downloaded windows developer preview today and thought I'll see how it looks and work ...
i have got it installed on a separated hdd from the default windows 7 that i usually use everything working fine it looks great, i like to keep it but off course i don't want to make it my default OS just yet...
so i like to duel boot windows 7 and windows 8 the problem I'm having is im not getting the "CHOOSE AN OPERATING SYSTEM SCREEN" after installing windows 8 like tutorials out there say... can anyone tell me why that happened please and would be great if anyone can direct me to a solution.... please let me know if ya need anymore info cheers

did you pick the ''custom install'' or the ''standard install'' plus did you pick the right bit 64 bit or 32 bit? all i know that i did custom install and it shows that for me

RoBBa79, on 10 December 2011 - 01:34 AM, said:

I have been thinking for some time about what you have done that is having two separate hard drives.
As far as i can ascertain it is not possible to dual boot from two hard drives but can easily be done by partitioning one hard drive into two parts and then you get the choice of system when booting
What i have done is to have two drives and change the wiring from one to the other to select the system that i want to use.
A bit of a fag,i know,but this the only way of doing it.No doubt somebody will come up with the software to switch from one drive to another when booting.
Anyway,from what i have seen of Windows 8 does not impress me.It is clearly designed for a tablet not a desktop.
If i wanted a tablet i would have an ipad which is miles ahead of anything Microsoft can produce.
Regards

I personally don't like Windows 8, I don't like the look and some of the features are horrible D:

server.exe, on 10 January 2012 - 02:51 PM, said:

Me too. I don't like windows 8. It's same the old system.

Install it care fully with reading all instructions.

Philip Brampton, on 03 January 2012 - 10:55 AM, said:

great i was thinking of giving w8 a go but after that comment i think not

thanx

This post has been edited by SubzeroSniper: 10 March 2012 - 06:49 AM

Well I forwarded the links for the Windows 8 Consumer preview to somebody I know and the feedback I got was it took a little getting used to but he and the wife now like it.

I suspect as with any shift in windows such as XP to Vista / Windows 7 a new to computers user will have a easier time of getting used to it.

Hi, Installed Win8 in VirtualBox, and it kind of works. The comment above that the OS is clearly for tablets seems right. The mouse locations seem really quirky, and the "Start" in Metro (?) tiles are not for computers, just tablets. I know this is just a Beta, but from this preview I think I'll be running Win7 on the desktop ande Ubuntu on the laptop for the next few years!

How to Dual-Boot Windows 7 and Windows 8 Side By Side


How to Dual-Boot Windows 7 and Windows 8 Side By Side The Windows 8 developer preview is out for all to try, but installing it over your main Windows setup is a scary (and unrealistic) prospect. Here's how to dual boot Windows 8 with your current Windows 7 installation so you can run them both side by side.

If you've ever dual booted a machine before, this shouldn't seem too foreign. All you need to do is create a new partition for Windows 8, install it on that partition, and then edit your new boot menu so Windows 7 stays the default OS. Here's how to do it.

Step One: Create a New Partition

How to Dual-Boot Windows 7 and Windows 8 Side By Side Before you start, make a backup of your data—you're going to be formatting drives and installing OSes, so anything could go wrong, and you don't want to lose your whole system. When you're ready, we'll need to create some space for Windows 8 on your hard drive. Assuming you have at least 20GB of space free on your drive, you're going to use Windows' Disk Management to set partition those 20GB for Windows 8. Open the Start Menu and right click on the "Computer" option. Click "Manage", and in the window that appears, click on "Disk Management" in the left sidebar.

Find your system hard disk in the graphical list that appears in the bottom pane. Right-click on it and then click "Shrink Volume". Shrink it down so you have at least 20GB of space left on the end of the drive, and click OK. Then, click on the "Unallocated" block of that drive that appears and click "New Simple Volume". Click Next on the next few windows until you get to the "Format Partition" window. Here, give it a volume label you'll recognize (like "Windows 8") and click Next. It should format the drive for you. Now you're all set to install Windows 8.

Step Two: Install Windows 8

If you haven't downloaded the Developer Preview ISO yet, head over to the Windows Developer Center and download it. Burn it onto a DVD using something like ImgBurn, or burn it to a thumb drive if you don't have a DVD drive in your machine. Make sure your computer is set to boot from CD or USB, stick in your installation media, and reboot.

How to Dual-Boot Windows 7 and Windows 8 Side By Side If you get a prompt to "Press any key to boot from DVD", then hit a key on your keyboard. You should boot right into the Windows 8 installer. It actually looks almost exactly like the Windows 7 installer, so it should seem a little familiar. Just pick your language, hit "Install Now", and choose "Custom" when asked what type of install you'd like to perform.

On the next screen, find your new partition on the list of drives. Make sure it's the right one, because you're about to write over whatever's on it. Hit "Next" and let the installer do its thing. When you're done, your computer should reboot into Windows 8. It'll probably reboot one more time after it does, then you'll be greeted with the Windows 8 Start screen. If you choose to enter a Windows Live ID here, make sure you have access to your email and can confirm your computer—otherwise it might not let you boot into it.

Step Three: Make Windows 7 the Default (Optional)

How to Dual-Boot Windows 7 and Windows 8 Side By Side You'll notice when you first boot up into Windows 8 that you're presented with a new graphical boot menu that'll let you choose between your Windows 7 and Windows 8 installations. Windows 8 will be the default, meaning if you don't manually choose Windows 7 from the menu, your computer will boot into Windows 8 after three seconds of inactivity. Chances are, you don't want to make Windows 8 the default quite yet, so here's how to make Windows 7 the default.

On the boot menu, click on the button at the bottom that says "Change Defaults or Choose Other Options", and hit "Choose the Default Operating System". From there, you can pick Windows 7 from the menu. From now on, your computer will boot into Windows 7 by default, but if you feel like playing around with Windows 8 that day, you can just pick it from the boot menu. Enjoy playing with the developer preview, and let us know what you think in the comments.

I have a simpler, to me anyway, method. Rather than take a chance on my main computers I have a old Gateway P4 3.0Ghz
with 2Gb memory and the side removed for tinkering with OSes.
I just unplug the Windows 7 Drive power cable and plug in the drive used for OS tinkering, Install the New OS on it and switch back and forth with the sata cables.

well...sounds like a piece of cake

This post has been edited by BrutalByte: 30 March 2012 - 04:24 AM

I Updated!!!

Thanks to sharing usefull informations.......

BrutalByte, on 30 March 2012 - 04:23 AM, said:

Bear in mind that the Gateway is also the computer I use for testing drives, IDE & SATA.
Right now I'm using it to test a drive from a friend of my brothers computer.
Then I'll scan it for viruses since it won't boot. I'm betting on many viruses since the drive as of right now is passing the diagnostic tests.