Updated on 9.11.12 It is no wonder that many people are still undecided or opposed to installing Windows 8 because it is a new and different operating system.
Although my advice remains to update Windows 7 and, above all, Windows XP (taking advantage of the discount for the purchase of 30 Euros by January 2013), I can understand that there are still doubts in changing the operating system.
Furthermore, as seen in the guide to download and install Windows 8, if you have Windows 7 you can keep all your programs and personal files without deleting anything.
In this guide instead we see how to keep Windows 8 and Windows 7 on the same computer, creating a new disk partition and using the boot mode with the choice of whether to use the new Windows 8 or Windows 7.
In technical terms, installing Windows 8 in dual boot is really simple even if there can be a problem (unconfirmed) for those who buy the update at a discounted price (until January 2013).
According to the Microsoft website, it would not be possible to install Windows 8 from scratch, even in dual boot, without buying the full version without discounts.
Also, unlike previous Windows versions, you cannot legally install Windows 8 unless you have a valid product key.
This means that there is no 30-day trial period, you have to activate the copy immediately, during installation.
Fortunately, in practice, you can use Windows 8 together with Windows 7 on the same PC
The only requirement for dual booting is a hard disk that has at least 20 Giga of free space .
Obviously, you must download Windows 8 from the Microsoft website and proceed step by step in this guide.
To get started, you need to create a second partition on the hard disk by telling the computer to consider the two partitions, the main and the new one, as if they were two different disks.
To learn more, read the article on how to create a partition on Windows also with other external programs.
2) Create the partition on Windows
From Windows 7, go to Start -> Run (or press the Windows-R keys) and type the command " diskmgmt.msc " in the run box.
The window that opens is that of disk management in Windows.
Now we need to partition drive C, the one where the main operating system is installed.
Select the disk to be partitioned, press the right mouse button and then click " Reduce Volume ".
When selecting the amount of space to be reduced, it must be considered that 1 GB is equal to 1024 MB, therefore it must be reduced by 20480 to reserve a space of 20 GB for Windows 8.
Once the reduction is complete, the Disk Manager shows this new space with the black color and the wording " Unallocated space ".
Right click on this empty disk section and format it by selecting the " New simple volume " item.
Following the wizard, let the whole 20 GB space be formatted, assign a letter leaving the proposed one and continue leaving the format to NTFS, with quick formatting and writing " Windows 8 " as a label.
At the end the Windows disk manager shows the new partition in blue color and you are ready to install Windows 8.
2) Installation
Follow the updated guide to download the Windows 8 ISO file and create the installation DVD or USB stick .
Insert the USB stick or DVD into the computer and restart the PC by entering the BIOS to change the boot order (on some computers you can also press F12 to enter the boot menu).
If you use the DVD, the wording " press a key to start from CD or DVD " should appear when the computer is turned on, while the Windows 8 installation program should start immediately from USB.
The wizard is in English but absolutely understandable and there are only three steps in which to press " Next ", Choice of language, time zone and keyboard (in this you can choose Italian), Accept the license and proceed with the installation Custom custom .
Also enter the product key obtained after purchase.
3) Compared to the normal installation on a virtual machine, at this point the most important screen appears, the one where you have to decide in which partition to install Windows 8 .
In this step, it is essential to choose the partition created in point 1 and not make the mistake of choosing the wrong partition, maybe the one where there is Windows 7, XP or Vista, otherwise you will lose all the data and you will end up with the computer empty.
4) Once the installation is complete, you can give a name to the PC, create the user account credentials with a name and password even without using the Windows Live ID and configure the initial settings.
Once logged in, you can restart your PC and notice a new screen for selecting the operating system of the Windows 8 bootloader (dual-boot).
By default, Windows 8 loads if you make no choice within 30 seconds.
To change this setting, you have to press the " change defaults " button at the bottom and from the options screen go to Change the default operating system and select Windows7 as the default system to start.
You can also set a time period other than 30 seconds, shortening it for faster ignition.
Now you can start trying the new system from your computer, going on the internet, playing with the Metro desktop, installing the drivers and so on (see article Getting started with Windows 8: desktops, windows and programs ).
If you want to manage dual boot, you can use the EasyBCD dual-boot manager program from which it is easy to manage the Windows 8 partitions and bootloader.
It is very important not to uninstall Windows 8 without using EasyBCD because if the bootloader is not changed, the computer will no longer turn on.
In case of errors, if the computer no longer turns on normally, try the Fix MBR tools to restore the startup of the computer.
