Introduction
Looking to take Windows 8 out for a spin without ditching Windows 7 right away? If so, you have a whole bunch of options for finding Microsoft's new OS a home on your desk—temporary or otherwise. But some are a whole lot cheaper than others.
First, there's the really expensive way: You can buy a brand new computer with the latest flavor of Windows already installed. But unless you actually need a new PC, that's unrealistic and unnecessary. And given that reviews on the new OS are mixed, if you don't like 8, you'd be stuck with it.
Second, you can buy Microsoft's Windows 8 upgrade, either the Pro edition or the regular (non-Pro) edition. Okay—but in that case, where do you install it? If you happen to have an extra PC that's sitting idle, and you're willing to upgrade it to Windows 8, great. But that assumes the hardware is robust enough to run the OS, and that you'd be happy with that computer as your main-squeeze PC if you do decide to adopt Windows 8 as your everyday OS.
Then there's a third way: You can set up Windows 8 in a virtual environment under Windows 7. Free products such as VMWare Player and Oracle VM VirtualBox let you create virtual machines to run any operating system within your current version of Windows. That's a fair compromise, but virtual machines can be slow, especially if you don’t have enough memory. If you want to get a real feeling for how Windows 8 will work and feel on your current PC, there's a better way.
So, then, how can you install Windows 8 without actually upgrading and overwriting Windows 7? Never fear, the dual-boot option is here.
Under a dual-boot scenario, you can run both versions of Windows on separate hard drive partitions on the same computer. Your Windows 7 installation stays safe and sound in its own partition; you just borrow some of its host drive's free space to create a new partition in which to install Windows 8. The only requirement is that you have enough disk space to house both versions, which shouldn’t be difficult given the roomy hard drives found in most computers these days.
Once both versions of Windows are up and running, you choose which one to launch each time you boot up your PC. You can also select one version as the default so it automatically loads after a certain amount of time unless you manually intervene. Both partitions can also appear side by side in either version of Windows, letting you access documents and other files stored in one partition from the other.
Best of all, a dual-boot option lets you audition the cool new features—as well as the quirks—of Windows 8 while still maintaining Windows 7 for your regular work tasks and PC gaming. Doing that will give you the necessary time to test-drive Windows 8 and see if it’s what you want to use, before deciding if you want to pull the plug on Windows 7. Unlike a straight-up OS upgrade, the dual-boot can be a no-commitment install.
Setting up a dual-boot environment isn’t difficult, but you'll want to follow the steps outlined in this article to make sure the process goes off without a hitch. Here's how to pull it off.
TERMS OF USE
ComputerShopper may earn affiliate commissions from shopping links included on this page. To find out more, read our complete Terms of Service.
No comments:
Post a Comment