In this post I will tell you the process of installing Windows 8 Latest build on VirtualBox to create a Windows 8 virtual machine. It can be quite handy to keep a virtual machine for Windows 8 since the raw Consumer Preview might still have bugs or functionality issues due to which it might not be a good idea to install it on a physical machine, unless you are dual booting it with Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP. For those who may be new to VirtualBox, it is a free software for installing virtual machines which can be run within a physical machine.
- First of all download the ISO image using the official or mirror download links given here.
- Then download the latest VirtualBox , for Windows, Linux, Mac OS X or Sun Solaris to install Windows 8.
- Now, follow the instruction given below to install Windows 8 on VirtualBox.
Once VirtualBox is installed on your computer, open it and select New button to create a new virtual machine and click Next on the new window that pops-up.
The select Windows 7 as the operating system. During the installation of the developer’s build the Windows 7 64-bit option seemed to be creating issues so select only “Windows 7” option (as highlighted below).
Now allocate RAM for the virtual machine. The minimum RAM requirement for Windows 8 is 1 GB but a virtual machine may not work with merely 1GB of RAM so allocate at least 2GB RAM. This means that your physical machine should have at least 3 GB RAM.
Leave the default “Create New Hard Disk” option enabled and click Next.
Leave the Virtual hard Disk to VDI (VirtualBox Disk image).
Select Fixed Size to create a virtual hard disk and click Next.
Now allocate disk space by moving the slider. The minimum hard disk space is 12-16 GB but 20GB is recommended as you might need additional space when more programs or Windows Updates are installed on the virtual machine. You can optionally change the location of the virtual hard disk from the folder icon button and select a different partition to save the virtual disk image file.
Now click Create to create a virtual hard disk. This will create a virtual hard disk of the allocated size. Once the disk is create click Create again to complete the wizard.
One your hard disk is created, click Settings to configure Virtual Machine Settings.
Go to System menu and enable IO APIC from Motherboard sub-tab (as shown below).
From the Processor tab, allocate at least 2 processors (provided your hardware can support them) for avoiding installation issues. I am using a Core i3 Laptop so allocating 2 processor still leaves me with 2 more for the physical machine as Corei3 has 2 physical and 2 virtual cores due to HT (Hyper Threading).
Now move to Storage menu, click Empty, followed by the CD icon and select the Windows 8 ISO image you downloaded earlier. Click OK to continue.
Click Start from left side of the main interface to begin installation. The rest of the installation process is quite simple, Windows 8 will automatically boot from the ISO images you selected in the above process and begin installation.
Just accept the Terms and Conditions and follow the installation wizard.
Once installation is complete, your desktop will start preparation for first logon.
Enjoy your Windows 8 Virtual machine and the Metro UI.
For more details, see this video regarding the process involved in installing Windows 8. How To Install Windows 8 (Product Key Included)
