Windows 8 for free!

Not long until Windows 8 is officially launched but if you are excited about Windows 8 and want to try it now, or want to test some of your existing application for compatibility, then this post will give you a simple a free way to trial this software.

This will be achieved by installing VMware Player onto your existing computer, which will allow you to install a totally segregated copy of Windows 8. This will not impact on your existing operating system and can be simply deleted when you are done.

Please note, that you will need to assign some resources to the new virtual operating system, and this can affect the performance of the host computer, when both are running. However, when the Virtual Operating System is switched off, these resources will be available to the host machine again.

The version of Windows 8 is a release preview, so is for test purposes only, we wouldn't recommend using this for a mission critical purpose. As a release preview, the final release may differ from this version.

Step 1. Download a copy of the Microsoft Windows 8 release preview (.iso file)
https://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/download

Save this to a location that you will be able to find later on such as the desktop.

Step 2. Install VMware Player
https://www.vmware.com/products/player/

Step 3. Point VMware player to the Windows 8 .iso file and then confirm the resources available to the new O/S. Remember, any resources that you give to the virtual machine will be taken from the host machine, so give as much as you can, but not too much. You can alter this later.

Step 4. Set things running and enjoy Windows 8!

posted by Howard