Easily Install Windows 8 via VM on Windows 7

Installing Windows 8 on a Virtual Machine with VirtualBox

We're going to create a virtual hard disk and use the file type virtual disk image again. The storage we're going to use is dynamic allocated, meaning that if more space is required, it will automatically allocate the same amount. However, if you prefer a fixed size, you can opt for that as well.

Next, we'll allocate about 20 GB of space for this Windows 8 CP. This will give us enough room to install and run the operating system without any issues. The virtual machine will then create a new virtual hard disk with the specified amount of space.

Now that we have created the virtual machine, we need to install the operating system on it. We'll start by hitting the "Start" option. This will bring up a friendly Wizard that will guide us through the installation process. In the "Media" section, we'll select the ISO file that we downloaded earlier. This is the Windows 8 customer preview that we'll be using to install our virtual machine.

After selecting the ISO file, we'll hit the "Next" button and then click on the "Start" button. The virtual box will then start installing Windows 8 in our virtual machine. This process may take some time, depending on the speed of your computer. If you're installing from a DVD drive, it will take longer.

As the installation progresses, we'll be presented with various options and choices that we need to make. In this case, we'll select the "Custom Install" option and choose the 20 GB of space that we allocated earlier. We'll then hit the "Next" button to proceed.

The installation process is almost complete, and now we need to enter the serial key for Windows 8. If you're using a BIOS with virtualization capabilities, be sure to select this option. Otherwise, select the "Key" option to proceed.

Once we've entered our serial key, we'll choose the language and location options. In this case, we'll stick with the default settings. We'll then hit the "Next" button to begin the installation process again.

The final step in the installation process is to set up Windows 8 on our virtual machine. We'll give it a name, select an account type (in this case, using an existing Microsoft account), and then click "Finish". The setup process should take only a few minutes, depending on your computer's speed.

Now that Windows 8 has been installed on our virtual machine, we can start exploring the operating system. We'll begin with the Metro interface, which is the default interface for Windows 8. As you can see, it's working as expected, and if we click on the desktop icon, we're back in the desktop environment.

Our virtual machine is now fully functional, and we can use it to test out Windows 8 without affecting our main operating system. To shut down the virtual machine, simply right-click on it and select "Shut Off". We can also tweak some settings if we'd like, such as increasing the number of processors or adjusting the memory allocation.

To start the virtual machine again, simply click on the VirtualBox shortcut and select the Windows 8 option. The virtual machine should now boot up, allowing us to continue using it as we would any other operating system. If we no longer need the virtual machine, we can delete it at any time by right-clicking on it and selecting "Delete".