Windows 8, the upcoming Win7 Successor by Microsoft has already been leaked out on the internet. Milestone Builds 7850 is available on various sites and torrent sites such as Betaarchive and the infamous PirateBay. Microsoft has officially released the developer preview for Windows 8. You can find direct HTTP Windows 8 download links on this page.

When you’ve got hold of it, here’s a tutorial on how you can install it on a Virtual Machine.

Installing VM Virtual Box

Download and Install VM Virtual Box with the link given below:

(Mac, Linux and Solaris users, download it here.)

Before we start, open Settings and ensure that the following are checked:

• System Tab: Enable IO APIC
• Processor Tab: Enable PAE/NX
• Acceleration Tab: Enable VT-x/AMD-V and Nested Paging

Creating a New Virtual Machine to Install Windows 8

Launch it and Click on New. Click on Next at the first screen.

2nd screen (VM Name and OS Type)

Type on a name, like “Windows 8”. In OS Type, choose Operating System as “Microsoft Windows” and in Version – “Other”. Hit next.

3rd Screen (Memory)

Select the amount of RAM you’d like to be allocated for your virtual machine. I chose 50% of my RAM for a smooth performance.

4th Screen (Virtual Hard Disk)

Tick “Boot Hard Disk” and choose “Create a new hard disk”. Clicking on Next will bring on a new wizard to create a virtual hard disk. Click Next at 1st screen.

In 2nd screen, select “Dynamically expanding storage” as the Storage Type. Hit next and then select the size of the virtual drive. Select at-least 15-20GB. Click Next and then Finish.

Final Screen

You’ll get a summary of your options. Click on Finish.

Installing Windows 8 on the Machine

Select the Virtual Machine that you’ve just created and hit the Start button. You’ll be welcomed by a First Run Wizard. Hit Next. Now Browse the Windows 8 .iso File (screenshot below)

Click Next and Finish the Process. Congrats You’ve done it! Windows 8 will install (will take a while) and then you are ready to play with it. This is how your Windows 8 should look like:

The Metro UI is a huge leap from the traditional user interfaces which Microsoft had been following. But personally I believe it’s true power might only be seen on a tablet. Oh and yes, Windows 8 RTM won’t be released before 2012. So you still have to wait for many months.

Now that you have installed Windows 8, You would be interested in checking out our article on Comprehensive List of Shortcuts for Windows 8 [Keyboard + Mouse]