How to Dual Boot Windows 8 on Windows 7

One of the major obstacles to move to Windows 8 is that Windows 7 is so good. For keyboard and mouse users, Windows 8 is not an upgrade very convincing.

But what if you want to try out Windows 8? What if you want to take the Metro Start screen for a spin? (Who knows, maybe you’ll like it.) What if you want to give Windows 8 a try?

Back up your current system

It is always a good practice when you are tweaking an OS. The risk of data loss is generally quite low, but you do not disappear the files from the only time that you have not saved. Make sure you save a copy of your entire hard drive in addition to your regular backups.

Create a new partition on your hard drive

You will now need to shrink your system volume to make space for a Windows 8 partition. Go to the Control Panel, then open Administrative Tools, Computer Management, Disk Management. Right-click the drive on which you wish to install Windows 8, then select Shrink volume. You should now enter an amount by which you wish to shrink the volume – at least 30-50GB.

Obtain your copy of Windows 8

A good place to start is with the Update Wizard Windows 8, which will scan your PC for compatibility before committing to buy the new OS. It also gives you the opportunity to buy directly download Windows 8, and the ability to create a bootable USB drive or DVD from which you can install to create.

Install Windows 8

After creating the new partition, it's time for the easy part: Installing Windows 8 on the new partition. Insert your installer DVD you burned or the USB stick you prepared, and restart your PC.

Windows starts to install automatically. When you're choosing installation type, be sure to select Custom (advanced).

Be careful here. Choosing the wrong partition could mean wiping your other Windows installation altogether, so make sure you pick the new partition created for Windows 8 installation in the first step. Choose it to continue.

Make Windows 7 the default (Optional)

Your system will restart in Windows 8, you can go through the usual options premiere of choosing a color pattern, WiFi, and Microsoft live setup. The next time you reboot the system, see this Windows 8 multi-boot menu before the operating system starts:

By default, this screen is displayed for 30 seconds, then launches Windows 8. To change this default to your previous operating system, select "Modify the default settings or other options" at the bottom of the multi-boot screen. Here you can change the value of the timer and the default boot operating system. You can also use the troubleshooting tools such as restoration or renovation of your PC, and you can also access advanced options such as system recovery and prompt.

 Now you have dual booted Windows 7 and Windows 8 successfully!