Windows 8 Consumer Preview: Dual Boot with Windows 7
As with previous Windows versions, it's possible with Windows 8 to configure your PC with two or more operating systems, choosing between them via a boot menu of some kind. And this configuration, typically called a dual-boot or multi-boot configuration, comes with just a few gotchas to consider ahead of time.
March 21, 2012
As with previous Windows versions, it's possible with Windows 8 to configure your PC with two or more operating systems, choosing between them via a boot menu of some kind. And this configuration, typically called a dual-boot or multi-boot configuration, comes with just a few gotchas to consider ahead of time.
First, when possible, you should always install the oldest operating system first and the newest OS last. That's because most Windows versions change the boot loader in some ways, and while newer versions understand the older versions, the reverse is not true. Yes, it is technically possible in most cases to mix and match, but installing from oldest to newest is the simplest, and most seamless.
Second, be sure to prepare your PC for the second OS before trying to install it. This entails preparing the disk, if necessary, by partitioning it to accommodate the new OS. You often won't be able to do this from within Setup, especially if both OSes will sit on the same physical disk (but in different partitions).
OK, let's set up dual boot. In this example, I'll assume you have a Windows 7-based PC with a single hard disk, and you would like to add the Windows 8 Consumer Preview to it.
Add a partition for Windows 8
Since Windows 7 is up and running already, you will next need to partition the disk. This is done with the Disk Management utility. The easiest way to find it is to open the Start menu, type disk part, and the tap Enter. This utility will resemble the following:
You will see a Disk 0 with a C: drive that represents your Windows 7 install as well as a system reserved area. To add Windows 8, you will need to shrink that C: drive, which will create empty space at the end of the disk. Then you will create a new simple volume (i.e. a partition) from that space, and later install Windows 8 to that volume.
So the next step is to right-click the C: drive from within Disk Management and choose Shrink Volume from the pop-up menu. After a bit of futzing, you'll be shown a window like the one here: