[michaelnzl]

"It almost goes without saying, but installing an app like Steam on Windows 7 doesn’t mean that you’ll be able to run it through Windows 8—they're two separate worlds. You’d have to install Steam on Windows 8 as well, duplicating your efforts on a single drive. "

You only have to install Steam it once. Just run the exe from windows 8, i've done it and it works fine.

[VirtualQuinn]

Quote

Thank you for your article. I am planning a dual boot installation with Win 7 on the existing hard drive and Win 8 on a new SSD. I have not yet installed the SSD but don't expect any real problems. I also have the OEM version of Win 8. I have read numerous stories on the inet about installing Win 8 in a dual boot configuration but none actually explain how the dual boot screen gets activated. To do the install, I will boot from the Win 8 DVD and proceed with a custom install which will allow me to choose a partition. But I want to direct the installation to the SSD. Does the installer provide for this option? Once the installation is complete, all of the articles magically show the dual boot screen. How does the Win 8 know that I have Win 7 already installed on another drive? Thanks, Ed

Ed,
The dual boot screen gets activated automaticly once you have successfully installed your OS. When it comes to Windows OS' it is possible to boot to more than two from the same machine as well. It is important to remember however that you will need a seperate partition for each. I recommend a seperate physical HDD per OS although this is not necessary. Just remember to install the older system first I have done this from windows XP to Vista to 7 to 8 and am able to select any of the 4 at boot up. All that you will need to do when installing Win8 on your new SSD card is click on custom install and select the drive number which corresponds to the new drive. In the event that it does not show up in the list PM me on twitter @VirtualQuinn you will need to use disk managment in Windows 7 to format the SSD.

[max999]

The best way to install Windows 8 is on a spare PC or on another hard drive with your main hard drive unplugged. In other words not on your dependable PC you are using now.

After using the Windows 8 previews (DP, CP & RP) for a year now on a spare PC I will not be using it on my main PC. I would recommend staying with Windows 7 and hope M$ comes to its senses with Windows 9.

[celticpspirit77]

Quote

Thank you for your article. I am planning a dual boot installation with Win 7 on the existing hard drive and Win 8 on a new SSD. I have not yet installed the SSD but don't expect any real problems. I also have the OEM version of Win 8. I have read numerous stories on the inet about installing Win 8 in a dual boot configuration but none actually explain how the dual boot screen gets activated. To do the install, I will boot from the Win 8 DVD and proceed with a custom install which will allow me to choose a partition. But I want to direct the installation to the SSD. Does the installer provide for this option? Once the installation is complete, all of the articles magically show the dual boot screen. How does the Win 8 know that I have Win 7 already installed on another drive? Thanks, Ed

I did the dual boot, but I used 2 regular hard drives. When I did my install of Windows 8 Pro, I installed it on the 500GB hard drive I had. After all was said and done, when the boot screen comes up....it shows a Windows 8 screen (blue background) and you can use your mouse to choose (Windows 8 will show first of course) the operating system you want to start. Now the only thing I know mine does when I choose Windows 7, it sort reboots again (I think to load the BIOS for Windows 7- could be wrong on that) and then Windows 7 comes up.

[sdlmd]

Maybe Microsoft has given up on everyone over 30 (over 20? over 14?) but I'm sure most of their customers -- and almost all of their business customers -- use desktop computers or laptops sitting on their physical desks, don't want to mess with gestures and swiping, and don't see any reason to upgrade. And despite ads calling it "sleek" and "modern," Metro, or whatever the hell it's called this week, is just butt ugly. It looks like a cross between a two-year-old's set of wooden blocks and a beta of Tetris from 1986. Just dumb! Most people have their computers start up to a photo they like to look at, not a bunch of stupid colored rectangles.

I just hurried out and bought the last Win7 laptop at my Office Depot -- even got a $150 discount, but would have paid extra. If SP1 comes with the option to start to a screen that actually looks like a computer screen, and not a toy for the developmentally challenged, I might upgrade.

[brainout]

toph36, on 11 December 2012 - 07:49 AM, said:

Quote

80% of users report installation and use problems when installing Win8 over Win7 or Vista or XP...

I love when people throw out numbers with no basis in reality. Where did you even come up with 80%, because it is Windows 8? Surprised you didn't go with 88%! Get over it.

I would only do an upgrade over Windows 7, and only if it is very new machine. Otherwise, do a fresh install. I did a fresh install on a Vista PC and plan on doing a dual boot with an 18 month old Windows 7 PC. I will need some time to re-install some programs and make sure they are working properly. The only question that I need to figure out is how to remove Windows 7, when the time comes to go 100% with Windows 8? Can simply delete the partition that Windows 7 is running on?

Since you obviously didn't read much, here's a link where the users themselves -- 3000 comments and reviews, 80% of which report glitches -- can be read: read the video description for the links.

I never make a claim absent homework, and had already provided the link support in other comments.

[brainout]

amark, on 11 December 2012 - 07:05 AM, said:

I've had zero problems dual booting Win 8 on two different machines.

And to "brainout" above... Win 8 is faster than 7. It's bound to be safer also.
Things are getting better, yeah...I'm not a fan of the charms on a desktop.
But the OS is pretty smooth and fast.

lol...and to the Ubuntu guy above. I find it difficult to believe you've installed so many distros on a bunch of peoples machines and they love it and have had no problems. I've installed many OS's over the years, Ubuntu always ended in heartache....but the disk is useful for recovering data, I'll give it that.

Bound to be safer? Faster? ANY NEW INSTALLATION is faster. Don't make stupid comments like that. As for safer, why then was the first week of the OS, seeing not only a security update, but the IE browser was in peril?

It's not safer, it's not faster, it's just DIFFERENT. And it's not a difference people used to real computing, will like. It's not a difference businesses will adopt. It slits the throat of the established clientele in favor of going after the twenty-somethings who grew up on Apple in schools. Period.

[brainout]

sdlmd, on 13 December 2012 - 11:12 AM, said:

Maybe Microsoft has given up on everyone over 30 (over 20? over 14?) but I'm sure most of their customers -- and almost all of their business customers -- use desktop computers or laptops sitting on their physical desks, don't want to mess with gestures and swiping, and don't see any reason to upgrade. And despite ads calling it "sleek" and "modern," Metro, or whatever the hell it's called this week, is just butt ugly. It looks like a cross between a two-year-old's set of wooden blocks and a beta of Tetris from 1986. Just dumb! Most people have their computers start up to a photo they like to look at, not a bunch of stupid colored rectangles.

I just hurried out and bought the last Win7 laptop at my Office Depot -- even got a $150 discount, but would have paid extra. If SP1 comes with the option to start to a screen that actually looks like a computer screen, and not a toy for the developmentally challenged, I might upgrade.

Yeah, I panicked as you did, end October. Turns out though, that you can DESIGN your own Win7 laptop at Dell and other places online. Just go to Dell and click on 'laptops', notice the configuration choices on the left. Pick what you want -- including operating system, choice of Win8, Win7, BSD and Linux -- and then at right the machines which can support your choices, will appear.

There are also many Win7 machines on sale at Amazon. Win8 machines are few. So that tells me two things: 1) Win8 isn't deemed popular by the vendors, and 2) they have a lot of leftover Win7 inventory. So that means good deals are still to be had, on Win7. I'm also visiting dellauction again (where I got my last Win7 machine), to see if I can get a used Win7 laptop and another one of no OS for experimentation with Win8. No hurry, though: there are usually dozens of them up for auction in any week. I got my Win7 machine for only $225.

[MacNewton]

Quote

I like Windows 8 for my touchscreen tablet. I like Windows 7 for my development desktop. Luckily, I can use either or both on each of these machines because Microsoft, unlike some of their competitors, offers choice. The world does not have to be binary.

Microsoft, unlike some of their competitors, offers choice. " it's my way or the highway" . Said Steve Ballmer after he released windows 8

[MacNewton]

Here's an interesting observation, Dell and some of the other PC manufacturers no longer feature Windows 8 in their advertising. It's almost as if they're embarrassed about the whole situation. Why is that?