Many people might not have:
1. A DVD player/writer in their system.
2. A DVD player/writer that can handle large format required for the .iso file that contains the developer tools, which requires a large capacity DVD called a DVD-9. A normal DVD is not large enough to hold the version with the developer tools
included.
3. A blank large capacity DVD called a DVD-9.
These instructions will allow you to install any version of the Windows 8 developer preview located here, without the need of using any DVD player/writer or DVD:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/br229516
1. You will first need to shrink your current drive and add a partition, if you wish to use the same hard drive that for example already has Win7 on it or other Windows OS versions, if you are going to use another drive please skip these steps
that deal with creating a partition on the same drive and go to step 2:
Using the Start button, from Windows 7, please enter in the search box: create and format
You will see an item listed called "Create and format hard disk partitions", click on it. A window will open, select the drive that you wish to take space away from, to create a new partition, right click on the selection and choose "Shrink Volume". It may
take some time before it comes back. When it does, IMHO, it's best to shrink the volume by between 35,000 and 50,000 meg which is 35-50 Gig.
Please make sure you have plenty of free space left, to do this, before doing it.
You will now, after some time have created a new empty partition, please note be very very careful to not confuse this new empty partition with any hidden receovery partition, that maybe already present, on the same hard drive.
Right click on the new partition space and choose to give it a simple layout and a drive letter, it will default to next available drive, but you can change that, if you wish, choose to also format as NTfs as well. Quick format will do.
After the new drive is created, using Windows Explorer open that same drive, using Windows Explorer and create a folder called Win8Install.
2. Decide which hard drive you wish to download the Windows 8 developer preview .iso file to and which version of the Windows 8 developer preview .iso file you wish to use. Because we are not going to use any DVD you can choose the larger one that
includes developer tools, if you are 64 bit based as well, from here:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/br229516
3. Once you have downlload the Windows 8 developer preview .iso file of your choice, to the hard drive of your choice, you now need to download the free trial version of Daemon Tools Pro Advanced, simply click the download button here:
http://www.daemon-tools.cc/eng/products/dtproAdv
Note: Choose the trial license when prompted during the installl process and uncheck any extra checkbox options or say no or not accept, during the install process for any other prompts like the Linkury Smartbar and MountSpace
and DT Gadget, minus any install driver prompt. Click Finish and Daemon Tools Pro Advanced should start.
If you are not using the same hard drive for the Win8 install, and you are using another drive, please create a folder on the drive that will contain the Windows 8 developer preview, now called "Win8Installl".
For those that did this already during the create a new partition on the same hard drive, you should have this folder created already.
4. Using the Daemon Tools Pro Advanced Main menu do:
File -> Add Images
Select the Windows 8 developer preview .iso file you decided to download. That Windows 8 developer preview .iso image will now be in the center as a sqaure box in the Daemon Tools Pro Advanced window, single left click on the image box of the Windows
8 developer preview .iso image and you will see that the "Mont" icon, in the menu, above, is no longer grey, but it is green. Single left click the Mount Icon. This will create a NEW virtual drive, with the next drive letter available.
Open the Virtual Drive letter, using Windows Explorer, and also a different Windows Explorer Window for your "Win8Installl" folder in another window, select
ALL the files and folders from the virtual drive, and drop/copy them into your "Win8Install" folder.
Once you have copied all the files and folders from the virtual drive to the "Win8Install" folder, using Windows Explorer, right click on the virtual drive letter that was created and do: Daemon Tools Pro -> Unmount image
The Virtual Drive should now be gone.
5. Now, from the "Win8Install" folder open the sources folder and click on Setup.exe
Do NOT click on the Setup.exe located in Win8Install\Setup.exe
click on the Setup.exe located in: Win8Install\sources\Setup.exe.
You will at some point be promted to choose a drive letter, where the Windows 8 developer preview install should be installed,
Do NOT choose the drive letter where your Window 7 Install is located.
Choose the drive letter you just created from the new partition or another hard drive.
There willl be several re-boots during the install process.
During the install process. and sometimes twice, you will see a screen that asks about changing the default boot operating system to boot from, do not use your mouse to get to that option, use your up down arrows and then use the enter key, once selected.
Don't panic if the up down arrow keys did not do anything the first time, if that hapens, it will display a second time, and you can choose Win7 vs. Win8 as your default boot operating system if you wish. Note: If it works the first time, meaning your down
up arrows selected the set default boot operating system, then you will not see it a second time, most likely, if you do, simply do what you did the first time.
After you have set the default boot operating system, choose the change other things and choose the shutdown option, to check the boot loader and make sure it is correct. Note: You may need to quickly select the Windows 8 developer preview vs. Win7 if you
made Win7 your default boot OS.
After the install is complete, you can delete the Windows 8 developer preview .iso file you downloaded as well as the "Win8Install" folder.
This allows you also to re-install OVER what you had installed, if you did not have the DVD hardware or special DVD required to store the large .iso that won't fit on a normal DVD and were forced to install the Windows 8 developer preview .iso file
that did NOT incude the developer tools . If you did this, your old version of Win8 during this install process, will be placed in a windold folder, and once the new install with the developer tools is installed over what you had and is working,
you can also delete that folder as well.
Any questions, please post them here.
Enjoy, TheUberOverLord AKA Don Kennedy
