Microsoft recently launched the preview version of Windows 8.1 which can be downloaded and installed either as an update to Windows 8 through Store or you may download the ISO files from Microsoft and install the Windows 8.1 through bootable media.
You can also dual-boot Windows 8.1 with Windows 8 if, you don’t prefer the Windows 8 to Windows 8.1 upgrade. So, if you are one of the people who tend to dual-boot Windows 8 RTM with Windows 8.1 so, that you can use both the Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 on the same PC then, you are at the right place.
First thing first:
It is recommended that you save the important data from your PC to some safe place because, it is better to have backup. Better safe than sorry!
Before proceeding further, there are some requirements which needs to be fulfilled before install the Windows 8.1 in dual-boot setup.
Requirements:
- You must already have the Windows 8 RTM installed on your PC before proceeding to install Windows 8.1
- You would need the Windows 8.1 ISO files which can be downloaded by going to this download links article.
- You would need a media like a USB of 4GB or above and/or DVD to boot Windows 8.1 from it
- You would need a software to make the media bootable and Windows 7 USB/DVD tool by Microsoft is best for you which can be downloaded from here.
Note: Don’t go with the name of Windows 7 USB/DVD tool since, it is fully compatible with Windows 8 and Windows 8.1.
- You would need at-least 20GB of free storage in your hard drive in a single partition
Now, when you have fulfilled the requirements, you may proceed to the instructions below.
Instructions:
- First of all, you need to create a separate partition of 20GB or above to install the Windows 8.1 Right click the ‘Computer’ icon on the desktop or in ‘Start Menu’ and select ‘Manage’.
- Your ‘Computer Management’ window would open. Here navigate to ‘Storage’ > ‘Disk Management’ from left column.
- In ‘Disk Management’ you will see the available partitions in the right column. Here all your hard drive partitions would be showed.
- Here you can shrink your one partition to make another. Simply right click the partition you want to shrink (e.g.having at-least 20GB free storage) and select ‘Shrink Volume’.
- A pop-up window would open. Here you can select the partition space for new one. You can enter the value in the third box e.g. 20480 for 20GB. You can convert GB to MB here.
Note: Don’t enter the value more than the space available in that partition.
- After entering the value of the new partition press ‘Shrink Volume’.
- After a couple of seconds, you would see a new partition in the ‘Disk Management’.
- We are done in the ‘Computer Management’. You can close it.
- Now, open up ‘Windows 7 USB/DVD Tool’ which I suppose you have already downloaded and installed.
Note: Windows might ask for your permission to let the program make changes to your PC. Press ‘Yes’.
- In the tool, you would be asked for the source ISO file. Here select the Windows 8.1 ISO file you downloaded earlier.
- Press ‘Next’ and you would be asked to choose the media type. Select a USB or DVD from the given options.
- In the next step, select the media letter e.g. ‘I‘ or ‘J‘ etc. from drop down menu.
- Press ‘Begin copying’ and your copying process will begin.
Note: If you are copying the files to USB then, you may be asked to format the drive and prompted that you will loose the files on USB. Give the permission.
- After few minutes, the copy process would complete. You can close ‘Windows 7 USB/DVD Tool’.
- Now, it’s time to install ‘Windows 8.1’. Restart your PC and don’t forget to plug in your USB or insert your DVD which we mounted earlier with Windows 8.1.
- On restart, you need to press a selective special key to boot from external media which can be different depending on your PC manufacturer. My HP desktop boots from external media by pressing the ‘F8’ key while Sony Vaio notebook boots from external media by pressing the F2 button.
Note: Booting from USB/DVD can be disabled in some PC’s by default but, you can enable it from bios menu. If you don’t know how to do that, please contact your hardware manufacturer.
- Once you have successfully booted from Windows 8.1 bootable media, you would be taken to the installation window.
- Just follow the on-screen instructions until, you reach the screen where you are prompted to choose hard drive partition for installation.
- Here select the partition which we made earlier.
Note: Double check the installation partition, just to be safe.
- When you have selected the partition simply press ‘Install’.
- Your installation would begin and after all the steps have been done, you PC would restart.
- This time, you shall see the Windows 8.1 Betta fish in the boot menu. Windows will install drivers and configure the PC.
- After configuration your PC will restart again and then, you would be asked to select the colors for Windows followed by other settings like Wi-Fi connection, user account and other settings..
- Now, follow the on-screen instructions and you would be showed the OOBE tutorial and then, the apps would be installed and your PC would get ready.
Note: Your PC might restart few times during the post-installation process of Windows 8.1
- Finally, in the last, you would be signed into the Windows 8.1 for the first time.
- That’s all.
Where is Windows 8?
You might be wondering where is your Windows 8 RTM installation which was already there on your PC. Don’t worry, its still there and running perfectly fine. Just restart your PC and you would be prompted to select the Windows version to run where Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 would both be there. You will always get this option while running Windows 8.1 or Windows 8.
Note: You will always see the Betta fish boot screen of Windows 8.1 first and then, you would be asked to select the OS to run. If, you select Windows 8.1 then, it will launch right away or on selecting the Windows 8 RTM, your PC will restart and then the Windows 8 boot screen would be showed followed by Windows 8 login
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