Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET Don't have a dedicated PC on which to install Windows 8? Just install the OS virtually on an existing PC using a free virtual machine utility. Various VM applications will let you install an operating system in a virtual environment on your Windows desktop or laptop. But not all are free and not all support the latest Windows 8 beta. A product such as supports Windows 8 but costs $200. Microsoft's own is free but won't accept Windows 8 as a guest. Instead, you can use Oracle's VirtualBox or VMWare's VMWare Player 4.0.

Both are free and both support Windows 8. To get started, you'll first want to download the Windows 8 beta, aka Consumer Preview, as an ISO file. You can download Windows 8 from. After selecting the Visit site button, click the button to Get it Now and then choose the option to 'download Windows 8 Consumer Preview in ISO format instead.' You can download the ISO file as either a 32-bit or 64-bit version. Both VirtualBox and VMWare Player support 64-bit Windows as a guest.

Find technical resources, x86 and x64.iso downloads, support, and community forums to help you explore the Windows 8.1 client OS for your organization. Jul 20, 2016 Download Microsoft.NET Framework 4.6.2 (Offline Installer) for Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows 10 November Update, Windows Server 2008 R2.

Note the Windows 8 serial number as well. Installing Windows 8 using VirtualBox You can download Oracle VirtualBox from. Install the downloaded exe file.

After installation, open the folder for Oracle VM VirtualBox from the Start Menu Programs area and click the shortcut of the same name. In the VirtualBox software, click the New icon on the program's toolbar.

From there, just follow the steps to create a new Virtual Machine. Free Video Editor No Watermark Download. Type Windows 8 as the name for the virtual machine. VirtualBox will automatically set the version as Windows 8. Left Behind Eternal Forces Patch.

Set aside a reasonable amount of memory. You'll need 1 GB at a minimum but 2 GB or more is better if you can spare it. Choose the option to create a new virtual disk. Select VDI as the file type. You can set the virtual disk to expand dynamically in size. Otherwise, choosing a fixed disk size should help Windows 8 run faster.

If you opt for a fixed disk, 20 GB is the minimum. But if you plan to install any apps, you'll want to set it higher, maybe 30 GB or 40 GB.

Finally, select the option to create your virtual disk. VirtualBox will take a few minutes to set up the disk. You'll then see the Windows 8 virtual disk listed. Click the Start button to power it on. Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET The First Run Wizard will open to help you install the OS as a virtual machine. In the Select Installation Media screen, click the folder icon at the right of the Media Source drop-down field. Navigate to and select the Windows 8 ISO file that you downloaded.