Install Windows 8 Developer Preview on VirtualBox

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If you would like to give your hands quick and dirty, and wish any kind of new OS will not become your primary OS, it’s always a good idea to give it a try on a Virtual Machine first if possible. Unfortunately, for this Developer Preview, which is just released today, the only solution that works is the Virtual Box. VMware Workstation maybe work as well but we haven’t tried, as it’s not a free solution. The reason might be because this Windows 8 version requires IO APIC enabled to run on VMs, and that only VirtualBox got this feature in the program. However, make sure you download the latest version of VirtualBox 4.1.2.

***UPDATE*** be sure to checkout the updated list of what’s working and what’s not working on Installing Windows 8 as Virtual Machine.

Let’s begin Install Windows 8 Developer Preview inside VirtualBox on Windows 7

Assuming you’ve already downloaded the Windows 8 Developer Preview ISO and installed VirtualBox on your machine.

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First fire up VirtualBox, Click “New”

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Now follow the Wizard, and Click “Next”

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Here you want to make sure select “Other Windows” as the Version

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Give it a 2GB of RAM (more if you wish)

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Select “Create new hard disk” and make sure “Start-up Disk” is checked

VDI thumb - Install Windows 8 Developer Preview on VirtualBox

And it’s always a good idea to select the native “VDI” format for VirtualBox

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It’s also a good idea to make the disk “Dynamically allocated”

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Give it enough hard drive space for your own needs, you can always change this number later

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Create the new Virtual Disk. And Go ahead power on the new VM. You will see the below Wizard after first power on.

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Click “next”

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It’s here make sure you select the Media Source to be the ISO image that you’ve just downloaded.

setup thumb - Install Windows 8 Developer Preview on VirtualBox

Now let the Windows 8 fly in the Virtual world.

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Very soon you will see this License term agreement. Accept whatever Microsoft wants you to accept,  at this point why even bother

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Here the first Windows Metro UI will let you set the machine name, give it a good name for this new Windows 8 baby

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And yeah, “Use express settings” at this point really, I don’t even know what to Customize

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Now this is new to Windows 8, every machine, every user will need to use Windows Live ID to log-in into the machine. This way your new Windows 8 is now tight together with the cloud, and will be the foundation for many of the future apps to work.

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Enter your live ID and password.

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And here you are ! It knows your name !

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And this is what you will see after the first login.

Enjoy discovering your new Windows 8.

Bonus: quick tip for starters, press the “Windows” key to launch and toggle the Metro UI.

[Update on Spet. 16, 2011]

Check this post for how to add additional screen resolution that is not listed in the virtual machine.

52 COMMENTS

  1. For a working LAN, in advanced configuration lan, put card typa : Ontel PRO /1000 MT Desktop.

    For the sound use windows direct sound and Intel Audio HD

    • your real device is Intel PRO /1000 MT Desktop? or it is the device emulated for the virtual box?

      i tried to put this device, but it won’t worked..

      my real device is Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller but it won’t work too

      have ant idea to it works?

      Thanks

  2. Thanks for this !
    The only problem I’m having is the drivers… For me Virtual Box doesn’t set up my Sound, Screen and Network in Windows Dev Preview (it’s the Windows basic drivers in Device Manager). How to make that work as you have ?

  3. Thanks for the guide! I don’t suppose you’ve figured out a way to install VirtualBox guest additions? I keep getting told that it doesn’t support this version of Windows.

  4. After the ‘Personalization’ step, I am getting a black screen – no display 🙁

    Tried changing the display settings with no luck…

  5. I had to explicitly enable the IO APIC setting before it would boot. Settings -> System, Extended Features – Enable IO APIC checkbox. I believe it’s the lack of this very feature that made Virtual PC 2007 not work and which drove me to VirtualBox.

  6. GUYS, TO FIX THE “This 64-bit application couldn’t load because your PC doesn’t have a 64-but processor.” ERROR… GO INTO YOUR BIOS AND LOOK FOR SOMETHING IN YOUR CPU SETTINGS CALLED EITHER “VIRTUALIZTION” OR “HARDWARE VIRTUALIZATION” AND ENABLE IT. THEN INSTALL WIN8 ON VIRTUALBOX NOT VMWARE…

    Sorry for caps, I had this problem too and took a sec to fix it. but that was the fix and i just want people to see it! lol.

  7. -SOLUTION TO NOT BOOTING-

    In VMware, open the settings for the virtual machine, go to system tab, motherboard, and change “CHIPSET” to ICH9, also enable IO APIC.

    Your welcome 😀 Worked like a charm

  8. Anybody knows how to set up a 16:9 or a 16:10 resolution? I´m running Windows 8 x86 and everything works fine but the resulution. I can only set it up on sqare sesolutions.

  9. i was getting same error then i changed CPU to 2 processors and it worked for me. try to delete it and create new then change to 2 processors.

    now i have different problem, i can’t click on tiles to open that app only some tiles work for some reason

  10. Hi I am installing Windows 8 developer 64 bith on i5 Windows 7 64 bit 4 GB RAm, everthing goes through when I hit Install Windows 8 after first screen I get drivers error and i get option to browse to select drivers but it does not search anything and I cannot install Windows 8

    • I am having exactly the same problem. I click install now and it brings up the installer windows and then an error message.

      Load Driver

      A required CD/DVD drive device driver is missing. If you have a driver floppy disk, CD, DVD, or USB flash drive, please insert it now.

      Note: If the windows installation media is in th CD/DVD drive, you can safely remove it for this step.

      PLEASE HELP!

  11. I’m getting the following error message:

    VT-x/AMD-V hardware acceleration has been enabled, but is not operational. Your 64-bit guest will fail to detect a 64-bit CPU and will not be able to boot.
    Please ensure that you have enabled VT-x/AMD-V properly in the BIOS of your host computer.

    What does this mean? How do I fix this? I have a 64-bit system with a i5-2410M processor, which supports VT-x.

  12. You nedd to choose
    OS Type: Operating System- Microsoft Windows and MOST important VERSION – Windows 7 64 bit. Then at least 1.8 GB memory and 50 GB HD.

    Check my blog gonna post some videos(three) parts running the entire instalation.

  13. You say 8 *MIGHT* work on VmWare’s pay-version.
    Then you say it can’t due to IO APIC.

    Then you say *NOTHING* about it working (or not working) on VmWare’s free version.

    Great “info”.

  14. i have a problem and this is error… [[ VT/AMD-V hhardware acceleration is not on your system. certain guests(e.g. OS/2 and QNX)require this feature and will fail to boot without it.]]]
    ….please someone help me how i can solve this problem

  15. Hi,

    Thanks for the
    information!!

     

    I am getting
    following error when I am starting the newly setup VirtualBox::

     

    “VT-x/AMD-V
    hardware acceleration is not available on your system. Certain guests (e.g.
    OS/2 and QNX) require this feature and will fail to boot without it.

     

    > System -> Acceleration tab is disabled in my
    machine.

     

    OS on my machine is
    Windows – 7 Ultimate (32 Bit)

     

    Thanks!!

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