Windows 8 – MSSQLTREK

Windows 8……….!! IMHO, this is one of the best products(with respect to client OS’es) from Microsoft so far. Being in Pre-development phase, it is showing stunning performance. As already shared in my previous post, I Installed Windows8 with Dual boot Option. Let me tell you something, Once i select Windows8 from the Boot Screen, all it takes is 2 seconds(Yes, I repeat…It’s 2 Seconds) to get into Logon Screen. Once i enter my password, I’m welcomed with windows8 Metro screen in another 1-2 seconds. Believe me guys….It’s blazing blazinggg….Fast!!!

You can see, the Brand New Metro Style Look of Windows8 in the below screenshot.

If you want the old Windows 7 look(Standard Desktop), all you have to do is Click the Desktop App(You can see in 2nd row from bottom in the above Screenshot)and you will be right there. You can switch between Apps just with our typical key board shortcut(Alt+Tab or Window+tab) or just place your mouse anywhere on the left corner of your screen, you’ll see a small window popped out for switching between Apps.

It got IE 10(Internet Explorer 10), which is again wayyyyyyyyyyyyy better than the current IE8/9 in terms of speed and refresh rate(s). See the below Screenshot for Brand new Metro Style Control Panel.

Personally, am Very much impressed with brand new Task Manager(It has a blend of multiple Sysinternal Tools all at a single place!!) Let’s take detailed look at Windows Task Manager now. See the various Screenshots of Tabs available within Windows8 TaskManager below….

If you click on Launch Resource Monitor in the above Screenshot, You’ll be getting the below.

Look at the details which it is presenting in Memory and Network Activity…..!!(Basically Very Similar to Win7, but with rich graphics)

You can see the Disk Read/Write activity at file level and Process level at a single glance 🙂

In the above Screenshot you can see the resource consumption history! Tadaaaaa!!!!!

The Services tab gets a feel of running actual “Services.msc” with Icons and PIDS!

Let’s switch gears now!

See how Windows8 shows the File Copy progress in the below screenshot. I captured the Screenshot when i was copying a video file from my external Hard Disk.

Huhuuuuuuuuu!!

The Bottom Line is “I’m Loving Windows8 Experience!!!” Kudos Microsoft! Keep up the good work:)

Hey……!All excited to let you guys know that at laaaaast I was able to Install Windows 8 in my Laptop 🙂 Huhuuuuuuuu. Thought of sharing my experiences with getting this done!

How to Install Windows8 with Dual Boot Option?

Before jumping into actual content, let me tell you guys difficulties I had when i was trying to Install on Virtual Machine(s).

My Laptop Hardware Specs(in brief):

Windows 7 X64, Intel CPU with No VT(Virtualization Technology), Harddrive which already had 4 partitions which is the maximum limit for mine 😦

Initially, I thought of Installing Windows 8 on a Virtual Machine. I started with VMware WorkStation(Version 7.x) which i was continuously getting BSOD(Blue Screen of Death) no matter what options I tweak while installing Windows8.

I gave up and tried downloading Oracle Virtual Box. Annoyingly I was not getting BSOD but, all kinds of other CPU related Errors :(. I Guess this is because my CPU doesn’t support Virtualization Technology. PS, even if your CPU supports VT, it will be disabled by Default in most of the laptops and you’ve to manually enable that feature from BIOS Settings.

If you are using Intel CPU, to identify whether your CPU is VT compatible or not, you can make use of “Intel Processor Identification Utility“. Or you can use one of my favorite tool called CPUZ. CPUZ is vendor independent. See the below Screenshot of Intel’s Util.

Basically I lost hopes on Installing Windows 8 on a virtual machine and i had to Install on my Laptop. Here we’ve two Options

1. Overwriting Windows 7( which I don’t recommend)

2. Installing Windows8 on a separate partition with Dual boot Option(in other words, you will be having both Windows 7 and Windows8; you’ll be given an option to choose either OS while you boot your machine.

Let’s see what I did to make this happen!

Step1:

Created a separate partition from Disk Management(named it as Win8). How to create a new partition in Windows?Right Click on My Computer – >Manage->Disk Management. Right Click on Shrink Volume and choose the required Size in the next screen and click on “SHRINK” button. It will create un-allocated space. Now Right Click on “Un allocated Space” and select “create a Simple Volume” and Choose NTFS as File System,Choose Quick Format, Choose a Drive letter, Name the Volume and You can leave the rest to defaults. You can see below Screenshot in my laptop.

As you can see I took the above Screenshot from Windows8:)

Step2:

You’ve to download Windows 8 ISO file(Windows is providing X86 and X64 versions). Choose accordingly.

Step3:

Download Windows7 USB DVD Download Tool, for creating a bootable USB or DVD from the above ISO. How to create a Bootable USB Device? You can simply follow the below Screen shots once you are done with Installing the tool.

I’ve inserted a USB drive instead of a DVD. PS your USB device will be formatted.

Step4:

We are all set with pre-requisites! Now, Plug in your USB Stick and Restart your Computer and change your Boot Priority to USB(or DVD) device first, or You can choose Select Boot Device Option(If you’ve it) when you restart your Computer.

Step5:

Once you boot your machine via USB or DVD which you prepared in the above steps, You’ll be welcomed with the brand new Windows 8 Installation Center. Here you’ve to choose your Language, TimeZone and Keyboard Settings as shown below.

In the Next Screen, You’ll be seeing two Options a) Upgrade b) Custom(Advanced). Since we are doing Dual boot, you’ve to select option b(Custom). Now you’ve to select the Partition(not the C Drive) which we’ve created earlier and decided to dedicate to Windows8 and hit next.

That’s it…..You are all set:) Your Installation will be done with couple of Next Next Buttons! It’ll ask for few personalization settings at the end of setup. If you see any errors, in the last step, probably your ISO file is corrupted, you’ve to download a fresh copy from scratch.

From next time On….you’ll be welcomed with two Options(Windows Vista/7 and Windows8) to choose each time you reboot your machine!

I’m having lot of Fun playing with Windows 8. Try it yourself and feel the difference 🙂