Downloading the 2.5GB ISO image from Microsoft's website took me
about 20 minutes, although that time can extend based on your Internet
connection.
First up, a betta fish (because it's a beta, after all)
Now we move into the installation
about 20 minutes, although that time can extend based on your Internet
connection.
First up, a betta fish (because it's a beta, after all)
Now we move into the installation
process:
You'll have to enter a product key, of
You'll have to enter a product key, of
course. What would Windows be without
the Windows activation process? But instead of paying $200 for a license,
all you have to do is grab the product key
from the download page, as seen here:Next, you'll agree to the Windows license terms,
and select whether to do an upgrade or custom
installation. The latter lets you choose which hard
drive to use:If you've installed Windows before, this screen will
be quite familiar. This is the longest part of the
installation, but it only took five minutes or so. After installation, you'll see another betta fish, and
then you can start personalizing your computer
, starting with giving it a name and choosing a background color. Now it's time to select installation settings.If you select "custom," you'll go through options
for sharing and connecting to devices; whether to automatically download updates and new device
drivers; whether to send diagnostic information to Microsoft; whether to share information such as your name with applications; and whether to turn on the Windows Location Platform for location-based app settings. Here's an image of the settings for keeping
your computer up to date and safe from viruses:Now you can sign into the OS so that you can
download applications from the new Windows Store
and sync data across different computers. You'll be asked to enter a mobile phone number,
alternate e-mail address, and security question, so Microsoft can help you reset your password if you can't log in. After signing in, you'll finally be looking at Microsoft's brand-new Metro
interface for Windows 8:
There's lots of stuff you can do in the Metro interface, such as accessing the Windows
Store, and various applications such as Mail,
SkyDrive,
Photos, Internet Explorer, Xbox Live Games, and
more. But if
you find Microsoft's new tile-based setup
overwhelming, you can switch back to the
traditional desktop interface:And now you've seen the Windows 8 installation
process.