Answer: There are 3 versions of Windows 8 currently available to try. In order of release, with the product keys, they are:

Windows 8 Developer Preview

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Windows 8 Consumer Preview

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Windows 8 Release Preview

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To install Windows 8, you will usually have the following options at your disposal:

A fresh install

Dual-booting with Windows 7 or some other OS

An upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 8 (Not recommended)

Trying out Windows 8 on a virtual machine

Before you begin, make sure your PC meets the minimum requirements laid down by Microsoft. These are not set in stone and you can install Windows 8 on PCs which do not meet these requirements, but your experience may not be as fluid on such a system.

System requirements

The minimum system requirements are as follows:

Windows 8 x86 (32-bit version)

1GHz Processor

1GB RAM

16GB storage space

DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

Windows 8 x86_64 (64-bit version)

1GHz Processor

2GB RAM

20GB storage space

DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

Initial setup

Make sure you take a backup of all your important data before you begin. There is very little chance of something going wrong but if it does, you should be prepared.

For whichever installation method you choose, you must have the minimum storage space ( 16GB or 20GB as specified above) available for your Windows 8 installation.

Keep all your drivers handy, especially if you are installing Windows 8 on a laptop or PC which requires proprietary drivers. At the very least, keep a copy of your LAN and/or Wi-Fi drivers depending on how you access the Internet.

Installation media

Windows 8 is available as a Web installer or an ISO from here.

The Consumer Preview has been bundled with our June issue DVD and the Release Preview has been bundled with the July issue.

Creating a Windows 8 USB/DVD installer

Download the Windows 8 ISO.

Download the Windows 7 USB/DVD tool from here.

Install the Windows 7 USB/DVD tool using default options.

Run the program.

Hit “Browse”, navigate to your Windows 8 (or Windows 7) iso file and select it.

Insert a USB drive (at least 4GB) or a blank DVD.

Hit “Next”.

Select “USB device” or “DVD” depending on what method of installation you want.