(You can download Windows 8 Consumer Preview here)
I wanted to test how the new Windows 8 Consumer Preview (beta) performs with VMware Workstation 8 (on Windows 7) and Hyper-V (on Windows Server 2008 R2). I use VMware on my laptop, and Hyper-V on our virtualization platforms. I’m planning to move towards Hyper-V 3.0 but the world isn’t quite ready yet, so VMware has been a nice solution for virtualizing the little I need to virtualize on the road (I normally run everything through the host OS).
This post will walk through the installation and basic configuration process of Windows 8 Consumer Preview with VMware Workstation 8.
I’m using the 64-bit version, in hopes of being able to run some 64-bit software for test purposes.
Installation on VMware Workstation 8
The boot screen reminds me of cubism:
Upon initial boot Windows 8 CP will complain about a missing ProductKey –setting in the unattend answer file. This is a known issue – to fix it, simply disconnect the floppy drive and/or set it to Use physical drive:
Installation follows the familiar pattern from Windows 7. First, select language, time and currency and keyboard layout:
Click Next and then click Install now:
Enter a license key: DNJXJ-7XBW8-2378T-X22TX-BKG7J
Accept EULA:
Nothing much I could upgrade, so choosing Custom Install:
Going with the defaults for the disk:
And we’re installing!
A quick reboot and I get to configure the few settings Windows 8 requires me to configure at this point. Computer name and background color first:
Let’s set some more settings. Selecting Customize just to see what’s underneath:
There’s Sharing, which I normally disable:
And a few more settings and properties:
And more:
And more:
Finally I get to sign in with my existing Live ID:
A nice addition – I can enter my mobile phone number as a security verification method for recovering my password:
And that’s it!
The colors, are, umm – fresh.
February 29, 2012 at 10:06 pm
Thanks for the walkthrough! I am also trying to install the 64-bit version on my Windows 7 x64 laptop with Workstation 8.0.2. However, once I get through the initial setup and reboot, the VM guest BSODs (it’s not really “blue” anymore though, is it?) with the error “DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION”.
I’m wondering what OS setting you used for the VM profile? I’m using “Other 64-bit” and I think that may have something to do with the behavior that I’m seeing.
February 29, 2012 at 10:55 pm
Hey cam,
I’m using the Windows 7 x64-profile in VMware profile. The reason is that it’s as close as it gets to Win8 x64, and VMware doesn’t probably know any better
.
Also, Easy Install goes in by default. Removing the floppy seems to get rid of that “useful” feature.
February 29, 2012 at 10:20 pm
Check that, you must have used a Windows OS type with the “easy install” feature if you’re employing the unattended answers file. I will try that method and see how it goes.
February 29, 2012 at 10:29 pm
Oh , damn thank you so much, working like a charm. Keep it up!!!!
March 1, 2012 at 1:30 am
Hi,
I’m trying to install Win8 Customer Preview 64bit on VMWare workstation 7.1.5, with no luck. All I get is a blue sceen as shown in the first picture (http://www.ivobeerens.nl/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/image16.png)
I have created VM with WIndows 7 x64 profile, running Core i7
What version of VmWare have you used to install this preview? What are the exact settings (processor, cores etc)
March 1, 2012 at 8:41 am
Hi Gustaff,
With Windows 8 Developer Preview, which was released in 2011, VMware Workstation 7.x didn’t work. I’m currently running VMware Workstation 8.0.2, and the latest update was available yesterday (probably earlier, I just haven’t used VMware in a week or so). So you need to upgrade from 7.x to 8.x in order to get Win 8 Consumer Preview to work.
As to the other settings: I’m using 2 cores (out of 8), 2 GB of memory and a 60 GB virtual hard drive. Everything else is default.
March 1, 2012 at 7:43 am
Yesterday i installed it as the upgrade ( normally i am the one who does not recommend anyone to update an OS , but re-install ) from the developers preview to the customer preview
Worked perfect, some installations on the developers preview were disappeared, like 3Dmark 11 , and some tools, but that is no issue, standing on the DATA HDD . Without the start button is strange, but the Metro desktop was already disabled in 8102 with some tweaking tools, after a quick look i disabled it again
At the moment i am installing x32 on my i5 notebook on VM ware 8 , till now it is installing like a charm
March 1, 2012 at 8:41 am
Hi Albert,
Great to hear that even upgrade works pretty smoothly! I’m always up for a full re-installation to clean everything but maybe I’ll give upgrade a try at some point
.
March 1, 2012 at 8:17 am
Thanks for posting this – this is the only page I’ve found with steps that actually work for the x64 download of the Windows 8 Consumer Preview!
March 1, 2012 at 10:38 am
Hmm here I can’t work around the “missing ProductKey” issue. By default my VMWare Workstation 8.0.2 (running on Linux CentOS6) *does* autodetect a physical drive (and there is none, it’s a laptop). I tried letting all other hardware settings as default or tune them to fit the 64bit needs (2 cores 2Go RAM as read on another blog) and follow the other instructions here but still no go.
March 1, 2012 at 1:14 pm
Hi Kukrapok,
Did you try disabling the autodetect of physical (floppy) drive? That was an issue for me, so I had to both unmount it and disable autodetect to get it past the missing ProductKey-error.
March 2, 2012 at 12:14 pm
Hey Jussi,
thanks for replying!
.
I can’t disable autodect of floppdy drive, since the other option is to tell VMWare where’s the floppy drive exactly, and.. I don’t have a floppy drive
March 2, 2012 at 9:37 pm
Hey Kukrapok,
What if you change boot order of the (virtual) boot devices, and set floppy to be the last one? See instructions here: http://www.marten-online.com/uncategorized/change-boot-sequence-in-vmware.html
March 3, 2012 at 8:01 am
I seem to be having an issue that no one else is reporting, or at least I can’t find anything on it. I get to the first windows setup screen, but I cannot click on anything. When I click, the mouse simply stops until I click outside of VMWare Workstation completely, at which point the cursor in the VM Window moves to the edge of the screen horizontal to where I clicked.
When I try to click on next, the button highlights, but that is it. Keyboard input also does not seem to work.
I believe this could be a more generic issue, but I don’t have this problem in any of my other VMs. Any recommendations, or has anyone else run into this?
March 8, 2012 at 1:05 am
For anyone that might come across this, I discovered the problem, and it turned out to be a third party tool, Synergy. I was using a beta copy that evidently interfered with input into the virtual machine. Shutting it off solved this.
Also, I was using version 1.4.5 64-bit. Updating to version 1.4.7 64-bit also solved this problem. From what I read, the 32-bit version of this program did not have the same effect, but I did not confirm this myself.
March 6, 2012 at 2:49 pm
Nice guide, thanks. And here’s a how to install Windows 8 in VMware Player if anyone’s interested.
http://www.dreevoo.com/en/content.php?id=587
May 19, 2012 at 4:26 am
Thanks for the run through. Works like a charm! Thank you Thank you (^_^)