Have you ever had questions about how to install Windows 8 on a laptop? Among the vast majority of users, this modification, unlike its predecessor (Windows 7) and later development in the form of the tenth version, is not particularly popular. This is partly due to the fact that it is a kind of intermediate link between the “seven” and the “ten”, which can be seen even from the interface, which also contains the translucent panels inherited from Windows 7 and the Metro style design. Despite this, the "eight" looks good on laptops with screens that support touchscreen technology. In addition, on almost all Microsoft Surface tablet PCs equipped with ARM processors, the eighth modification is presented as a special version of RT.
Where to download the Windows 8 installation distribution kit?
But let's assume that you need to install Windows 8 on an HP laptop or laptop of any other manufacturer. By and large, the system installation process will be the same in all cases, and the difference can only be in the ways of calling the primary BIOS / UEFI systems, where some settings will need to be made.
In order to install Windows 8 on a Lenovo laptop or on any other computer device, of course, you will have to get hold of the distribution package somewhere in the form of an image file that will be written to removable media. Where to get it? Hand on heart, it’s worth mentioning right away that it is not advisable to download it from an official resource, if only because of a rather high cost, which is considered to be completely unjustified. Therefore, you have to look for him, so to speak, "on the side." This solution has its advantages in the sense that some custom builds and repacks contain distributions with fixed bugs, which, unfortunately, are full in the G8 (as well as in any other modification).
Also, such kits can be supplemented with some software products or updates integrated directly into the installer, which will save you from long waiting in the process of installing them in an already running OS. On the Internet, you can also find recommendations for using the "native" utility from the MCT developer, but you should not follow these tips, since today this program is more focused on installing the tenth version.
System requirements
Speaking about how to install Windows 8 on a Lenovo laptop or a model from another manufacturer, you should separately pay attention to the system requirements for your computer device. So, for a 32-bit system, your laptop should be equipped with a 2-core processor, 1 GB of RAM, and free space on your hard drive should be at least 16 GB. In the case of the 64-bit modification, it will require already 2 GB of RAM and about 20 GB of unallocated disk space. It is especially worth noting that the installation of a system with a capacity of 64 bits will have to be done in the GPT partition, since the G8 is no longer working with MBR (it will be possible to create a partition with the desired style right at the system installation stage).
How to install Windows 8 on a laptop: creating bootable media
Now we assume that you downloaded the distribution package as an image file. It's time to tackle bootable media. Using optical disks does not look relevant, so it’s better and easier to burn the image to the most ordinary flash drive, the volume of which should be at least 4 GB. But how to create bootable media itself, so that the flash drive is perceived by the primary system as a boot device?
In order not to engage in unnecessary actions, the easiest way to perform such an operation in the program Rufus. All required parameters after selecting a recording image will be set automatically.
Primary boot priority settings
The next step is one of the most important. You need to set the flash drive first to boot into the primary system. For example, if we are talking about how to install Windows 8 on an ASUS laptop, you must use the F2 key to enter the BIOS, but Dell laptops use the F12 key for this, other function keys and their combinations can be used on other models with the keys Fn, Ctrl, Esc, Del or buttons specially displayed on the main panel (as, for example, in the case of Sony VAIO).
The bottom line is to find the boot partition in the settings of the primary system (usually it is Boot, Boot Sequence, Boot Device Priority) and expose your flash drive first to start).
Note: The USB flash drive must be inserted into the USB port before turning on the laptop. If the boot from it does not start, and on your laptop the primary system is not the BIOS, but the updated UEFI shell, the flash drive can appear as two devices, one of which can be labeled “EFI”. In this case, you need to choose it.
Installing Windows 8 on a laptop
After recognizing the bootloader present on the flash drive, a message appears on the screen asking you to press any key to start the download from the selected medium. Click, and after that the installer's start window appears. Now we pass directly to how to install “Windows 8 & raquo ;. Installing this version of the system is practically no different from installing any other.
First, you need to select the language and region, and then click the continue and installation buttons.
Now attention! If you downloaded the most complete distribution, you can choose the modification that you need, otherwise you will need to agree to the license agreement, and then, if the appropriate window appears, enter the activation code.
In principle, this step (if you have an unofficial release) can be skipped.
Next, you need to select the partition to install.
If you have a new disk with an unallocated area, you will need to create it using the corresponding button, and then format it.
In the case of an OS already on board, the main partition can either be left unchanged, but formatted, or completely deleted. In case of errors, in order not to convert the partition styles, you can interrupt the installation, and select the media that has the usual name without the “EFI” label to boot into the BIOS. Then simply confirm the start of copying the files and wait for the installation to finish, at which an automatic restart will follow.
System Activation Issues
Finally, speaking about how to install “Windows 8” on a laptop, you should separately dwell on the issues of system activation, because on the “Desktop” you will constantly see a watermark, and Windows itself will not only be limited functionally, but may also restart itself yourself at the most inopportune moment. For such purposes, you must download the activator program. Best suited for this are KMSpico and KMSAuto Net. The first utility can be installed as a stationary version, but for both programs you can find portable versions, the use of which is more preferable.
In the program you just need to select the activation of Windows and wait for the process to complete. Please note that in the case of portable modifications, activator files cannot be deleted, since they will be used for re-reactivation every ten days. In addition, so that the antivirus does not respond to them, it is better to immediately add them to the exclusion list, and also set the Read-Only attribute in the file properties.
Epilogue
That, in fact, is all about the installation of Windows 8. As can be seen from all of the above, special difficulties in the installation process should not arise. As two main results, we can distinguish only the difference in the methods of entering the primary system on laptops from different manufacturers, as well as the correct choice of actions with the section in which the operating system will be installed. If the above method does not resolve the installation error, you can try to convert the MBR partition to GPT and vice versa. But this is a separate conversation.