Windows 8 Install and Boot Settings

Here is a reference page covering all the important Windows 8 install and boot topics.

Windows 8 Install and Boot Topics

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Installing the Windows 8 Operating System

Once you have a bootable Windows 8 DVD, then power-on your machine with the DVD in its tray. Lookout for the screen which says: ‘Press any key to boot from CD or DVD’.

The installation method is very similar to previous Microsoft Windows operating systems. If anything Windows 8 continues the trend for ever easier installs.

One features is the Windows 8 install is the ability to adapts to different form factors, it recognises computers with our without keyboards and different screen widths, and reacts with different menus and settings. See more about Windows 8 install »

Boot Configuration Data (BCD)

In Windows 8 BCD (Boot configuration data) replaces Boot.ini. This is the modern way to control what happens after your computer starts.

Windows 8 BCDEdit Switches
To get more information about Windows 8 boot configuration research aditional switches by typing: bcdedit -? For example: BCDEdit -enum all -v See more about Windows 8 BCDEdit »

Installing Windows 8 in Hyper-V

If you want to get the Windows 8 Hyper-V working, first go to the Control Panel and Turn Windows Features on, check Hyper-V, then reboot.

The first job for a Virtual Machine manager is to create a virtual switch so that your guest can connect to other machines. The second job is to create a Windows 8 virtual machine from an .iso file. See more about Windows 8 Hyper-V »

Guy Recommends: A Free Trial of the Network Performance Monitor (NPM) v11.5

SolarWinds’ Orion performance monitor will help you discover what’s happening on your network. This utility will also guide you through troubleshooting; the dashboard will indicate whether the root cause is a broken link, faulty equipment or resource overload.

What I like best is the way NPM suggests solutions to network problems. Its also has the ability to monitor the health of individual VMware virtual machines. If you are interested in troubleshooting, and creating network maps, then I recommend that you try NPM now.

Download a free trial of Solarwinds’ Network Performance Monitor

Joining Windows 8 to a Domain

Just like its prececessors Windows 8 can join to an Active Directory domain. It seems to me that increased security makes joining a domain more difficult than with XP. See more about joining a Windows 8 domain »

Windows 8 Dual Booting

If you are looking to test-drive Windows 8 while keeping your present operating system, consider a dual boot installation. It’s pretty much mandatory to create a second partition. As you install the second operating system – Windows 8 – watch out for the custom option. See more about Windows 8 Dual Boot »

Creating a Bootable USB Drive

One neat feature is ‘Windows to Go’. Thanks to Microsoft’s USB/DVD download tool. You can create a bootable USB drive using an .ISO file. See more about ‘Windows 8 to Go’ »

Logon to Windows 8 with a Live ID Account

This is not only an alternative logon, it’s becoming the prefered method. The idea is that Windows 8 combines these Logon with the Windows Live ID service. See more about Windows 8’s Live ID »

Recreating a Windows 8 Image with Recimg

Here is a command-line program for your notebook: recimg. The purpose is to recreate an install.wim file, and then refresh your Windows 8 machine via the Control Panel . The setting to ‘Refresh your PC’ is in System, File History. See more about Windows 8’s Recimg »

Guy Recommends: SolarWinds’ Log & Event Management Tool

LEM will alert you to problems such as when a key application on a particular server is unavailable. It can also detect when services have stopped, or if there is a network latency problem. Perhaps this log and event management tool’s most interesting ability is to take corrective action, for example by restarting services, or isolating the source of a maleware attack.

Yet perhaps the killer reason why people use LEM is for its compliance capability, with a little help from you, it will ensure that your organization complies with industry standards such as CISP or FERPA. LEM is a really smart application that can make correlations between data in different logs, then use its built-in logic to take corrective action, to restart services, or thwart potential security breaches – give LEM a whirl.

Download your FREE trial of SolarWinds Log & Event Management tool.

Refresh Your PC Without Affecting Your Files

It’s frustrating when your Windows 8 operating system runs slowly. Perhaps the registry has become corrupted or some malware has infected key files. My favourite solution is to use the ‘Refresh’ in the Control panel, your files and personalization settings won’t change. See more about refreshing Windows 8 »

Windows 8 Remote Desktop

While it’s not part of the install proceedure, sooner or later remote desktop is useful for working with a second machine. The two most popular uses are for remoting back to your desk and for troubleshooting. See more about Windows 8’s Remote Desktop »

Windows 8 Uninstall

While downgrading from Windows 8 to a previous operating system, and uninstall is a challenge, with effor it is possible to return to your previous configuration. See how to develop your soft skills to uninstall Windows 8 »

How to Refresh a Windows 8 Computer

A Windows 8 refresh took less that 10 minutes, compared with 30 minutes for a clean install. Perhaps the biggest benefit was not having to restore my data files from backup.

See more on how to Refresh Windows 8 »

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Microsoft Windows 8 Index Topics

• Windows 8 Overview • Windows 8 Configuration Settings • Windows 8 Install Options

• Windows 8 Troubleshooting Advice • Windows 8 Registry Hacks • Engineers Tookit • Contact

• Windows 8 Group Policy Settings • Windows 8 PowerShell • SolarWinds Patch Manager Review

Windows 8 Install and Boot Settings