It was anticipation that I eagerly awaited Windows 8 Consumer Preview (CP). After all, this is the latest and greatest from the folks out at Redmond, and might be a glimpse into the future.
Well, the bottom line is I got it up and running, but it was anything but easy. Those folks that are saying 30 minutes to install are not accurately portraying the average user's experience.
By way of background, I have personally owned and used:
Windows 95
Windows 98
Windows 98 Second Edition
Windows Millenium Edition
Windows XP Home
Windows XP Professional
Windows Vista Home
Windows 7 Home Edition
In most cases, these were home built machines that I installed the OS on. In other words, yes, I have put Windows onto a PC before. Yet, Windows 8 was still painful to install.
I first tried to download the ISO file. I tried using it as a Virtual install, but that did not work as there was some graphics card issue with the notebook. The notebook was set to 32-bit, yet it claimed it was only set to 24-bit and it was incompatible. Next I tried to install it via the .exe to a partition on the same notebook. You know, not the same partition that Win 7 was already on, and yet somehow it would not cooperate.
After hours of this nonsense, I tried to burn Win 8 CP to a DVD, but somehow it was not an ISO and just a data disc. Guess I have burned a disc in a while, and this was not working either.
At any rate, I then turned to a Win Vista notebook. Realizing that the Virtual install and the dual boot approach was too much, I went with the ol' fashioned but effective nuke my hard drive approach. This worked, but took over an hour to install.
Most users when they acquire Windows 8 will get it preinstalled on their new notebook. Seriously though, does it really have to be this hard?
Jonas
