#Vmware player download windows 8 how to#
#Vmware player download windows 8 install#
#Vmware player download windows 8 drivers#
#Vmware player download windows 8 software#
#Vmware player download windows 8 trial#

Make sure you have at least 16 GB, for the 32-bit Windows 8.1, or 20 GB, for the 64-bit Windows 8.1, of free storage in the selected location - I recommend having more than 30 GB to avoid running out of space.

Type a new name under Virtual machine nameВ - preferably 'Windows 8.1'and,В under Location, select the location that you want to use for the virtual machine.

Select Microsoft WindowsВ under Guest operating system and Windows 8В under Version for the 32-bit variant or Windows 8 ењ†4В the 64-bit version.

#Vmware player download windows 8 install#

Select ' Installer disc image ( iso)'В and open the Windows 8.1 ISO using the Browse button.В Alternatively you can use the InstallerВ discВ option to install Windows 8.1 from a DVD.

Continue to the next step in the wizard.

Open VMware Workstation and select Create a New Virtual Machine.

#Vmware player download windows 8 how to#

The former yields similar results to using VMware Player (which I presented above), so I will explain how to install Windows 8.1 using the Custom (advanced)В option.ДЇollow the next steps to install Windows 8.1 in VMware Workstation, using Custom (advanced): VMware Workstation provides two setup options: Typical (recommended)В and Custom (advanced).

Use the option Play virtual machine to install Windows 8.1.

You can use a lower virtual number of processor cores, but not one that is higher than the physical amount.В Close the window afterwards and click on Finish to complete the virtual machine creation process.

At the Processors tab, under Number of processor cores, select the optimal option depending on your CPU.В For a single core CPU it is 1, for a dual-core CPU it is 2, for a quad-core CPU it is 4 and so on.

You should double the minimum amount, for your version, to improve performance.

At the Memory tab, under MemoryВ select the virtual RAM capacity: use a minimum of 1 GB the 32-bit Windows 8.1 and 2 GB for the 64-bit Windows 8.1.

Select Store virtual disk as a single fileВ to optimize performance.

Type a new name under Virtual machine name - preferably 'Windows 8.1' - and,В under Location, select the location that you want to use for the virtual machine.

Select Microsoft Windows under Guest operating system and Windows 8 under Version for the 32-bit variant or Windows 8 ењ†4 for the 64-bit edition.

Alternatively you can use the Installer disc option to install Windows 8.1 from a DVD.

Select Installer disc image file (iso) and open the Windows 8.1 ISO using the Browse button.

Open VMware Player and use Create a New Virtual Machine.

#Vmware player download windows 8 drivers#

It's a package which provides the necessary drivers for the virtual machine, so I advise you to heed the suggestion and press the Install Tools button (the setup is straightforward).ДЇollow the next steps to install the Windows 8.1 using VMware Player: Keep in mind that only one of the two can be installed if you wish to use the other one the application that you installed first will be removed.ДЄfter you have created the virtual machine and the Windows 8.1 installation process is over, VMware Player, or VMware Workstation, depending on which one you chose, will recommend to also install VMware Tools.

#Vmware player download windows 8 software#

The software giant also offers Windows 8.1 Enterprise for a 90-day evaluation.ДЄlso, you should keep the product key, for Windows 8.1, nearby as it will be required during the installation process.ДЄfter you have followed these steps, install VMware Player or VMware Workstation on your device. The ISO file can be downloaded from MSDN or TechNet or created from the DVD that Microsoft provides.

VMware PlayerВ or VMware Workstation, that can be downloaded from FileForum.

Here is what you need to install Windows 8.1:

VMware Workstation does offer a lot more, but it comes at a hefty cost ($249 without any local taxes).

Generally speaking, VMware Player is good enough for casual virtualization use and this also includes installing Windows 8.1 for testing.

#Vmware player download windows 8 trial#

The former is the most easy to use and free while the latter is complex, which makes it suitable for demanding scenarios, and expensive after the 30-day trial runs out. VMware Player and VMware Workstation are two capable virtualization applications, but there are a couple of major differences between them.