Installing Windows 8 Directly From Hard Drive

If you are having a netbook or desktop that you wish to install Windows 8 into, but do not have a DVD drive or USB port for whatever reason, you can follow the steps that are explained below. This method will allow the user to boot and install Windows operating system directly from the hard drive. To do this, you will have to plug the hard drive into another computer, prepare the hard drive, place it in your PC and then install the Windows 8 OS as usual.

Preparing The HD With Windows 8 Setup

• Connect the hard drive to another computer. 
• Format the hard drive to NTFS (Quick format works fine). 
• Copy the following files from Windows 8 ISO of DVD. 

Boot, Sources, Bootmgr

Making the Hard Drive Bootable 

• Using Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 7 or Windows 8, open Command prompt as Administrator. 
• Type in the following commands (replace x with what applies to your HDD) 

Diskpart, list disk, select disk X, list partition, select partition X, active, exit, and X:\boot\bootsect.exe /nt60 X:

• You may now Exit and Shutdown the PC. 

If you are working on a 32-bit system and you wish to install 64-bit Windows 8 Os, you may get issues running the last command. The solution to this issue is to use a Pc that has the 64-bit version of Windows 8 OS. If you have 32-bit Windows 8 DVD, you may copy bootsect.exe from it and then replace the 64-bit one.

Booting and installing Windows

Place the hard disk back to the target machine. Ensure that BIOS is configured to boot from hard disk. If everything is okay, you will see the blue Windows logo and setup will load. You may then install Windows 8 as usual, but make sure you do not format the hard drive this time; otherwise, it will delete the setup files of Windows 8 too!

Final Steps/Housecleaning

• Once Windows 8 is installed, edit the boot menu after installing Windows. 
• Press the Windows and R keys together, type msconfig in the Run line and press Enter. 
• Click on the Boot tab that is located at the top. 
• Click on the OK button and then select Exit without restart.

These are the steps to Install Windows 8 directly from the hard drive of your computer. For further help, you may contact our tech support team.

Sharing Apps In Windows 8: A Tutorial

With the dwindling number of Windows 8 Users, Microsoft is introducing a lot of changes to attract more users to install Windows 8. With stiff competition from Mac OS and Android platforms, these changes seem to be the need of the hour. The Charms bar, the latest addition in Windows 8, is one such design change.

Users are accustomed to sharing items on social networking websites like Twitter and Facebook. Most websites are built in with a Share button which immediately shares the data from your social networking profile. Almost every user knows how to share photos, videos and status update with their friends.

Before creating and designing Windows 8, Microsoft programmers realized that the share feature, which is popular among millions of users, can be improved. The share feature which was earlier limited to websites, calendars and e-mails is now incorporated into Windows 8.

Getting Familiar with the Share Feature

Before we start describing how to share content, we have to inform you that this feature is only available in the latest updated version, Windows 8.1. So update your Windows 8 device immediately! Apart from the share feature, Windows 8.1 has loads of interesting features that are not available in Windows 8. Use the Windows 8 store to update and the whole process will be completed in an hour.

Taking and sharing Screenshot

• To take a screenshot, place your mouse cursor on the top right-hand corner of your screen and open the Charms Bar. If you are a touch user, place your finger on the right side of the screen and swipe to the right to reveal the Charms Bar. 
• In the Charms bar, you will see the Share icon. Tap or click on this and a drop down Menu will appear, from which you can select Screenshot.
• Next you have to select the app through which you want to share the screenshot from a list of installed apps. Default apps include Mail.

Sharing Anything else

If you want so share pictures, links or web pages, the share feature works the same way as sharing Screenshots. Here’s how you share in Internet Explorer, the default browser in Windows 8.

• Once you get the page you want to share, bring the Charms Bar as shown before.
• The Share button will share the link using the app of your selection.

At the time, only People, Mail and Reading List are included. Most third party apps will have to bring updated version which supports this Share feature. Once these updates are released, you can share using the above mentioned feature. If you feel you are missing out on all these interesting features, install Windows 8 now!