Those of you who want to check out the current Insiders Preview of Windows 11 have a few choices as far as where to install the new OS. You can set it up on its own dedicated computer, but that means you need to own a spare PC. It can be installed as a virtual machine using free VM software, but it could run slow if you don’t have sufficient memory.
A better option may be a dual-boot setup. In this case, you’d use a computer that already has an existing version of Windows, such as Windows 10. You’d then install Windows 11 in its own volume. Each time you boot up your computer, you would then need to choose if you want to use Windows 10 or Windows 11.
The major requirement with a dual-boot scenario is that you have enough free disk space to house the new operating system. You’ll need at least 25GB of free space, but the more you can spare for Windows 11 the better, up to 50GB or 60GB. Setting up your dual-boot system requires time and effort. But once you’re done, you’ll be able to juggle both versions of Windows. Here’s how it works.
Prepare Your PC for Windows 11
Before you even get started, you need to confirm that your PC has the necessary system requirements for Windows 11, which are much more onerous than the ones for Windows 10. You now need a TPM chip installed in your computer to run the new operating system.
You also may need to enable the Secure Boot option. Boot up into your BIOS to make sure the TPM setting exists and that it’s set to 2.0. Then look for a Secure Boot setting and enable it if it’s turned off. BIOS menus are unique to your computer’s manufacturer, so don’t be alarmed if your BIOS looks vastly different from what is shown above.
You should also download and run the latest version of Microsoft’s PC Health Check, which can tell you if your computer qualifies for Windows 11. (It’s currently only open to those in the Windows Insider program.)
Download Windows 11
Next, you need to download Microsoft’s ISO file for Windows 11, which requires that you be part of the Windows Insider program, for requires a Microsoft account. If you haven’t yet joined the Insider program, browse to the Windows Insider page and sign in. At the registration page, check the box to accept the terms of this agreement and click Register now.
To download the ISO file, browse to the Windows Insider Preview Downloads page and sign in with your Microsoft account. Scroll down toward the bottom of the page to the Select edition section. Click the drop-down menu for Select edition. Here, you can choose either Windows 11 Insider Preview (Dev Channel) or Windows 11 Insider Preview (Beta Channel).
The Beta channel is more stable and will contain only the features due to appear in the official release of Windows 11 on Oct. 5. The Dev channel is less stable and will contain the latest updates and features beyond those slated for Windows 11 this year. Select the channel you want and then click Confirm.
Next, select the product language and then click Confirm. Click the Download button for the build and language you chose and save the file to your PC.
Copy or Burn Windows 11 ISO File
Next, you’ll need to burn the ISO file to a DVD or copy it to a USB drive that you can boot from to install Windows 11. However, Windows 11 doesn’t make this a simple process. Since the Windows 11 ISO file is larger than 5GB, it cannot fit on a standard DVD. You would have to use an 8.5GB dual-layer or double-layer (DL) DVD to hold the entire file. You could also use a Blu-ray disc, if your PC has a Blu-ray drive.
Using a USB drive seems like it would be the easier option, but it’s not. While TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are requirements for Windows 11, you can’t boot off a USB drive formatted with NTFS with Secure Boot on. There is a way around this conundrum, courtesy of an article at Tom’s Hardware, though it does involve a bit of work.
First, connect your USB drive to your PC. In Windows 10, click the Start button, scroll down and open the Windows Administrative Tools folder, and then select Computer Management. Click Storage, then Disk Management. Right-click your USB drive and select Delete Volume to erase the drive.
Right-click the new unallocated space for your USB drive and select New Simple Volume to open the New Simple Volume Wizard, then click Next. Type 1000 as the volume size, since this partition will require only 1GB of space, then click Next.
You can click Next at the Assign Drive Letter or Path window, but stop at the Format Partition window. Change the file system to FAT32. For Volume Name, use any name you want, but BOOTPART is a good one, as suggested by Tom’s Hardware. Click Next, then click Finish.
Right-click the remaining unallocated space on your USB drive and select New Simple Volume. Click Next at the first window of the wizard. At the Specify Volume Size window, allow it to use all the remaining space, then click Next.
Click Next at the Assign Drive Letter or Path window. At the Format Partition window, change the file system to NTFS. Again, name it whatever you wish, but DATAPART is a good suggestion. Click Next. At the final window, click Finish.
Open File Explorer. Right-click on the Windows 11 ISO file and select the Mount command. This will reveal all the files contained in the ISO as if it were an actual disk.
From the contents of the ISO, copy all of the files and folders except the sources folder to the FAT32 partition on the USB drive.
Create an empty folder called sources on the USB drive’s FAT32 partition and copy to it just the boot.win file from the sources folder from the Windows 11 ISO. Copy all the files and folders from the Window 11 ISO, including the ones you copied before, to the NTFS partition of the USB drive.
Set Up Partition for Windows 11
Your next step is to free up disk space to create a dedicated volume or partition for Windows 11. Return to the Disk Management entry under Computer Management. Right-click on your primary drive, typically your C drive, then select Shrink Volume from the pop-up menu.
At the next window, enter the amount of space you wish to shrink. For example, if you want to reserve 60GB of space to Windows 11, type 60000. Click the Shrink button.
The partition is then shrunk, with the amount you entered now showing up as unallocated. Right-click on the unallocated space and select New Simple Volume from the pop-up menu.
Follow the steps in the New Simple Volume wizard. Accept the default in the Volume Size window. At the Assign Drive Letter or Path window, choose the Do not assign a drive letter or path option and click Next.
At the Format Partition window, keep the settings for NTFS and Default. In the Volume Label field, type Windows 11 Preview or a similar name to identify the partition. Click Next, then, click Finish.
Insert the USB drive or DVD with your Windows 11 installation. Reboot your PC and press the necessary key to access your boot menu. Choose the drive you wish to boot from—your USB drive or DVD.
The first Windows 11 setup window should appear. Confirm your language and other settings, then click Next. Click Install at the next window, then enter a product key if you have one. If you don’t, click I don’t have a product key to enter it later. Select the version of Windows 11 that you wish to install, such as Home or Pro, then click Next.
Accept the license terms. At the window asking which type of installation you want, choose the Custom: Install Windows only (advanced) option.
At the window asking where you want to install Windows, select the Windows 11 partition you created using Disk Management, then click Next. Windows 11 will now install in the new partition.
Enroll Windows 11
After the installation, you’ll be prompted to set up and customize Windows 11 according to your own preferences. After you’re done and have signed into the new operating system, make sure you register with the Windows Insider program to keep receiving the insider builds.
To do this, go to Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program. Be sure to allow the necessary diagnostic data to be collected. Click the Get started button, then link your Microsoft account for the Insiders program and click Continue.
Choose your preferred channel—Dev Channel or Beta Channel, then click Continue. Review the agreement, then click Continue. Hit the Restart now button to reboot your VM.
Set Default Operating System
By this point, a boot menu may or may not appear upon startup asking whether you wish to launch Windows 10 or Windows 11. Don’t see the boot menu? Don’t worry; it doesn’t always automatically pop up after you install a new OS.
However, you can easily set your default OS and change other boot option by signing back into Windows 11. Go to Settings > System > About and click the Advanced system settings link. In the System Properties window that appears, click the Settings button next to the Startup and Recovery section.
At the Startup and Recovery window, click the drop-down menu under Default operating system and you should see both Windows 10 and Windows 11 listed. Select the one that you wish to load by default each time if you don’t manually choose an operating system.
Check the box next to Time to display list of operating systems and type the number of seconds you want the boot menu to appear so you can choose your preferred OS. Click OK.
Click the Start button, select the Power button, and then click Restart. After your PC reboots, the boot menu appears, giving you the choice between Windows 10 and Windows 11. Click the one you want to load. If you do nothing, your default OS automatically launches after the number of seconds you set.
If you wish to change any of the options for the boot menu, click the Change defaults or choose other options link. Here, you can change the time or the default operating system.
