A lot of people have been making a lot of noise about Windows 8 of late, and with a developer's preview of Microsoft’s upcoming operating system out in the wild, we don’t reckon that the din is going to die down anytime soon. Interested in finding out if the OS is everything folks are saying and a bag of potato chips? If you’ve got a copy of Parallels on your Mac, we can show you how to get Windows 8 up and running without having to invest in a single piece of PC hardware. Let’s get started!

1. Download 

If you haven’t already done so, download/install a boxed copy of Parallels. For this exercise, we used Parallels 7, but an up-to-date copy of Parallels 6 should do the job just as well.

 You’ll also need a copy of the Window’s 8 Developer Preview. There’s three different versions of it currently up for grabs: a 32-bit edition, the 64-bit edition and a 64-bit edition that comes along with a bunch of developer’s tools. For simplicity’s sake, select the 32-bit version of the OS, and download it to your desktop. The file will be saved as an .iso, which is perfect, as that’s exactly what you’ll need to move on to...

2. Create a New Virtual Machine

Open Parallels. From the menu bar, select File and then click on New. Next, choose Install Windows from a DVD or image file. Click the Continue button. You’ll be asked to insert an installation disc or to choose another source. From the drop down menu, select the Windows 8 .ISO that you just finished downloading and click Continue.

If everything’s going according to plan, you’ll receive a message stating that Automatic detection has failed. DON’T PANIC!

As Windows 8 hasn’t yet been officially introduced for general use by Microsoft, Parallels doesn’t officially support it as an installation option. Fortunately, Windows 8’s code is close enough to that of Windows 7 that Parallels can be tricked into installing it anyway. Select Windows 7 as the operating system you want to install, and click OK. Next, Select Express Installation and deselect This version requires a product key. Once again, click Continue.

3. What’s in a Name?

Parallels will ask how you want your Windows 8 Installation to behave: Like a Mac or PC. Because Windows 8 is still experimental and more than a little buggy, you’re gonna want to keep things simple. Select Like a PC. Click Continue. Now, select a name for your Windows 8 installation’s Virtual Machine. Click Continue yet again, get ready for some serious hardcore waiting! 

4. Twiddle Thumbs in Anticipation

If you’ve installed Windows 7 as a virtual Machine or via Bootcamp in the past, you’ll find no surprises here. Aside from a few new splash screens, the set up process for Windows 8 is almost exactly the same as installing its predecessor, albeit a little bit shorter, and it takes around the same amount of time. Grab a sandwich, sit back and relax while Parallels does all the heavy lifting for you.

 5. Switch to Manual Controls

As part of the the installation process, you'll encounter a black screen that makes it appear that the installation was a failure. Be patient. This long period of darkness will be followed by the glorious light of Windows 8 booting up for the first time to ask you what network settings you’d like to use. Select whichever setting makes you the most comfortable. For your efforts, you'll be rewarded with a taste of Windows 8!

Once you get over the joy of having successfully installed the OS, you'll notice that Parallels still insists that it's not done with the installation. You're not going to let a piece of software boss you around, are you? Of course not. To teach Parallels who's in charge of your relationship, look to your menu bar, click the Installation drop down menu, and select Continue manually. Doing so will end the installation. 

6. Explore

With Windows 8 installed as a virtual machine on your Mac, you can explore it's new features, tinker with the OS's compelling Metro UI, and install any Windows apps you'd care to try -- which we recommend. Sadly, while the OS is good to go, the developer's build didn't come with any additional Metro-ready apps for us to play with: All those slick looking panels you'll see after clicking the Start menu icon are just place holders. To get a feel for the UI in action, installing applications is a must.