Install Android OS 4.3 on Windows 8 PC
If you want to run Android apps on your Windows 8 PC, you have several options. For the most compatibility, you can install Android to a virtual machine. This will allow you to use the full Android operating system without rebooting your computer. If you just want to play a few games, BlueStacks can get you up and running in a few minutes. You can also try the ARC Welder Chrome app, which can run some Android apps as Chrome apps.
Contents
Steps
Using a Virtual Machine
- Use this method for a fully-functional Android operating system. Installing Android onto a virtual machine is a little more advanced than your standard installation, but you can have it up and running in about 20 minutes. Using a virtual machine will allow you to get the full Android experience with the greatest app compatibility.
- If you just want to run a game or two, check out BlueStacks in the next section. This emulator can run many popular Android apps without much installation.
- Download and install VirtualBox. This is a free virtualization program that will allow you to create virtual machines on your computer. Virtual machines emulate a physical computer which allows you to install other operating systems without having to reboot your computer. You can download VirtualBox for free from virtualbox.org.
- If you try to run the installer and Windows won't let you open it, click the "More info" link in the SmartScreen window and then click "Run anyway."
- You can leave the installation settings as they are. The installer will disconnect you from the internet when it configures the virtual machine's network connection.
- Make sure to install the additional packages that are prompted during installation. These are essential for VirtualBox to run.
- Download the latest version of Android-x86. Android-x86 is an unofficial build of Android designed to boot from PC hardware. It is regularly maintained and updated, and can be downloaded for free from android-x86.org.
- While you can find a build of Android 4.3 here, it is recommended to download either the latest 4.4 release or the latest 5.1 release. The 4.3 version is outdated and no longer being maintained.
- The ISO file is several hundred megabytes, and may take a while to download.
- Launch VirtualBox and click "New." This will start the process for creating a new virtual machine.
- Select "Linux" as from the "Type" menu. Android is based on the Linux operating system, so select "Linux" from the "Type" menu.
- Select "Linux 2.6 / 3.x / 4.x (32-bit)" from the "Version" menu. This will allow you to install most Linux-based operating systems, including Android-x86.
- Select at least "512 MB" for the amount of memory. This is the amount of your system's RAM that will be dedicated to the virtual machine while it's running. This RAM will not be available to other programs while your Android-x86 virtual machine is running.
- Select "Create a virtual hard disk now" and choose "VDI" as the type. This will start the process of creating a virtual storage drive for your Android operating system using the free space on your computer.
- Select "Fixed size." A fixed size drive will lead to better performance. You'll be setting aside the full amount of space from your computer's free space from the outset.
- Set a size of at least 3 GB. You'll need 3 GB to install the Android operating system and essential files. If you plan on installing a lot of apps, you may want to increase this. Remember, the space you select here will not be available for use by your computer until you delete the virtual machine.
- To store lots of apps, select 8 GB or more.
- Wait while your virtual drive is created. This may take a few minutes to complete, depending on how large you set the drive to be.
- Click the Settings button and select the "Storage" section. This screen will let you select the Android-x86 ISO file that you downloaded.
- Select the "Empty" entry with the disc icon. This is your virtual disc drive.
- Click the disc button in the "Attributes" section and select "Choose Virtual Optical Disc File." This will let you browse for the ISO file.
- Select the Android-x86 ISO file that you downloaded. This will load the ISO file into the virtual drive, acting as a virtual disc. Click "OK" to close the Settings menu.
- Click "Start" to start the virtual machine. Your virtual machine's display will open in a new window, and after a moment the Android Installation menu should appear.
- Use your arrow keys to select "Installation." Press ↵ Enter to begin the installation process.
- Select "Create/Modify partitions." This will let you create a new partition to install Android on.
- Select "No" when asked about GPT. This will open the cfdisk utility.
- Select "New" at the bottom of the screen. Press ↵ Enter to select it.
- Select "Primary" and then press .↵ Enter twice. This will create a primary partition from all of the available space on the virtual hard disk.
- Select "Bootable" then select "Write." Confirm that you want to create the partition by typing "yes" and pressing ↵ Enter.
- Select "Quit" once the partition is created. This will return you to the Android installation menu.
- Select "sda1" from the top of the list. This is your newly-created partition.
- Choose "ext3" as the format. Confirm that you want to proceed with the format.
- Select "Yes" when prompted to install GRUB. This will allow you to boot to Android. You can skip "EFI GRUB2."
- Choose "Yes" when asked about installing "/system." This will allow you to read and write to the /system folder, which you'll need for some apps.
- Wait for installation to complete. This may take a minute or two to finish.
- Unmount the ISO file. Once installation is complete, you can remove the ISO file so that the virtual machine boots to your new Android installation.
- Click the Devices menu in VirtualBox and select "Optical Drives."
- Select the "Remove disk from virtual drive" option. This will unmount the ISO.
- Reboot the virtual machine and load Android. Click the Machine menu and select "Reset." After the computer boots up, Android will load and the Welcome screen will appear.
- Click the Input menu and uncheck "Mouse Integration." This should make your cursor appear in the virtual machine window. Your mouse will be stuck in the virtual machine until you press the right Ctrl key.
- Skip the Wi-Fi setup. Android will use your virtual machine's network connection to directly access the internet.
- Sign in with your Google account. You'll be prompted to sign in with a Google account or create a new one. Android-x86 is secure, and you can safely sign in with your regular Google account.
- Finish the initial setup and start using Android. After proceeding through the initial setup screens, you'll be taken to the Android home screen. You can use your mouse cursor to click on things, and your keyboard to type. You won't be able to perform any actions that require multi-touch.
- Install apps. You can install apps on your virtual Android just like you would on a regular device. Open the Play Store and find the apps you want to download. Remember, since you're using a mouse, your multi-touch input options are limited.
Using BlueStacks
- Download and install BlueStacks. BlueStacks is an Android emulator that you can use to install and run most Android apps. You can download BlueStacks for free from bluestacks.com.
- Launch BlueStacks and click the "Android" tab. This will load the Android operating system, which may take a minute or so for the first time.
- Find an app to load. You can browse through the featured apps, or click the "Search" button and search for a specific one. Note that although BlueStacks supports a lot of apps, not all apps are available.
- Note that you can't open any app store directly. You'll need to search for a specific app and then select the app store you want to download it from.
- Sign in with or create a Google account to install apps. When you select an app for the first time, you'll be prompted to "Enable AppStore." This will require logging in with a Google account, after which you'll be able to access the Play Store and download apps to BlueStacks. If you sign in with a Google account that you already use on an Android device, you'll have access to all of your past purchases.
- You can also click the "APK" button on the left side of the window to manually install APK files. These are Android app packages, and can be downloaded from a variety of locations online.
- Use your mouse to mimic touch when using apps. Your mouse cursor will act as your finger when using apps. Click the mouse to tap something, and click and hold the mouse to press and hold something.
- To zoom, press Ctrl++ and Ctrl+-.
- Use Z and X to tilt left and right.
- BlueStacks will recognize most USB game controllers. You'll be informed that your controller will work when launching apps that support it.
Using ARC Welder to Load Apps in Chrome
- Open the ARC Welder app page in the Chrome web store. You can use the ARC Welder development tool to load apps in the Chrome browser. This feature is still in development, and not all apps will work. You can install ARC Welder for free from the Chrome web store. Open this link to the ARC Welder page in Chrome, as it can be difficult to find using the store's search function.
- Click "Add to Chrome" to install the app. Click "Add app" to confirm. It may take a few minutes to install.
- Launch ARC Welder. You can find the ARC Welder app in the Chrome Apps list. You can access this from the Bookmarks bar.
- Create a folder for ARC Welder. ARC Welder will prompt you to select a folder that it can write to. Create a folder that ARC Welder can use.
- Click "Add your APK." You'll be prompted to select the APK file that you want to load. APK files are Android app packages (installers). You can download app APKs safely from apkmirror.com.
- Select your app options. You can choose whether the app should be Landscape or Portrait. You can also choose between a Tablet or Phone layout.
- Click "Test" to run the app. A new window will appear, and the app will begin to load. Note that some apps will perform better than others, and some apps simply won't work at all.
