How to install Windows on Mac in just 3 steps!
Doesn’t it suck when you’re a Mac user and you suddenly need a Microsoft Windows program? I don’t know why I hate it so much, but I’m not alone or I wouldn’t be writing this right now. In this world controlled by Windows, Mac lovers must sometimes face the facts, and there will always be times when we will have to resort to using Windows.
Thanks to Apple we have an alternative to buy a new P.C. that we rarely use. Since around 2006, Macs have made it possible to use both operating systems on our dream Macs. So smart, right? So now we have the ability to use our Mac to run Windows or Mac OS X and we decided, “hey, cool idea, but ummm how do I do that?” By installing another operating system on your Mac, you didn’t even install the one on your Mac. Sounds daunting, right? However, that’s why I’m here, to help you not feel so intimidated (wow, is that a word?).
Install Windows on Mac with Boot Camp
Boot Camp is the most widely used program when using Windows on Mac. What makes it so popular? For one thing, it’s free. But there’s also the fact that it’s made by Apple, so of course it performs better than some of the others. It also allows you to fully boot into another operating system, not just use it virtually, which is important for those who are using software that requires more of their system resources, such as games or video editing programs.
Step 1: Get a copy of Windows: Regardless of the version of Boot Camp you are using, I recommend that you use Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate. To help you decide, you can refer to the Windows 7 comparison chart at Microsoft as you may not need to spend more than $ 200 for Pro or Ultimate if you don’t need it. You can also get Windows 7 for as little as $ 30 if you buy a student copy, but you’ll need an .edu email address to do so.
Step 2: Open Boot Camp Assistant – As you prepare to start here, you may want to print Apple’s Boot Camp Installation Manual. You can find Boot Camp in System Preferences> Utilities> Boot Camp Assistant. You can find some older versions online if you prefer to use one older than the latest version 4. This would be the case if you want to use an edition of Windows other than Windows 7. To find older downloads, you can visit Apple Support or our page on Windows troubleshooting on Mac.
Step 3: Install Windows and Boot Camp – Once you run Boot Camp Assistant, it will create a partition for Windows on your computer’s startup disk. As the program runs you will be prompted through the steps so it’s not difficult, just make sure you give that partition at least 16GB, but most recommend a minimum of 20GB and up to 40GB, if you’re using Windows 7 or Vista Fastboot devices. . If you use XP, you can use less. You can always go back and adjust this later as well. Just follow the instructions now and make sure to update the drivers for both Windows and Mac.
Installing Windows with a virtualization program
If you want to use a virtualization program to run Windows on Mac, you will still need a full copy of Windows, but you can use whatever edition you want. The two main programs are Parallels and VM Fusion. In a parallel Wikipedia comparison chart, they were pretty much the same, no pun intended. Each of these programs comes with a full set of step-by-step instructions to help you through the process. You’ll also want to give them the same amount of space, roughly 16GB, on the partition. Especially if you use 64-bit Windows 7.
If you want to install or use Windows on your Mac, but don’t want to buy the expensive Windows operating system, you can go for a program called CrossOver. With this program, you will virtually run Windows, but without the need for a Windows disk, which is pretty cool. You can run many Microsoft Windows programs on it. To see which ones you can use, you can check out the CrossOver Compatibility Checker.
Ta Da! You have Windows and Mac on your Mac!
Congratulations, because after completing those 3 steps, you will be able to run Windows on Mac. For step 2, you can substitute Parallels or Fusion if you don’t want to run Boot Camp. Just get Windows and then install the virtualization program you just chose and it will walk you through the rest of the steps. If you have any questions about this process, you are in luck because this is not the end of this series.
In the series I will also include some other articles that may be of help to you, such as adding RAM, knowing the danger of Windows viruses and how to protect your Mac from them, and some other great articles for