Running Windows on Macbook

---MAD---

Well-known member
Hi there,

I need to run Windows 7 for various reasons on my macbook pro. What are my options in doing this? I have a windows 7 license already and I am running the latest mac OS.

Any steps/advice would be great.

Thanks
 
You could run it as a Virtual Machine using VMWare Fusion, which is what I do on my MBP. Then I'm not dual booting between Lion and '7.

Other options are available, but I don't have any experience with them, such as Parallels and Bootcamp.
 
Personally I use bootcamp and create a separate partition for running windows. You then have two choices. You can boot natively into Windows and run games etc or use VM Ware Fusion and load up the partition "virtually" for less intensive things.
 
Hi there,

I need to run Windows 7 for various reasons on my macbook pro. What are my options in doing this? I have a windows 7 license already and I am running the latest mac OS.

Any steps/advice would be great.

Thanks

Use BootCamp to install Windows 7 so you can run it natively. If you need the power to switch in between platforms while at work without rebooting, buy a copy of VMWare Fusion and have it integrate your BootCamp Partition :). It will treat it as a Virtual Machine as well :)
 
I have used both Parallels and VMWare on my MacBook Pros. I currently use VMWare Fusion. I have CentOS 6.2, Win XP, and FreeBSD 9 running in separate virtual windows available from within OS X. I have found VMWare to be stable and reliable. My university has an agreement with Parallels. I can download a personal copy at no cost. I have found VMWare to be worth the expense.

Just my 2 cents, fos
 
I've always preferred VMware Fusion to Parallels. And if you have the disk space, then set up a Boot Camp partition. Otherwise, just virtualize.
 
Where can I purchase boot camp? Is there a link for details about it? Do I need boot camp to run VMware and vice versa?

Thanks for the rapid responses!
 
Can never get a hackintosh working, not even on a virtual pc. I suspect it has to do with my hardware. lol

Maybe after the holidays I'll finally look into buying a new apple.
 
Can never get a hackintosh working, not even on a virtual pc. I suspect it has to do with my hardware. lol

Maybe after the holidays I'll finally look into buying a new apple.
I think this thread was just about running Windows on a Mac (rather than running Mac OS X on a standard PC).

But, you're right... I could never get a Hackintosh working either. It's normally always hardware.

I got it running in VMWare once, but with only 2GB shared between Windows and Mac OS X Lion it was slooooooow.
 
I think this thread was just about running Windows on a Mac (rather than running Mac OS X on a standard PC).

But, you're right... I could never get a Hackintosh working either. It's normally always hardware.

I got it running in VMWare once, but with only 2GB shared between Windows and Mac OS X Lion it was slooooooow.
HP Pavilion a6750f

Granted it's an AMD, but I've known others with an AMD still be successful. And I'm not using the on board video (disabled it in the cmos) and have a nvidia gt430 to replace it. Oh well.......

Apple's one short coming is they charge far to much for their hardware. Which is a shame cause with the iPod, iPhone, and iPad being so successful, people really do want to go Apple. They've already learned the OS if you've used either device (more or less).

In fact everyone I know has looked into buying an Apple Computer... It's the next logical step for them, but when they see the price they simply walk away. I can get an HP with all the specs of an Mac Pro for far less.
 
Yeah I'm the same. I'm investing some money in new hardware soon, but it will all be to build a new PC. I'd need much more money to get much less for a Mac. And because it will be primarily used for gaming, and Macs aren't exactly built to be upgradable it just doesn't make financial sense.

One of my Hackintoshes would never work because of the IDE controller on the motherboard being jMicron instead of Intel or something. Everything else would have been fine. It just simply wouldn't boot.

Oh well... if you throw enough RAM at it, it will run comfortably in a VM within Windows.
 
HP Pavilion a6750f

Granted it's an AMD, but I've known others with an AMD still be successful. And I'm not using the on board video (disabled it in the cmos) and have a nvidia gt430 to replace it. Oh well.......

Apple's one short coming is they charge far to much for their hardware. Which is a shame cause with the iPod, iPhone, and iPad being so successful, people really do want to go Apple. They've already learned the OS if you've used either device (more or less).

In fact everyone I know has looked into buying an Apple Computer... It's the next logical step for them, but when they see the price they simply walk away. I can get an HP with all the specs of an Mac Pro for far less.
The osx86 scene didin't release a really working AMD kernel since Snow Leopard. It always been hackish one in Lion or Mountain Lion.
 
On the odd occasion I have to run Windows software I do the following. If each option doesnt work, I go to the next option on the list (simply because going down this list, the program will be slower and slower):

1) Try running it with a Cider package (so it runs effectively as a native Mac app)
2) Try running it under Crossover
3) Virtualbox it
4) Bootcamp it.

I've never had to go as far as bootcamp.
 
In fact everyone I know has looked into buying an Apple Computer... It's the next logical step for them, but when they see the price they simply walk away. I can get an HP with all the specs of an Mac Pro for far less.

Remember the resale value though.

To give you an idea, in 2010 I bought a Mac Pro.
This year I sold it. In total I lost £200 off its retail price. If that had been a dell, hp or any other brand, it wouldnt have been worth anywhere near that.

The same happened with my Macbook Air. I bought an 11" last year (Oct 2011) for £720 (Student discount) with Applecare. I sold it at the beginning of this month for £600.

Apple products hold their value amazingly well. I tend to upgrade computers every 2 years, loosing only a couple of hundred £ in the process. Saves keeping it for 5+ years, having it die, then spending ~£1200 on a new one.
 
HP Pavilion a6750f
Apple's one short coming is they charge far to much for their hardware. Which is a shame cause with the iPod, iPhone, and iPad being so successful, people really do want to go Apple. They've already learned the OS if you've used either device (more or less).

That isn't true at all. I know quite a few noobs with iPhones and iPads, and they can't figure out simple OS X things like right clicking or how to launch something from a CD. I guess if all you've familiar with is iTunes, then maybe.

OS X doesn't dumb down the interface for users like Apple does for the iPhone or iPad. You could just say "it just works" with Apple products, but it isn't fool proof.
 
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