Installing Windows on Mac. Installing Windows on a Mac Installing Windows 7 on a macbook pro

The article provides detailed instructions on how to install Windows 7 on a MacBook.

Everyone is used to working with Windows, and when you buy a MacBook, you need to install it for the usual work with documents.

Installing Windows 7 on Macbook Air using Boot Camp

Installing Windows 7 on Macbook Air will not take much time. Installation requires a USB optical drive or 16 GB USB flash drive. Before installation, you need to check for software updates on your computer.

  • Turn on your MacBook and launch Boot Camp.
  • Uncheck the box at the top where you want to create a disk. Check the box if the installation will be carried out from an image.
  • Use a USB flash drive to save drivers and other information. All information on the drive will be deleted, so use an empty drive.
  • Split the disk into two equal parts for the two operating systems.
  • Connect a USB DVD drive and insert the Windows distribution into it.
  • Wait while Boot Camp downloads the latest software from the Internet and reboots your computer.
  • Install Windows following the instructions, select the suggested settings.

Windows installs in just over an hour. For those who don’t know how to start Boot Camp: on the desktop at the top, click the magnifying glass. In the search window write down the name of the application and click “Continue”.

Creating an image

If you have a disk to install the software, you need to create an image of it.

  • Use an optical drive.
  • Using Finder on your laptop, open Disk Utility.
  • In the window that opens, select the installation disk.
  • Go to the “File” menu, “New image” and then click “DVD disc”.
  • In “DVD/CD Wizard”, find “Image Format” and "Encryption". Check "No".
  • Create a file name, enter a password and wait until the new image is created.
  • When finished, disconnect the optical drive.
  • Use Finder to find the new image.
  • Rename the file name from .cdr to .iso.
  • If you are using removable storage devices, make sure they appear as removable devices in the Finder.
  • Connect the USB drive.
  • After creating the ISO image, proceed to install the program.

Keyboard

After downloading the software, you can use the keyboard in several ways. Keys in different operating systems can perform different functions. Many keys on laptops with the Windows operating system have analogues on the Apple layout.

Formatting Windows OS

To format, use the installer, after being asked about the installation location, select the Boot Camp partition. Next, we begin formatting by selecting “Disk Setup”.

The new partition can be renamed, formatted, or deleted. Once two partitions are created, they cannot be resized. To resize, you will have to delete the partition and create the required partition again. To rename a partition, boot the operating system itself and rename the partition in it. Do not use other programs to resize the partition; this may cause problems.

Be careful! Deleting a partition results in loss of files.

Boot Camp app

The application consists of three sections:

  • selecting a system to boot;
  • setting up the keyboard operation;
  • setting up the trackpad.

The first partition will allow you to boot one of two operating systems. Using the second section, you can control the functions of the F1 - F12 keys. In the third section, choose familiar gestures for working in any OS.

Starting Windows

On a Macbook Air 11 or Macbook Pro there is no choice of operating system when booting, so to work in Windows 7, press Alt. A menu will appear in which select the desired system and boot. If you do not press the Alt button when turning on, MacOS will start loading.

Uninstalling Windows

To uninstall, simply launch Boot Camp in OS X and select "Delete"". After removal OS X will take up all the space. It will take less than a minute for a previously installed operating system to be completely removed.

Software updates

Use the App Store program to check for updates on your laptop. Select Update from the Updates section. In the application settings, set the options to “Download recently released updates in the background.” Then updates will be carried out automatically. Once the latest update has installed, you can begin installing Windows.

If you have an update disc, follow these steps:

  • Boot your MacBook into MacOS.
  • Connect the Windows update disk.
  • Unzip and transfer the files to a USB drive.
  • Restart your laptop and turn on the installed version of Windows.
  • Perform the update using the installation program.

Driver

Some users have a question: “What is a driver?” A driver is a program without which the connected device will not work with the computer. At least once in their life, everyone has installed a laptop driver to operate a scanner or printer. Usually the OS already has drivers for different devices, but sometimes updates are needed, so check for updates. For example, for audio systems to work correctly, download the free realtek driver from the Internet.

Apple does not provide technical support for installing or restoring Windows. Consultation can be obtained by phone about the special Boot Camp assistant, its installation or recovery.

Many users are switching from their “old” laptops to Apple laptops. After such a transition, many people panic, because Mac OS X is significantly different from the usual Windows. You can get out of this situation by installing a second OS on your MacBook. To do this you will need the Boot Camp application.

Installing Windows using Boot Camp is the easiest method possible. This is a program from the manufacturer Apple that installs XP/7 OS by splitting the SSD into two parts. Both systems occupy one part and do not interfere with each other’s proper functioning. You can switch to another OS only by restarting your computer.

Installing Windows on a MacBook requires: a laptop with Mac OS installed, a third-party drive with a capacity of at least 4 GB. If the drive is a flash drive or external SSD drive, copy all data from it, as formatting will delete it. You will need a disk with the OS or its image (ISO). The installation procedure will take approximately an hour.

When you use a USB flash drive, make sure its connector version matches the port version on the device. If they do not match, the ports will not be active and you will not be able to use the drive.

How to install Windows: steps

Turn on the laptop and check for system updates, if there are any, install them. This can be done using the menu bar. Click “apple” and in the expanded list click “software update”. After the updates are installed, launch Boot Camp. To call the program, click the “magnifying glass” icon and enter the name of the program. In the search results, click “Boot Camp Assistant”.

A window will open where you need to read the information provided and click “continue”. In the next window, indicate how you will install the OS. Next, the instructions are divided into two ways: installing Windows on a MacBook Pro using a disk and using a third-party SSD drive / USB flash drive.

Install from disk

This method will not work for MacBook Air due to the lack of a DVD drive. After clicking on the method, check the boxes next to the items: “download the latest Windows support software” and “install Windows 7 OS.” Next, specify the path to save the downloaded drivers (this can be either a disk or a flash drive). To do this, click on the item “save a copy on...” with the desired media. If you do not change the name of the folder, the drivers will be saved (by default) in “Windows Support”. When saving, also specify the name of the media. Enter the PC administrator name and password and click “Add Helper”. Next, the download of drivers will begin.

We use an external SSD drive / USB flash drive

In the action selection window, you need to check the boxes in each item when you have an ISO image. This path is suitable for the Air line. Click “select” and show the path to the OS image. After this, you will receive a notification that the data will be deleted from the USB drive after formatting. When the formatting stage of the drive is completed, drivers and files for installation will be added to it.

The following instructions are identical. A window will open where you can and should select the hard drive size for the OS to be installed. Move the slider to the most convenient point and click “install”. After the breakdown, a reboot will occur. After turning on the laptop, the installation phase will begin. The OS installation process will be identical to the installation process on other PCs.

When specifying the volume (where the system is installed), be careful. It is possible to accidentally delete existing partitions. To prevent this from happening, format the “BOOTCAMP” partition. Next, run the installation. When everything is installed, the system needs to be configured. Open the USB drive. There will be a folder called "Window Support ". Drivers for the OS are stored in this folder, open the “setup.exe” file.

A window will open, click “next”. Read the license (agreement) and click next to “I accept” to install the marker. Click "next". You will be prompted to install additional Apple Software Update. If you want to install, check the box next to it and click “install”. The automatic driver installation process will begin. It does not require your participation. When the process is completed, you need to click “finish”. A message will appear indicating that the device needs to be rebooted. Click yes. After turning on the laptop, you can use Windows OS.

Starting the OS

After installing XP/7 OS, it will start by default. But Mac OS remained on the laptop. If you want to choose which system it will boot under, then keep the “Alt” button pressed when turning on the device. If you are already working in Windows and need to switch to the OS, restart the laptop and keep the Alt button pressed when turning it on.

To change the default boot, do the following: boot your laptop to OS. On the panel at the bottom (Dock), click the system settings icon. Select "Boot Volume" ". When the workspace opens, specify the default boot system (whichever one you want). Close the window. The next time you turn on your laptop, the specified OS will boot into the default OS.

Uninstall Windows from MacBook Air/Pro

Before “demolishing” the system, analyze the information and make copies of everything necessary. Once deleted, it is too difficult to recover data. Turn on your laptop running Mac OS. If you have a different OS booted by default, then hold down the “Alt” key when turning it on to select it.

Go to Finder and click on the "programs" section. Select the "utilities" folder. If you want to find out how much space the system takes up, then open Disk Utility. Specify the media and go to the “disk partitions” tab. Here you will see what is there and how much space it takes up. You can delete the system partition at this stage. To do this, select the OS partition and click the “-” button below. Such deletion may leave behind unnecessary files. To completely uninstall, you need to use another method.

Complete removal can be done using Boot Camp Assistant. Return to the Utilities folder and select the appropriate folder. Read the general information and click “continue”. In the work area, check the box next to “delete” and click “continue.” Next, the disk space will be displayed after removing the OS. Click "recovery".

Enter the administrator name in the form that appears and enter the password. Next, click “ok”. The uninstallation process will begin. After a short period of time, a notification about the end of the process will appear, you need to click “ok”. In Disk Utility, Mac OS now fills all the SSD space. Ready. Removing the system is even easier than installing it.

To switch to the Mac OS system, you need to work on it. If you purchased an Apple laptop but do not fully use it, you are depriving yourself of many useful things that the system provides. After all, you won’t be able to use the company’s services with Windows. Try switching from one OS to another for the first time. Over time, reduce the amount of work you do with Windows, giving preference to the OS. Working with a different interface will be difficult at first, but it's just a matter of habit. Many users, having switched to Apple products, do not want to return to another manufacturer. Maybe you too will feel it over time.

Windows 8.1 users will be able to upgrade to the full version of Windows 10 absolutely free. To do this, you need to install the previous version of Windows on your Mac before July 29.

To each according to his needs. If you need Microsoft OS on an Apple computer, we have no right to dissuade you. And no one should. Whatever your goals are - installing games, specific programs or development tools - we want to close this issue once and for all.

This manual contains everything that poppy growers need to make it profitable, safe and as quickly as possible. install the latest version of Windows on Mac. All key topics are covered: where to get a Windows activation key, how to prepare a computer and its hard drive, how to deploy a system image to external media and automatically download and install all the necessary drivers. It doesn’t matter how well you understand OS X or Windows: the article is designed specifically for those who do not want to bother themselves with unnecessary information. Only the simplest, most straightforward methods.

Warning

We tried to make this instruction error-proof, but the human factor cannot be canceled. Therefore, just in case, we warn you: everything you do next, you do at your own peril and risk. Installing Windows on a Mac in the following manner does not affect your Apple warranty or affect your personal data in OS X. You don't lose anything, format anything, or configure anything in the process. Just read carefully - and everything will work out!

Buying Windows 8.1

Contrary to the subconscious of many fellow citizens, Windows is paid operating system. To install it on any computer from any manufacturer, you need to purchase a license key. If you respect yourself and your own work, for which you are paid, then there should be no problems understanding this fact. But we are not here to teach you.

Licensed copies of the basic version of Windows 8 are sold in stores across the country at quite affordable prices - around three thousand rubles. For that money you get an envelope with a nice DVD and the all-important paper insert. It has a unique Windows activation key printed on it, which should never be lost. Among other things, this insert serves as confirmation that the OS you installed is a legal copy and belongs to you personally. If you are going to install Windows on corporate computers, having a sticker insert for each deployed copy will save you and your company from trouble during a security audit.

If you are going to install Windows on home computer, laptop or Mac, you're in luck. Network activation Windows 8.1 is only possible for 600 rubles. For this money you receive a unique activation code and a link to download the Russian image of Windows 8.1 OS - you won’t need anything more.

I repeat: we are talking about a method that allows officially activate your copy of the system via the Internet. If you are still stuck with pirated versions, this is your best chance to give up the fear of using automatic updates and fiddling with completely pirated copies of the system. You can buy a Windows 8.1 activation key cheaply using the links below. If any of them are out of stock, move on to the next one.

Attention! The sale of keys was suspended as of 07.2014.

Multilingual version of Windows 8.1 + Russian (tested personally):

A proven service acts as a store Plati.ru. You can make payments not only from all popular electronic currencies (Webmoney, QIWI, Yandex.Money, etc.), but also from credit/bank cards. After purchase, you instantly receive an activation key and a link to download the image. The secondary benefit of this method is that you will be installing the latest version of Windows on your Mac from a clean slate. Thus, the likelihood of problems with the operation of the OS in the long term will be significantly reduced.

In the instructions, I will rely on the option with a 560-ruble key, but you can easily install any other edition or license of Windows by following the instructions below.

Buy Windows 10

The license costs 3 thousand rubles.

Installing Windows via Boot Camp

We got the key, now it’s up to the system image. This is not necessary for those who bought the "boxed" version in the store - you simply insert the disc into the external or internal DVD drive of the laptop. The rest need to download a Windows ISO image from the Internet. Here is a link to the image for the 560-ruble key. Please note the difference:

Download image Windows 8.1 (64 bit), 3.6 GB - For Mac with 4 GB of RAM or more

Download Windows 8.1 (32 bit) image, 2.7 GB - For Mac with less than 4 GB of RAM

Once the download is complete, copy the .ISO image file to your Mac's memory, if you didn't do so initially. Now we are ready to pre-install the system.

Attention! To continue, any hard drive on your Mac must have at least 20-25 gigabytes of free space. You will also need a free USB flash drive with a capacity of 8 gigabytes or more. It is highly recommended to connect to a fast Internet connection. Finally, we advise Mac laptop owners to plug into a power outlet, just in case. If everything is ready, connect the flash drive to the Mac and proceed to the step-by-step instructions.

Step-by-step instructions for working with Boot Camp

1. Open the window Spotlight(“magnifying glass”) in the upper right corner of the Mac screen and write in English: Boot Camp. Select from the drop-down list "Boot Camp Assistant".

2. In the window that opens "Boot Camp Assistant" press "Continue", then again "Continue".

3. "Assistant" will try to automatically find the Windows disc in the drive or the downloaded Windows 8.1 image in the Mac's memory. If he fails, click on "Choose…" and in the window that opens, find the image you downloaded earlier.

On the same screen, make sure that under the inscription "Target Drive" The “correct” USB drive is highlighted. Its capacity “according to the passport” must be at least 8 gigabytes. Please note that all existing data on this drive will be permanently destroyed.

4. Click "Continue", then again "Continue". The USB drive will begin formatting. Don't remove it, turn off your computer, or put it to sleep with the Mac lid closed.

After formatting, Windows files will automatically begin copying to the USB drive. You don’t have to be present - you can do other things. On average, the process takes from five minutes to half an hour, depending on the data transfer speed of your flash drive. Just don't take it out.

Over time "Assistant" will automatically start downloading drivers for Windows from the Internet and copying them to a USB drive.

5. As soon as "Assistant" finishes working with the USB drive, a pop-up window will appear asking you to enter your account password. Do this and click on "Add Helper".

6. It's time to create a separate hard drive partition where Windows will be installed. By moving the slider, allocate at least 25 gigabytes to the new system. The more space you give to Windows, the more programs and games you can install there. note: Once installed, changing these settings will be much more difficult. Therefore, it is better to calculate in advance how much space you will need in Windows.

7. Before proceeding, save all important data in open programs. Pressing "Install", you will start the Windows installation process almost immediately. The computer will suddenly reboot without warning. The next stage begins.

Step-by-step instructions for installing Windows on Mac

1. Once the reboot is complete, simply check the photo above. If everything matches (it cannot be otherwise), press "Further".

2. In the Windows key activation window, enter your key. I entered the one I bought on Plati.ru - everything worked. If I had known about it earlier, I would never have spent money on the “boxed” version for PC, which I foolishly purchased three months ago. Well, okay, let's continue.

3. Select the only option in the list and click "Further".

If you use a “boxed” or any other license, then you may see the 32-bit and 64-bit versions at once. Choose 64-bit if your Mac has 4 gigabytes of RAM or more.

4. Confirm that you have read the license terms and click "Further".

5. Now be extremely careful. In the window "Where do you want to install Windows?" This will display all the hard drive partitions on your Mac. Choose the one called "BOOTCAMP". Write down its name on paper: disk number, partition number. It is very important.

Pay attention to what is written at the bottom of the same window.

Windows cannot be installed on partition X of drive Y.

Don't be alarmed. We'll fix it now. Make sure you highlight the section again "BOOTCAMP"…

...and click on the button "Format"- the one with the image of an eraser.

Confirm your intentions by clicking on "OK".

The "impossible" suddenly became possible - now you can install Windows on the same partition. Only now it is not signed with the phrase "BOOTCAMP". To avoid confusion, check the number of the disk and partition that you recorded most recently. Find the corresponding line, highlight it and click on "Further" in the lower right corner.

6. The process of installing Windows 8.1 on your Mac's hard drive begins. Depending on the computer model, this process can take from two minutes to half an hour. Leave your Mac and USB stick alone and come back only when the Windows 8 welcome screen appears on your screen.

Let's move on to the final section of the instructions.

Initial Windows setup and driver installation

Once the installation is complete, the computer will say “Hello” to you and display the personalization window. All the settings you entered in these subsequent stages can be easily changed, so don’t bother yourself - click "Further".

Instead of overwhelming the user with a carload of windows and questions, Windows 8.1 will simply offer to set all primary system parameters to default. You can refuse, but there's not much point in doing so. We recommend clicking on "Use standard settings".

Here we will create an account by entering its name and password. A hint must also be entered - this is mandatory.

The computer will take a moment to set up your account. That's all!

Welcome to Windows

The easiest and most affordable way to install Windows on a Mac is to use the Boot Camp program. Boot Camp is a special application from Apple for installing WindowsXP / Windows7 or 8 by dividing the hard drive into 2 partitions, one for each system. Switching from one system to another is possible only by restarting the computer.

In order to install Windows on your Mac, you will need:

1 MacBook Rro / MacBook Air / IMac with Mac OS installed;

2 USB storage device (flash drive (at least 4 Gb) or external hard drive)/ DVD drive (transfer all information from the USB storage device (flash drive or external hard drive), since in the future everything on the storage device will be deleted after formatting);

3 Disk with the Windows 7 operating system or its ISO image (can be downloaded from the Internet);

4 This article and about an hour of free time.

Attention!!! If you are going to install Windows using a USB flash drive on a late 2013 and newer Mac (they use all USB 3.0 ports), you need to use a USB 3.0 flash drive. Otherwise, when installing Windows, your USB ports and wireless keyboard will not be active.

Turn on your Mac and install the latest updates. To do this, click on the apple (left, upper corner) and select "Software Update".

After you have installed all the updates, proceed to the next step, launch Boot Camp. To do this, click on the search (magnifying glass icon in the upper right corner) and enter there "Boot Camp", among the found ones, click on "Boot Camp Assistant"".

In the window that opens Boot Camp Assistant, read the information and click "Continue".

In the next window, you need to select settings for installing Windows 7, or more precisely, how you will install.

Installation on Mac Windows7 using disk

Installation on Mac Windows7 using USB flash drive/external hard drive

If you have a DWD disk with the Windows7 operating system, you need to select the last two items, namely Download the latest Windows support software from Apple(loads drivers for Windows7) and Install Windows7(allows you to determine the size of the volume where Windows7 will be installed and when rebooting, it boots from DWD).

Leave the default folder name WindowsSupport All drivers will be saved in it and we select the media on which all files will be saved (in this example, it is a USB flash drive).

Then enter your computer administrator credentials and click "Add Helper".

After this, the driver download process will begin.

If you have an ISO image on your computer, in this case you must leave all the checkboxes. In particular, for MacBook Air this method is very convenient, since it does not have a DWD drive and installation from a USB flash drive/USB hard drive will be more reasonable.

Button "Choose" indicate the path to the ISO image of Windows7.

Then a warning window will appear informing you that your disk/USB device will be formatted and all information will be deleted from it.

After this, the USB drive will be formatted and installation files and drivers will be copied to it.

The next step is to specify the amount of disk space for Windows 7; to do this, just move the slider and determine the partition size for the Windows operating system and click "Install".

After this, the computer/laptop will reboot and the Windows 7 installation process will begin upon loading (it is no different from installation on any other computer).

The only thing I would like to add is that when choosing a volume on which the operating system will be installed, be extremely careful not to delete existing partitions. Just format the BOOTCAMP partition and start installing Windows 7.

After installing Windows 7, go to the USB drive, in it you will see a folder WindowSupport(it contains drivers for Windows), run the file setup.exe.

In the next window, read the License Agreement, accept it and click "Further".

After this, you will be prompted to additionally install Apple Software Update, you can leave a checkmark and click "Install".

After this, the installation process of all drivers will begin, it does not require your participation, just when it is finished, a window will appear indicating that the installation is complete. Press the button "Complete".

Then there will be a window asking you to restart the computer, click "Yes".

After the reboot, you will have Windows 7 completely ready to use.

Let me remind you that Mac OS remains in this installation option (your device has two systems, Mac OS and Windows 7). By default, you will always boot into Windows 7, but if you decide to boot into Mac OS, to do this you will need to restart your computer/laptop and hold down the button while booting "Alt". After which you will be asked which operating system to boot your computer/laptop under.

Then, in Windows, download your tutorial, open the archive and follow the instructions.

This guide will show you step-by-step how to install Windows 10 on a Mac (iMac, Macbook, Mac Pro) in two main ways - as a second operating system that you can select at boot, or to run Windows programs and use the functions of this system within the OS X.

Windows 10 can be run on a Mac and "inside" OS X using a virtual machine. For this, there is a free solution called VirtualBox, there are also paid options, the most convenient option that integrates best with Apple’s OS is Parallels Desktop. At the same time, it is not only the most convenient, but according to tests, it is also the most productive and gentle on MacBook batteries.

If you are an ordinary user who wants to easily run Windows programs on a Mac and work with them comfortably without having to understand the intricacies of settings, this is the only option that I can responsibly recommend, despite its cost.

You can always download a free trial of the latest version of Parallels Desktop or buy it immediately on the official Russian-language website http://www.parallels.com/ru/. There you will also find up-to-date help on all program functions. I'll just briefly show you the process of installing Windows 10 in Parallels and how exactly the system integrates with OS X.

After installing Parallels Desktop, launch the program and select to create a new virtual machine (can be done through the “File” menu item).

You can directly download Windows 10 from the Microsoft website using the program, or select “Install Windows or another OS from a DVD or image”, in which case you can use your own ISO image (additional options such as transferring Windows from Boot Camp or from a PC, I will not describe the installation of other systems within the scope of this article).

After selecting the image, you will be asked to select automatic settings for the installed system according to its scope - for office programs or for games.

You will then also be asked to provide a product key (Windows 10 will install even if you select the option that this version of the system does not require a key, but activation will be required in the future), then the installation of the system will begin, some of the steps in which are performed manually during a simple clean installation of Windows 10 by default occurs in automatic mode (user creation, driver installation, partition selection, and others).

As a result, you will get a fully functional Windows 10 inside your OS X system, which will run in Coherence mode by default - i.e. Windows program windows will launch as simple OS X windows, and clicking on the virtual machine icon in the Dock will open the Windows 10 Start menu, even the notification area will be integrated.

In the future, you can change the settings for the Parallels virtual machine, including running Windows 10 in full screen mode, adjusting keyboard settings, disabling OS X and Windows folder sharing (enabled by default), and much more. If something in the process is not clear, the program’s fairly detailed help will help.

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