How to Install Windows 10 on Your Mac Using Boot Camp Assistant

[MacRumors]

Following the launch of Windows 10, Apple updated Boot Camp to support the latest Windows operating system on select Mac computers from 2012 and newer. If you've always wanted to try Windows on your Mac and think that now is the time to finally take the plunge, we can help you get through the basics with our how-to guide for installing Windows 10 on your Mac using Apple's Boot Camp Assistant.

This guide assumes you are installing Windows on your computer for the first time.

What You Need

You will, of course, need Windows 10, which can be purchased from Microsoft for $119. Older Mac computers support older versions of Windows, but won't work with Windows 10.

Make sure to check the system requirements for the version of Windows you want to install to ensure your Mac meets or exceeds them. You can find out the system specs for your Mac using System Information, accessible by typing "System Information" into a Spotlight search or using the Apple menu to go to About This Mac --> System Report.

To install Windows 10 (or Windows 7 or 8 for that matter) you will need at least 30 GB of free space on your startup drive and you'll need a keyboard and a mouse or trackpad to use with your computer.

If you're running OS X El Capitan and have an 11- or 13-inch MacBook Air, a 13- or 15-inch MacBook Pro or the Mac Pro, there's no need for a USB drive. If you're running a different version of OS X or have an older Mac, you'll need a 16 GB flash drive that doesn't have anything you don't want erased on it (Boot Camp Assistant automatically reformats the flash drive).


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Article Link: How to Install Windows 10 on Your Mac Using Boot Camp Assistant

 

[Markoth]

Probably the most important section:
"Uninstall Windows 10"
Haha, I jest. Windows 10 is not bad at all, for a Microsoft OS. I foresee it replacing Windows 7 and 8/8.1 in short order. I haven't used Boot Camp Assistant to install Windows in ages though. I have my own method. I'm sure this will come in handy for a lot of people though!

 

[logicstudiouser]

I would advise anyone that is thinking of installing windows 10 to read about the privacy you are about to lose.
To sum up, Microsoft is up on everything you will be doing by default.

 

[shareef777]

I tried to run bootcamp a while back but have never been able to as I always get an error when it's running the partitioning part.

 

[satcomer]

Every Windows 10 user should read the blog post Guide: How to Disable Data Logging in Windows 10 if you want to save your data and protect your privacy!

 

[CylonGlitch]

Every Windows 10 user should read the blog post Guide: How to Disable Data Logging in Windows 10 if you want to save your data and protect your privacy!

Sadly though, they say that even these things doesn't stop them. They continue to collect the information and will continue to do so. Now Windows 10 isn't horrible; generally it is OK, but in some cases it is a mess. Don't bother with parental controls, those are gone. Non-administrator account; talk about painful. I still like it better than Windows 8, but I prefer to stick to Windows 7.

 

[wubsylol]

I tried to run bootcamp a while back but have never been able to as I always get an error when it's running the partitioning part.

Ditto, and the internet has been absolutely useless in trying to solve the issue.

 

[Sasparilla]

Nice article talking about the Windows 10 user data collection from a high level - and you can minimize it, but you can't turn it off:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/0...al_high_ground_for_the_data_slurpers_cesspit/

Not as well known is that Microsoft actually brought that functionality into Windows 8.x and 7 through updates:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/09/01/microsoft_backports_data_slurp_to_windows_78_via_patches/

For Windows 7 and 8.x you can uninstall the updates and get away from it (not so with 10).

Its good to point out that just as all this happened on Microsoft's side of the fence the House and Senate passed a bill that gives U.S. corporations legal cover to share their customer information with the U.S. government (FBI, NSA etc.):

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...versial-cybersecurity-cyberspying-bill-74-21/

 

[RockSpider]

I tried to run bootcamp a while back but have never been able to as I always get an error when it's running the partitioning part.

You're holding it wrong.

Oh and all you guys stop it with your Microsoft scarey stories you're scaring the kids.

Try the following link for more info for getting Windows to run in Bootcamp.

http://www.macworld.co.uk/how-to/ma...-10-on-mac-get-download-iso-bootcamp-3590513/

 

[sparkplug37]

I tried to run bootcamp a while back but have never been able to as I always get an error when it's running the partitioning part.

I also get errors when trying to partition but I found I need to disconnect any thunderbolt drives prior to booting into the Windows install from Boot Camp. This may also be the same for USB drives etc.

 

[John Mcgregor]

i have 13" retina macbook pro and it still tells me to create a USB drive. WTF?

 

[NATO]

I have just successfully installed Windows 10 on my Early-2009 MacBook Pro 17inch. There was a couple of gotchas (most notably needing an extra small partition available, and getting hold of compatible drivers for the NVidia 9600M GT Graphics).

It runs amazingly well, silky smooth on it despite the relatively slow (by modern standards) Intel Core 2 Duo processor

If anyone is trying (and failing) to do the same reach out to me and I'll write something up to help you.

 

[RockSpider]

I would advise anyone that is thinking of installing windows 10 to read about the privacy you are about to lose.
To sum up, Microsoft is up on everything you will be doing by default.

"Microsoft’s getting ready to take the fight with the United States government over user data to a completely new level, as the company is ready to turn to data centers in Germany in order to block American agencies from snooping in on customers."

 

[H2SO4]

I would advise anyone that is thinking of installing windows 10 to read about the privacy you are about to lose.
To sum up, Microsoft is up on everything you will be doing by default.

You mean in the same way that they’d bother reading the Apple EULA? NOT - They’ve never read either.

 

[RockSpider]

i have 13" retina macbook pro and it still tells me to create a USB drive. WTF?

Does it really matter, just do as it says and it will work.

 

[John Mcgregor]

Does it really matter, just do as it says and it will work.

Actually it will not. When it restarts and boots into Windows installation i can't use the bootcamp partition because it says its of GPT style. I have to actually reboot and hold Option key then select EFI boot to fix it.

But that doest matter since Windows 10 is a complete pile of *********.

 

[RockSpider]

Actually it will not. When it restarts and boots into Windows installation i can't use the bootcamp partition because it says its of GPT style. I have to actually reboot and hold Option key then select EFI boot to fix it.

But that doest matter since Windows 10 is a complete pile of *********.

And you know this how?

 

[John Mcgregor]

And you know this how?

Because i wasted 4 hours finding out.

 

[jaybar]

I had the same problem not being able to format the Bootcamp partition. Remove all USB and TB drives, except the USB stick that Bootcamp will prepare. Restart your computer. Run Bootcamp Assistant. It will eventually get to the partition lusting in Windows install. Select Boitcamp choose format select ok to the prompt. It will format. Click next. I found this hidden in an I sure Apple support page. The key is to remove all external drives except the USB stick Bootcamp creates.

 

[shareef777]

I also get errors when trying to partition but I found I need to disconnect any thunderbolt drives prior to booting into the Windows install from Boot Camp. This may also be the same for USB drives etc.

I don't even have bootcamp running. I get the error when trying to setup bootcamp for the first time.

 

[friedmud]

Ditto, and the internet has been absolutely useless in trying to solve the issue.

I tried to run bootcamp a while back but have never been able to as I always get an error when it's running the partitioning part.

I ended up using VMWare Workstation to boot the install CD and then mounted my external thunderbolt drive in VMWare and installed Windows 10 directly to it.

Now I have Windows 10 on a SSD that I can plug into any thunderbolt dock and boot that Mac into Windows. Pretty damn handy.

I will say: getting the raw drive mounting working in VMware is a pain... you have to run a command-line utility and edit a vmx file. But the end result is worth it.

To finish the installation properly: use Bootcamp to download the Bootcamp Support installer and copy it (via USB stick or whatever you want) over to Windows and run it.

 

[Kar98]

I managed to install Windows 8.1 (to be updated to 10 after that) via Bootcamp, but while running Bootcamp, it refuses to download update files and drivers, so while I can boot into Windows by selecting a startup disk either via System Preference or during reboot, Windows lacks a driver for the Wifi adapter and probably other pieces of hardware, and there's no Bootcamp system preference so to boot back into El Cap, you need to hold down option D (I think it was) during reboot.

 

[NATO]

I managed to get 7, 8.1 and 10 installed on my 2009 MacBooko Pro (not all at the same time obviously) but had a few hurdles

1. I had success using a DVD to boot from (created in Windows using the Microsoft media creation tool) rather than USB
2. When I held option at startup, two CD icons appeared, 'Windows' and 'EFI Boot'. It was the 'Windows' one that worked for me, I got the partition (GPT/MBR) error using the 'EFI Boot' option
3. I also deleted the (approx) 690MB partition (I think it's the OS X recovery partition) when booted into Windows 10 setup, then I just deleted the bootcamp partition and clicked 'new' to create a new partition to install Windows onto.

I had issues getting graphics drivers compatible, but that's a different story.

 

[Yebubbleman]

If you're running OS X El Capitan and have an 11- or 13-inch MacBook Air, a 13- or 15-inch MacBook Pro or the Mac Pro, there's​

no need for a USB drive​

. If you're running a different version of OS X or have an older Mac, you'll need a 16 GB flash drive that doesn't have anything you don't want erased on it (Boot Camp Assistant automatically reformats the flash drive).​

​

FFS MacRumors! BE SPECIFIC about WHICH 11- or 13-inch MacBook Air or which 13- or 15-inch MacBook Pro or which Mac Pro supports this feature! They've been making 13-inch MacBook Pros since 2009, 11-inch MacBook Airs since 2010, and El Capitan Compatible 13-inch MacBook Airs and Mac Pros since 2008. Even so, Apple only supports 2012 machines or newer for Windows 10, but still even that is too vague. Simply telling me that I need those machines and being vague about which specific models will work is just bad reporting. You guys can do better than that.

 

[RockSpider]

FFS MacRumors! BE SPECIFIC about WHICH 11- or 13-inch MacBook Air or which 13- or 15-inch MacBook Pro or which Mac Pro supports this feature! They've been making 13-inch MacBook Pros since 2009, 11-inch MacBook Airs since 2010, and El Capitan Compatible 13-inch MacBook Airs and Mac Pros since 2008. Even so, Apple only supports 2012 machines or newer for Windows 10, but still even that is too vague. Simply telling me that I need those machines and being vague about which specific models will work is just bad reporting. You guys can do better than that.

If you look at one of my posts there's a link I put there that's got heaps of information about Bootcamp, it also lets you know which models support Windows 10.