Boot Camp and Windows 8.1

[ivanwi11iams]

After having my iMac for a few months, I'm starting to use it more and more.
Currently, I'm researching Boot Camp and installing Windows 8.1. Well, actually, Windows is being installed as we speak.

Do any of you here have Windows (any version) installed on your iMac?
Any obvious problems you've come across?

To be honest, it isn't that I need Windows on my iMac, I'm merely trying it, to say I did it myself (if that makes sense).

What would be nice, would to be to be working on the Mac OS, and 'quickly' get to Windows, if needed. For example, if I needed Quicken (heard that there are plenty of issues on the Mac version)...

 

[Gjwilly]

After having my iMac for a few months, I'm starting to use it more and more.
Currently, I'm researching Boot Camp and installing Windows 8.1. Well, actually, Windows is being installed as we speak.

Do any of you here have Windows (any version) installed on your iMac?
Any obvious problems you've come across?

To be honest, it isn't that I need Windows on my iMac, I'm merely trying it, to say I did it myself (if that makes sense).

What would be nice, would to be to be working on the Mac OS, and 'quickly' get to Windows, if needed. For example, if I needed Quicken (heard that there are plenty of issues on the Mac version)...

If your Mac has switchable graphics, Windows will only use the dedicated graphics -- expect hotter temps and shorter battery life. That's probably the biggest problem anyone would encounter.
For quick access to Windows you could try running it virtually within OS X by using a program like Fusion, Parallels, or VirtualBox.

 

[ivanwi11iams]

Now looking into VMWare Fusion and Parallels. I have both copies, need to test them.
Does anyone prefer one over the other? Thanks in advance.

Also, I noticed last night, after installing Windows 8.1, my Logitech MX Master mouse wouldn't work. I had to add it as a device via Bluetooth. And, I understand why. The issue I have is that, after booting back into OS X, I had to repair my MX Master with OS X. That would be annoying if dual booting...

 

[Gjwilly]

Fusion got a bad name recently when they laid off their entire development team and took development offshore.
It is however leaner and less resource hungry than Parallels.
Its also cheaper in that one license is good for three computers and they usually only charge for updates after every other OSX upgrade. Parallels is good for one computer only and they charge for updates after every OSX upgrade.

 

[mmomega]

After having my iMac for a few months, I'm starting to use it more and more.
Currently, I'm researching Boot Camp and installing Windows 8.1. Well, actually, Windows is being installed as we speak.

Do any of you here have Windows (any version) installed on your iMac?
Any obvious problems you've come across?

To be honest, it isn't that I need Windows on my iMac, I'm merely trying it, to say I did it myself (if that makes sense).

What would be nice, would to be to be working on the Mac OS, and 'quickly' get to Windows, if needed. For example, if I needed Quicken (heard that there are plenty of issues on the Mac version)...

I have Windows 10 Pro installed on an '09, '10, '11, 12, '13 iMac and close to 30 Mac Mini's.
The only one I had issues with was the 2011 and that was only because I removed the SuperDrive way back so when it came around to putting Windows on it, as Bootcamp at the time would only install on a Mac that had an internal Superdrive if you used the internal Superdrive. No externals would work.
I ended up cloning the drive for the 2009, put it in the '11 and it fired right up and that was with Win 8, then 8.1, now 10.

Since that I have a USB Win10 installer that hasn't failed me yet. Most of the time I don't use the BootCamp drivers unless there is something specific on the Mac that I can't find a driver for. Then I'll go through the BootCamp package and only install the drivers needed.

 

[ivanwi11iams]

Finally installed Parallels, and using the 14 day trial. Thus far, I'm impressed! Nothing like having Windows available on the fly.

Now to learn how to make sure this is backed up, somehow. Can the Parallel Virtual Machine (Windows 8.1), be backed up via Time Machine?