Bootcamp but Windows Vista Digital Download?

[mfma223]

So I'm looking into putting Windows Vista onto my MBP. My university offers a free digital download of Windows Vista Ultimate (32-bit) that I'd like to use (rather than buying windows 7 outright, since I can also get a heavily discounted upgrade as well). Most of the BootCamp guides I've ready specifically state the need for an installation disc, and I haven't found any guides specific to my situation on the forum (sorry if they are there and I missed them). Is there anyway to use a digital download only? Would I need an external HD? Any advice would be great. I'm only moderately technically inclined, so feel free to spell things out explicitly for me. Thanks!

 

[blevins321]

My university's MSDN download of Vista was in .ISO form, which is a disk image similar to DMG. You can get a double layer disc at a store or online for a couple dollars. Then just burn the image to the disk using disk utility.

Edit: By double-layer disc I mean a double-layer DVD. They hold 8.something gigabytes.

 

[mfma223]

So essentially I can (probably) just download the file in Mac OSX to the desktop, and copy (burn) the file to the double-layer DVD? Will it function fully as an install disc at that point? Thanks for the help!

 

[blevins321]

So I just noticed what you said about Windows 7 upgrades. Installing 7 outright is a 100% more stable choice than installing Vista and upgrading. Especially because Microsoft doesn't lose out on any money from you. HERE is a guide on how to install a Windows 7 upgrade as a clean install. I would use the registry hack that is listed as step 2. It's the fastest way to do it.

 

[mfma223]

So assuming that any software I download form the university comes in the .iso format, is there anything special I need to do to make the .iso files useable when burned to a DVD? Is the .iso file automatically mounted when I burn it or will it just be copied as a data file? How do I mount the .iso file if I need to? Thanks for all the help!

 

[blevins321]

So assuming that any software I download form the university comes in the .iso format, is there anything special I need to do to make the .iso files useable when burned to a DVD? Is the .iso file automatically mounted when I burn it or will it just be copied as a data file? How do I mount the .iso file if I need to? Thanks for all the help!

After you download it and insert the blank DVD, open disk utility. Click the Burn Image button. It will prompt you to browse for the file, and it will burn the files as a bootable disk. You don't have to worry about mounting it or anything - disk utility will do that for you.

Edit: HERE is Apple's guide.