Doing without Bootcamp

[Sk4z]

Hi,

I 'd like to change the HDD on a macbook air, and make a dual boot OSX/Windows. Can I proceed like that?

- Plug the new HDD on USB
- Create 2 partitions with DiskUtility
- Clone OSX with CCCloner to the first partition
- switch the HDDs
- Launch Windows installation from usb stick to the second partition

Thank for your answers

 

[jdechko]

Seems like it might work, but I think that Bootcamp might be a better way:

1) Swap drives (I'm assuming you're getting an enclosure for the SSD)
2) Clone OS X from old drive to new drive via CCC
3) Run Bootcamp Assistant
4) Install Windows

Running Bootcamp assistant in step 3 will partition the drive for you just the same, but it will also lessen the chance of an error when cloning the drive. I realize that you said you wanted to avoid Bootcamp, but I think it's the better option, here

 

[Sk4z]

So, if it's the better option I will take this way.

In Step 2, you mean clone OSX to the whole new HDD, isn't it?
Then bootcamp will resize OSX for installing Windows, just like gparted for Ubuntu/Windows's dual boot?

One more question, can I use Windows usb installer?

Thank for your time and explanations.

 

[jdechko]

So, if it's the better option I will take this way.

In Step 2, you mean clone OSX to the whole new HDD, isn't it?
Then bootcamp will resize OSX for installing Windows, just like gparted for Ubuntu/Windows's dual boot?

One more question, can I use Windows usb installer?

Thank for your time and explanations.

Step 2, yes, clone OS X to a hard drive with one partition. The BootCamp assistant will handle the partitioning & resizing.

USB is actually the preferred method. I haven't done it, but some of the later versions of BootCamp Assistant will actually let you create a USB installer from an iso. They'll even copy the necessary drivers to the USB so that they're ready to go.

Also, I'm not sure which machine you have, but you might want to check to make sure that the Windows version you're installing is supported. I think the 2015 models actually drop support for Win7. Just FYI.