Download windows 7 from MSDN to install on iMac?

[Hermes Monster]

Hola!

I'm new to the Mac world and am thinking of installing Windows 7 on there (not sure why, but think I might need it at some point!) - the question is..
.. can I download a copy from MSDN (Microsoft Developer Network I think it stands for) to my Mac, then rip it to a DVD and then install it? I assume I'll need something like parrallels, or boot camp?

Any advice greatly appreciated

Sorry if this is the wrong forum/section

 

[Hellhammer]

As long as it's full version of Windows, you can. Boot Camp comes with every Mac but if you want to run Windows along with OS X, then you need e.g. Parallels.

 

[Hermes Monster]

Thanks Hellhammer, just to clarify... Bootcamp will allow me to run one or the other, parallels will allow me to switch between the two? Is that right?

If that's the case, I think Bootcamp will be adequate!

 

[Hellhammer]

Thanks Hellhammer, just to clarify... Bootcamp will allow me to run one or the other, parallels will allow me to switch between the two? Is that right?

If that's the case, I think Bootcamp will be adequate!

Yes. Boot Camp allows you to natively boot to Windows, just like you're running OS X now. Parallels lets you run Windows inside OS X, e.g. in a window. Boot Camp is actually better as running two OSs at the same time is quite heavy but you have to reboot in order to use Windows.

 

[Panch0]

Hola!

I'm new to the Mac world and am thinking of installing Windows 7 on there (not sure why, but think I might need it at some point!) - the question is..
.. can I download a copy from MSDN (Microsoft Developer Network I think it stands for) to my Mac, then rip it to a DVD and then install it? I assume I'll need something like parrallels, or boot camp?

Any advice greatly appreciated

Sorry if this is the wrong forum/section

If you can get the .iso form MSDN, then yes you can use it to install on Bootcamp or within VMWare Fusion or Parallels Desktop. If I recall correctly however, MSDN Subscriber downloads are IE Only, so you may need a Windows system to get the download to happen.

My experience has been that the only time bootcamp is worthwhile is for gaming. A VM has been satisfactory for all other tasks for me. The video performance of a VM is always the bottleneck, so if your windows use is video heavy (gaming, photo/video editing, CAD), then by all means Bootcamp it. For lighter tasks, like accessing sites that only work in IE, or even programming in Visual Studio, a VM can fit the bill and is extremely convenient.

 

[Hermes Monster]

Thanks panch0, good advice and I wasn't aware of the IE only issue. I vaguely remember seeing a Mac VM download on there today, but now can't help but wonder how you're expected to get it on the Mac if it's IE only to d/l

 

[Mal]

The Mac VM download might be setup differently if it's intended to be used on a Mac, but the Windows XP and Vista downloads I did through MSDN did require a PC. They had a little program that downloaded first and then did the download and burning process. It was of course a Windows executable.

jW

 

[Rawn]

The Mac VM download might be setup differently if it's intended to be used on a Mac, but the Windows XP and Vista downloads I did through MSDN did require a PC. They had a little program that downloaded first and then did the download and burning process. It was of course a Windows executable.

jW

This. I had to log into a Windows computer to download anything from MSDN. The download manager they make you use to download stuff doesn't support OS X. But once you have the .iso you can just burn it to disc and install Windows on Bootcamp or Fusion or whatever.