Installing windows through bootcamp?

[maluther]

Hi guys,

New to the mac world so I'm stumbling through posts trying to find some answers on this topic. I bought this laptop while I work on my graduate degree and because of that I get loads of free software through my university.

I'm trying to take advantage of the fact that my school is letting us download a free copy of windows. I'd like to be able to run it through bootcamp and just install it off their website. I'm looking for a guide that gives a step by step if possible to do something like this. I keep finding things that seem to assume a better understanding of mac than I currently have.

I'm new to OS X and I'd really like to avoid doing something stupid to my new computer on day 1. There are some windows programs I'll need and a free mac version either doesn't exist or isn't offered through the university software catalog so I'll need to be able to boot in windows to use them otherwise I'd pass on the windows os.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[saturnotaku]

Installing Windows through Boot Camp requires the new operating system to be on some sort of media, be it a DVD (for Macs with an optical drive) or USB thumb drive (for Macs with no optical drive).

Your university should provide links to download Windows in .ISO format, which can be easily made into bootable media.

What Mac do you have?

 

[maluther]

Cool, looks like they have a way for me to save it to a thumb drive.

I have the base rmbp. 2.2 ghz i7 16gb ram 256 ssd etc. I like the larger screen and its very light so I have no issues with the weight. I like it more than I did the 13in i tried in the store.

The trackpad is excellent.

 

[saturnotaku]

Cool, looks like they have a way for me to save it to a thumb drive.

I have the base rmbp. 2.2 ghz i7 16gb ram 256 ssd etc. I like the larger screen and its very light so I have no issues with the weight. I like it more than I did the 13in i tried in the store.

The trackpad is excellent.

What you're (likely) downloading is an image file of the Windows install DVD. You need a program to convert that image to a format that can be read by the Boot Camp Assistant when you run it.

Have a blank 8 GB USB flash drive handy, and when you receive the link to download the image, do it on a Windows computer. Then run this free utility, which will copy the data to the flash drive so it will be recognizable as bootable media.

 

[Altemose]

What you're (likely) downloading is an image file of the Windows install DVD. You need a program to convert that image to a format that can be read by the Boot Camp Assistant when you run it.

Have a blank 8 GB USB flash drive handy, and when you receive the link to download the image, do it on a Windows computer. Then run this free utility, which will copy the data to the flash drive so it will be recognizable as bootable media.

That tool is for use in Windows and not OS X. OP must simply download the .iso from his school's link and there he or she can create a USB install disk inside of the Boot Camp Assistant.

 

[saturnotaku]

That tool is for use in Windows and not OS X.

Please read the post you're quoting more carefully before responding:

Have a blank 8 GB USB flash drive handy, and when you receive the link to download the image, do it on a Windows computer. Then run this free utility, which will copy the data to the flash drive so it will be recognizable as bootable media.

OP must simply download the .iso from his school's link and there he or she can create a USB install disk inside of the Boot Camp Assistant.

Further, I've found Boot Camp Assistant to not always be reliable when creating installation media. The Windows tool has always worked 100% of the time for me and is simple to use.

 

[Altemose]

Further, I've found Boot Camp Assistant to not always be reliable when creating installation media. The Windows tool has always worked 100% of the time for me and is simple to use.

Boot Camp Assistant used to be less reliable but version 4 and up has been flawless in my experience.

 

[maflynn]

Further, I've found Boot Camp Assistant to not always be reliable when creating installation media. The Windows tool has always worked 100% of the time for me and is simple to use.

I've never had a problem, as long as the OP has an ISO image, bootcamp assistant should be able to create a bootable thumb drive.