MBA and Virtual Windows

[jmfel1926]

Hello i am new to mac , i want to install windows if that is possible on my mac.

1)can anyone send me a link with how to do that?

2)Also i have read that i must choose how much Ram i want to give to windows and how much disk space. I have a 2012 MBA i5/128/8 , so what is your opinion? i will use windows for basic things nothing more.

3)if i don't want to keep windows will i be able to uninstall them as any other programm or i should do something else ?

 

[PaulKemp]

Hello i am new to mac , i want to install windows if that is possible on my mac.

1)can anyone send me a link with how to do that?

2)Also i have read that i must choose how much Ram i want to give to windows and how much disk space. I have a 2012 MBA i5/128/8 , so what is your opinion? i will use windows for basic things nothing more.

3)if i don't want to keep windows will i be able to uninstall them as any other programm or i should do something else ?

Hi! Congrats on the move. There are different options you can try.

a) You can dual boot windows and OS X with a built in 'program' called bootcamp thats bundled with your Mac OS. This is fairly easy set up with the bootcamp wizard.

b) You can run Windows in a virtual environment, with programs like Parallels 8 or VMWare Fusion 5. Both offers a try before you buy. So you can try out both of them. They will let you install Windows as a virtual machine from within OS X, and run windows specific applications if you want.

Personally ive tried Parallels and Fusion, and I like Fusion the best. But try them both out and see what you like. Its easy to set up a Windows VM on both. You just need the windows .iso file. Good luck and post questions and I'll try to help.

as for guides, I would just try it, and google the issues you are having. Its easy. But, if you like google howto guides.

Download links:

• Parallels 8
• VMWare Fusion 5

 

[jmfel1926]

thx for the answer !

well which is more efficient ? if i have understood correctly in dual boot mode i have to create a partition to windows.(i currently have a desktop dual boot w7 and ubuntu). i have read some things about choosing how much ram i want to give to w7 ... is it on the partition choice ?

as far as the VM thing ... it is like a program that i will have on my dock ? and when i run it , i will be able to run only programs or i it is like i have the whole windows 7 ?

 

[Bobby.e]

Both ways, Bootcamp and VM require a full windows install.

 

[PaulKemp]

thx for the answer !
well which is more efficient ? if i have understood correctly in dual boot mode i have to create a partition to windows.(i currently have a desktop dual boot w7 and ubuntu). i have read some things about choosing how much ram i want to give to w7 ... is it on the partition choice ?

as far as the VM thing ... it is like a program that i will have on my dock ? and when i run it , i will be able to run only programs or i it is like i have the whole windows 7 ?

I would read up if I were you.

With bootcamp and dual boot, you have to boot into windows and run the applications. This is better cause the windows installation will have full, direct access to all your hardware (ram, cpu, and associated disk size). However, you have to boot into it. Reboot your machine, press a key, choose windows.

With using a virtual machine, you run windows in a virtual environment. The windows installation will not get full access to all your hardware. There is some overhead due to the fact that it is a virtual machine. So for intensive applications, this will not be so good. Playing gfx intensive games etc will not work as good as it does in bootcamp. And here, you can assign let's say 2gb of your total memory to the windows virtual machine. And the Windows installation will not see more than those 2 gb's and behave thereafter.

However, with VMWare Fusion, you have the option to use both. You assign a suited disk size (50gb), make a partition. Install windows and install Apple drivers within Windows. Then, when you boot into OS X again, you'll have the option to run the bootcamp installation as a virtual machine. In this way, maintaining the windows os, with software upgrades and those tedious normal os maintenance things. And then, when you need windows to use the full potential of your mac (lets say you want to game a Windows only game). You'll just boot into windows with bootcamp again.

And in regards to your second question. Yes, it is a separate application you launch and then use windows form within that application (VMWare Fusion), but Parallels lets you actually run windows applications from the application bar in OS X. Just use youtube to get a quick look at how they work. It's way easier than me trying to explain how they work.

 

[Hirakata]

Hello i am new to mac , i want to install windows if that is possible on my mac.

1)can anyone send me a link with how to do that?

http://www.apple.com/support/bootcamp/

2)Also i have read that i must choose how much Ram i want to give to windows and how much disk space. I have a 2012 MBA i5/128/8 , so what is your opinion? i will use windows for basic things nothing more.

If you use Bootcamp, Windows will use all of your RAM. Your Mac will run as any other PC with Windows installed. If you choose a VM, you will need to allot a certain amount of RAM for Windows.

3)if i don't want to keep windows will i be able to uninstall them as any other programm or i should do something else ?

Yes. If using Bootcamp, you'll just delete the partition created. If using a VM you'll just move the VM to the Trash.

well which is more efficient ? if i have understood correctly in dual boot mode i have to create a partition to windows.(i currently have a desktop dual boot w7 and ubuntu). i have read some things about choosing how much ram i want to give to w7 ... is it on the partition choice ?

No. Only the VM choice. If using Bootcamp, your MBA will be like any other PC running Windows.

as far as the VM thing ... it is like a program that i will have on my dock ? and when i run it , i will be able to run only programs or i it is like i have the whole windows 7 ?

Correct. It's an application on your dock. You will need to install windows within the VM. Because your MBA will be running both OS X and Windows at the same time, it will require more computer resources, and thus be slower than dual booting using Bootcamp. But since you will be doing only "basic things", that should not be a problem.

 

[jmfel1926]

ok ... i think i will choose VM ...i want windows only for a few things not for games and stuff like that ... when i don't want VM anymore is it easy to uninstall? will my SSD be like before or it will have the partition and i will have to do something else in order to bring my mac to its first state? also where do i find the drivers?

 

[PaulKemp]

ok ... i think i will choose VM ...i want windows only for a few things not for games and stuff like that ... when i don't want VM anymore is it easy to uninstall? will my SSD be like before or it will have the partition and i will have to do something else in order to bring my mac to its first state? also where do i find the drivers?

You just delete the virtual hard drive (Windows) and unintall the Hypervisor (virtualization platform). And the space once used for the VM is back. There will be no changes other than the size used for the windows machine.

Drivers will not be a issue, the virtual machine software installs the drivers needed.

 

[Hirakata]

ok ... i think i will choose VM ...i want windows only for a few things not for games and stuff like that ... when i don't want VM anymore is it easy to uninstall?

Yes. Just move the application and the VM file the application created to the trash.

will my SSD be like before or it will have the partition and i will have to do something else in order to bring my mac to its first state? also where do i find the drivers?

If using a VM, there will be no additional partition created. You'll just have your OS X partition. Don't worry about drivers. The VM application (or Bootcamp if using that) and Windows will take care of all that.

 

[aristobrat]

as far as the VM thing ... it is like a program that i will have on my dock ? and when i run it , i will be able to run only programs or i it is like i have the whole windows 7 ?

Check out the demo video VMWare has on the top of their page here:
http://www.vmware.com/products/fusion/overview.html

It shows migrating an already existing Windows machine over to VMWare on your Mac, as well as setting up a new copy of Windows on your Mac. It also shows the different ways of interacting with a VM running Windows on your Mac.

Unless you're doing intensive video things in Windows, I'd consider going the VM route (instead of dual-booting with Boot Camp). You don't have to worry about partitioning with a VM. Instead, you tell the VM software the maximum size of your Windows drive (say 100GB), and the VM software stores everything in a file on your Mac, and grows the file as needed. So if you tell it a maximum size of 100GB, but after you install Windows and your apps, you've only used 15GB, the size of the file on your Mac will only be 15GB. Windows thinks it has 100GB, and as you add more files to Windows, the file size on your Mac will grow (up to the maximum you told it). This solves the problem with dual-boot where you have to partition your drive, and the instant you partition, you lose the space. Say you partition your Windows drive for 100GB, but never use more than 30GB. Well, that other 70GB just sits there, wasted. Your Mac can't use it for anything since it's physically partitioned off, unless you do a bunch of steps to try to reclaim the space (which can be risky, and is generally a total pain in the butt).

I run a Windows 7 VM (on VMWare Fusion) all day at work. I gave it 3GB of RAM (because I run a lot of Windows programs at the same time) and it performs very well for me. With a VM, you can change the amount of RAM that is dedicated to it anytime. So if you initially configure it with 2GB of RAM and that's not enough, you just shut the VM down, configure it for more RAM, and start it up again.

Anyhow, I'd check out the different videos on VMWare Fusion's website, as well as Parallel Desktop, to see what you can pick up from them.

As far as I know, both of them offer free trail versions, and have ways to migrate an existing Windows machine over to a VM on your Mac, so you might try playing around with the trial and see what you can learn.

 

[jmfel1926]

thank you guys for the answers ! they were very helpful ! i will try it out !

 

[PaulKemp]

You're welcome. Let us know if you have any issues or questions.

 

[twintin]

Another advantage with a VM is that the disk space used dynamically expands as you use it up to the limit you have set. In that way you don't waste disk space unnecessarily.

I would also suggest you take a look at virtualbox VM. It's comletely free and works very well.

 

[sillyrabbitt]

been running fusion for years it gets my vote. i love it because its like left brain right brain thingy to me. i run both at the same time mac is left brain and windows is like right and its as if i have two computers with two different mindsets. works for me! glty

 

[FHayek]

I run a Windows 7 VM (on VMWare Fusion) all day at work. I gave it 3GB of RAM (because I run a lot of Windows programs at the same time) and it performs very well for me. With a VM, you can change the amount of RAM that is dedicated to it anytime. So if you initially configure it with 2GB of RAM and that's not enough, you just shut the VM down, configure it for more RAM, and start it up again.

Nice thread, and nice informative reply. Question, what Windows' applications areyou running on the 3GB of RAM? I hope to purchase a 13"/i5/25/8 and use a VM to run Office 2010 and am curious what you are running. You seem pleased with 3 GB RAM for the VW, correct?

FH

 

[aristobrat]

Nice thread, and nice informative reply. Question, what Windows' applications areyou running on the 3GB of RAM? I hope to purchase a 13"/i5/25/8 and use a VM to run Office 2010 and am curious what you are running. You seem pleased with 3 GB RAM for the VW, correct

Sorry for the late reply, I just noticed this.

I usually have 6-8 network management apps running, which use a lot more resources than Office 2010 would.

I'm happy with 3 GB of RAM. You may be able to get by with as little as 2 GB.

FWIW, I've also had good luck with Office for Mac, but I'm a fairly light-weight user. Anything Office I've made/modified on my Mac has come across great when Windows folks at work have opened them.

 

[dkl]

Nobody seemed to have mentioned VirtualBox... It's free and works well for me! I've got XP in a VirtualBox for the office legacy stuff!

 

[tiwizard]

Nobody seemed to have mentioned VirtualBox... It's free and works well for me! I've got XP in a VirtualBox for the office legacy stuff!

VirtualBox is free and works great, but you miss out on features like Coherence or Unity in Parallels/VMWare Fusion, which can be really useful. Really, they are just for convenience, but some people may find it worth the $50-70. In some cases, VirtualBox will also not perform as well as the paid options, so you have to make the choice for yourself and determine if the cost is worth the benefits.

For more info on running Windows using Bootcamp or a Virtual Machine, including how much RAM/HDD space to allocate, I posted a guide here.