How To Install Windows 7 Using Parallels 7 For Mac

Macs have a thriving ecosystem of software, but some programs still only support Windows. Whether you want to use business software or play Windows PC games, there are many ways to run Windows programs on your Mac.

• How To Install Windows 7 Using Parallels 7 For Macbook Pro
• Install Windows 7 On Imac
• Windows 7 On A Mac
• How To Install Windows 7 Using Dvd

Some of these methods are similar to the ways you can install Windows software on Linux or run Windows programs on a Chromebook. Virtual machines, dual-booting, the Wine compatibility layer, and remote desktop solutions are all included here.

I have been using Bootcamp for running Win 7 on my Macbook Pro for the last few years. Its essentially like running a standalone PC (on the mac hardware). As long as the hardware requirements match you should be able to run any software designed for windows.Also, the performance is limited only by the hardware. Continue to follow the install wizard’s commands and Windows should complete installing in around 30 minutes. When ready, head over to Startup Disk preferences (you can search for it using.

Virtual Machines

We recommend using a virtual machine program, ideally Parallels or VMWare Fusion, to run Windows applications on a Mac without rebooting. For maximum performance, which is particularly necessary for gaming, we recommend dual-booting Windows with Boot Camp instead.

A virtual machine is one of the best ways to run Windows desktop software. They allow you to install Windows and other operating systems in a window on your Mac desktop. Windows will think it’s running on a real computer, but it’s actually running inside a piece of software on your Mac.

You don’t have to use your Windows program in the virtual machine window, either—many virtual machine programs allow you to break Windows programs out of your virtual machine window so they can appear on your Mac desktop. However, they’re still running inside the virtual machine in the background.

You’ll need a Windows license to install Windows in a virtual machine. If you already have a product key, you can download Windows installation media for free and install it in a virtual machine program.

RELATED:How to Seamlessly Run Windows Programs on Your Mac with Parallels

Popular virtual machine programs for Mac include Parallels and VMware Fusion. Each of these is a paid program, so you’ll have to buy both a Windows license and a copy of your virtual machine program of choice. You can also use the completely free and open-source VirtualBox for Mac, but its 3D graphics support and Mac operating system integration aren’t as good. Parallels and VMWare Fusion both offer free trials, so you can try all these programs and decide which is best for you.

Note:We don’t often recommend paid software, but in the case of Parallels Desktop, it’s something we use at How-To Geek every single day for testing software and running Windows. The integration with macOS is amazingly well done, and the speed blows away VirtualBox. In the long run, the price is well worth it.

There’s one big downside to virtual machines: 3D graphics performance isn’t amazing, so this isn’t the best way to run Windows games on your Mac. Yes, it can work—especially with older games—but you won’t get the best performance, even in an ideal situation. Many games, especially newer ones, will be unplayable. That’s where the next option comes into play.

Boot Camp

RELATED:How to Install Windows on a Mac With Boot Camp

Apple’s Boot Camp allows you to install Windows alongside macOS on your Mac. Only one operating system can be running at a time, so you’ll have to restart your Mac to switch between macOS and Windows. If you’ve ever dual-booted Linux on your Windows PC, it’s just like that.

Installing Windows as a real operating system on your Mac is the best idea if you want to play Windows games or use demanding applications that need all the performance they can get. When you install Windows on your Mac, you’ll be able to use Windows and Windows applications with the maximum possible performance. Your Mac will perform as well as a Windows PC with the same specifications.

The downside here is that you can’t run macOS applications and Windows applications side-by-side at the same time. If you just want to run a Windows desktop application alongside your Mac applications, a virtual machine will probably be ideal. On the other hand, if you want to play the latest Windows games on your Mac, Boot Camp will be ideal.

As with virtual machines, you’ll need a Windows license to install Windows on your Mac.

Wine

RELATED:How to Run Windows Programs on a Mac With Wine

Wine originated on Linux. It’s a compatibility layer that allows Windows applications to run on other operating systems. Essentially, Wine is an attempt to rewrite the Windows code that applications depend on so they can run on other operating systems. This means that Wine is nowhere near perfect. It won’t run every Windows application, and will have bugs with many of them. The Wine AppDB can give you some idea of which applications are supported, although it focuses on Linux support.

Nevertheless, Wine is one way to try running Windows applications on a Mac. Because it doesn’t require you actually use Windows, you don’t need a Windows license to use Wine. It’s completely free. Just download Wine or WineBottler for macOS and see how well it works for your application.

CrossOver Mac

CodeWeavers’ CrossOver Mac is a paid application that will run Windows programs on Mac. It uses the open-source Wine code to accomplish this, but CrossOver provides a nice graphical interface and focuses on officially supporting popular programs. If an officially supported program doesn’t work, you can contact CodeWeavers and expect them to make it work for you. CodeWeavers contributes their improvements back to the open-source Wine project, so paying for CrossOver Mac also helps the Wine project itself.

CrossOver offers a free trial it you want to try it out first. You can also view a list of which programs run well on CrossOver before buying. While CrossOver focuses on compatibility, it’s still based on Wine, and won’t work with everything.

Most people will probably be happiest going for a virtual machine program and a Windows license. With CrossOver, you don’t need to run a Windows virtual machine—but, if you do run a Windows virtual machine, you’ll be able to run almost any Windows program with less risk of bugs. CrossOver does theoretically allow you to run Windows PC games on a Mac with better performance than you’d get in a virtual machine, but you’ll risk running into bugs and unsupported programs. Boot Camp may still be a better solution for that.

Remote Desktop

RELATED:How to Access Windows Remote Desktop Over the Internet

If you already have a Windows system, you could skip running Windows software on your Mac completely and use remote desktop software to access the Windows machine from your Mac’s desktop. Organizations with business software that runs on Windows can host Windows servers and make their applications available to Macs, Chromebooks, Linux PCs, iPads, Android tablet, and other devices. If you’re just a home user who also has a Windows PC, you could configure that Windows PC for remote access and connect to it whenever you need a Windows application. Bear in mind that this isn’t ideal for visually intensive applications like PC games.

If you’re a Chrome user, you can even use Chrome Remote Desktop to connect to a Windows PC running Chrome from your Mac running Chrome.

All these tricks obviously require more work than simply installing a Windows program on a Windows PC. If you have a Mac, you should focus on using Mac software when possible. Windows programs won’t be as integrated or work as well.

You may have to buy a Windows license for your Mac to get the best compatibility, whether you’re using a virtual machine or installing Windows in Boot Camp. Wine and CrossOver are nice ideas, but they aren’t perfect.

Image Credit: Roman Soto on Flickr

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You will need to first purchase a full version Windows 7 license for your computer:

Windows 7 - version comparisons:

How To Install Windows 7 Using Parallels 7 For Macbook Pro

MS Store Prices for Windows 7:

Purchase Windows 7 from the Microsoft Store

'When you purchase Windows 7 from Microsoft Store, you have the option to download an ISO file or compressed files'
http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/html/pbPage.Help_Software_Downloads#ms_help_topics_at1
Also read about the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool

Install Windows 7 On Imac

Software Downloads: http://www.store.microsoft.com/Help/Software-Downloads
# You will use your Windows Live ID to sign into your Microsoft Store Account. If you have forgotten your password or need to reset it, you can do so by clicking Forgot your password?
# After typing your email address and password, click Sign In.
# Under Purchase History, find the product that you purchased, and click Download.
select Windows 7 64 bit and proceed to download.

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Windows 7 On A Mac

The .exe and .box files you downloaded are not recognized by Mac OS X. You will need to move the 3 files to a Windows machine (Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7 machine will do), to make a bootable .ISO file you can burn to a blank DVD as a disc image:
http://www.mydigitallife.info/2009/10/23/how-to-create-and-make-bootable-windows-7-iso-from-exe-plus-setup1-box-and-setup2-box-files/
The Microsoft Store also provides the Windows 7 file as a single .ISO file you can burn on Mac OS X, see the instructions above for downloading the .ISO file which you can burn to a blank DVD in OS X.
Mac Tip: How toburn an .iso or .dmg file to disc
Go to the Microsoft Store website (http://store.microsoft.com), log in with your store account, select Download Options and select Windows 7 and proceed to download.
Installing Windows 7 on your Mac:
If you want the convenience of seamlessly switching between Windows and Mac OS X without rebooting everytime, then I strongly recommend you work with VMWare Fusion or Parallels.
If you want the native speed of running Windows 7 on the hardware, then I suggest you use the free built in Boot Camp that comes with Mac OS X and setup a partition to run Windows 7. This guarantees the best performance and you will be taking advantage of all of the hardware. The Boot Camp drivers will ensure that all components in the MacBook is working.
Please note, if you want to install Windows 7 in either a virtualization software or on a Boot Camp partition, you need a full version license:
Windows 7 - version comparisons:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/products/compare-editions
How to SurviveBoot Camp (and Run Win 7 on a Mac) - Gizmodo
Boot Camp: Windows 7 installation frequently asked questions

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How to install Windows 7 in Parallels:

How To Install Windows 7 Using Dvd

How to install Windows 7 in VMware Fusion

Windows 7 on Mac with VMware Fusion: A Practical ... - VMware
Running Windows on your Mac, is like running it on any other PC, it needs security software:
www.microsoft.com/windows/antivirus-partners/windows-7.aspx
You can download the free Microsoft Security Essentials if you cannot afford one:
http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials
Malware designed for Windows won't affect Mac OS X since they are designed differently, but both operating systems should have Antivirus software installed, both McAfee and Symantec develop AV programs that work on both platforms (you will to have purchase it separately though, I remember in the past Symantec has sold 2 for ones, so you can purchase a license that includes a copy of Norton for both Mac OS X and Windows). There is a small risk in malicious code targeting OS X, so I strongly recommend you get security software for it too.