Pc Software: How to install Windows on a Mac: Run Windows 8 and 10 on OS X

How to install Windows on a Mac: Run Windows 8 on OS X - How to run Windows on Mac. Run Windows 8 or Windows 10 on your Apple Mac today

How to install Windows on a Mac. How to run Windows on OS X. Run Windows 8 or Windows 10 on your OS X MacBook, iMac, Mac mini, or Mac Pro.

One of the key benefits of buying and running an Apple Mac or MacBook is that you can have the best of all worlds. Ever since Apple's transition to Intel processors in 2006 the Apple Mac has been the only device on which you can run OS X and Windows, and their supporting applications. You can run Windows on any Mac bought since 2006 (you can run Windows on older Macs, too, but for the sake of simplicity this piece focuses on post-Intel Apple Macs).

Install Windows on Mac: Two ways to run Windows on a Mac

There are two ways to run Windows on a Mac, both of which will require you to purchase a Windows licence. The simplest way is to boot into Windows at startup and use your Mac as a Windows PC throughout your computing session. This is easy to do because the required feature - Boot Camp - is built into OS X. It also offers the best performance because your Mac's hardware is dedicated only to running the Windows OS.

The other option is to use virtualization software. This is marginally more complicated to do and requires a third-party application such as Parallels Desktop for Mac or VMware Fusion. It means you can switch rapidly from Mac to Windows, but it does mean that your Mac's processor, memory and so on are having to run two OSes simultaneously. It can make for slower performance.

Install Windows on Mac: Run Windows on a Mac using Boot Camp

Here's to use Boot Camp to run Windows on your Mac. You can follow this process in the video, above.

First, you will need Windows installation media - either a DVD or a bootable USB drive. You'll also need to download and install to a USB drive the OS X Windows install drivers, so make sure you have a spare thumb drive handy.

Let's begin. Boot your Mac, and navigate to Applications, Utilities. Double click to open Boot Camp assistant. Now set the partition size for a Windows installation. You'll need at least 16GB, but more is better here. Now click the Partition button.

Your Mac will restart. Insert your Windows install disk, and the Mac will boot to the disc running the Windows installation process. You will be asked where to install Windows - point it at the Bootcamp partition. Now click Drive options (advanced). With the Bootcamp volume still selected click Format.

Windows will now install in a process that will take a few minutes. When prompted, remove the installation media. Your Mac will now boot into Windows. Now, whenever you open up your Mac, if you hold down Option you can select to boot into Windows or OS X. And that is how to run Windows on Mac

Install Windows on Mac: Run Windows on Mac using virtualisation: VMware or Parallels?

You can use the method of virtualisation to run any x86 OS on your Mac. This could be a Linux operating system, for instance. Virtualisation uses software to create a virtual machine, actually using your Mac's hardware but in all other respects appearing to be a separate computer. This way you can use OS X and Windows on the same Mac, at the same time, without having to reboot. This is a drag on your hardware so you'll need at least 2GB of RAM in your Mac for it to work well.

You'll also need either Parallels Desktop for Mac or VMware Fusion. Both run Windows in a separate window alongside Mac OS X. Each also allows you to run Windows applications from inside OS X - you can place Windows software in your Mac's Dock, for instance.

If you want to understand which is best for your circumstances, read PC Advisor's piece VMware vs Parallels: which is best? Parallels costs more but offers more functionality. You may find it works best for you.

Install Windows on Mac: How to use VMware Fusion to run Windows on Mac

Here we'll show you how to use VMware Fusion to run Windows and OS X on your Mac. The process is broadly similar for Parallels. In both cases you'll need a Windows licence key and installation media, so follow the steps outlined at the beginning of our Boot Camp walk through.

First you need to downoad VMware Fusion from the VMware website. It costs £35 but, happily, there's a free trial.

Once you've downloaded it the VMware Fusion disk image will be saved to your default download directory. Find it, and double click the VMware .dmg file, to mount it.

Double-click the VMware Fusion icon to launch the Installation Assistant and follow the instructions to install VMware Fusion.

Once it is installed, launch VMware Fusion on your Mac. The Virtual Machine Library window will launch, from which you can create a virtual machine. Now you can use VMware Fusion's Windows Easy Install feature to automatically install Windows and VMware Tools in your virtual machine.

From the Virtual Machine Library window, click the New button or choose File, New. The New Virtual Machine Assistant launches.

Click Continue to go through to the Operating System panel. Now you can select an operating system and version for your virtual machine. In the Name panel, enter the name for the virtual machine in the Save as field.

In the Virtual Hard Disk panel, set the maximum size for the virtual hard disk. You need to set aside enough space that your virtual machine will work well, but not impinge on the original OS X install. Go in to the Advanced Disk Options section if you want to allocate all possible disk space, or one of several other more high-end features.

In the Windows Easy Install panel, select Use Easy Install. Enter your Name, Password (optional) and the Windows Product key. The product key is the long series of letters and numbers on the Windows DVD box or sent to you via email when you downloaded Windows. 'Name' should just be the name to which your Windows software is registered, not your Windows username. 'Password' will be your Windows administrator account password.

Now you'll go to the Finish dialog. Leave selected the option 'Start virtual machine and install operating system now'. Input your Windows 8 installation media and select the option 'Use operating system installation disc' if it is on DVD, or 'Use operating system installation disc image file' if it is a USB stick. In the case of the latter you'll have to browse to the image file.

Now click Finish and put on the kettle. VMware Fusion will install Windows. This will take up to 45 minutes, and once it is done you can boot to Windows at any time by going to VMware Fusion from within OS X.

Install Windows on Mac: Can I run Mac OS X on Windows?

In a word: no. It is one of those ironies that although Microsoft is famed for commercial practice, Apple is responsible for this particular impasse. Although you can run Windows on any X86 computer, Apple makes its own OS X software available only on Mac software. Overtly the reasoning is laudable: OS X is designed to run on Apple's own hardware, and the experience wouldn't be as good on any old computer. This is one reason why you will never run an underpowered Mac.

But it is also fair to say that Apple creates software in order to sell hardware. The excellence of OS X is a killer app when it comes to selling Macs, and it doesn't want to share. So if you want to experience the best of all worlds, you need to run Windows on your Mac.