Installation of Windows: first bootcamp or Parallels?

Hi Folks, I just need to install windows 7 (maybe also vista) via bootcamp and via parallels 6. So I need to now which one I have to install first: bootcamp or parallels?

Depends
Bootcamp= Gives windows all the power of your mac (like memory and CPU performance)
Parallels= Runs Windows on top of Mac.
It depends on what you are doing if you are doing heavy tasks then Bootcamp. But if not then Parallels is a great.
If you have not bought Parallels then I would try VirtualBox (Link) its the same thing as Parallels but its free.

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Run Windows via BootCamp or Parallels Desktop?

I recently picked up a mid-2011 11" MacBook Air (2GB RAM, 64GB storage) and am wondering it it is possible to run Windows on this configuration via either BootCamp or Parallels Desktop?

If Ross-Tech is only vendor, answer is a yes, but with caveats.
Will there be a Mac or Linux version?
There will be no "native" Mac or Linux versions. The time and effort required to "port" VCDS to these platforms would never be worthwhile. VCDS works fine on Apple Mac computers that have Intel processors (all modern Macs) when Windows is installed on them using Boot Camp. Most computers that are used to run Linux can also boot Windows. If you do not wish to install Windows, we now offer a platform-independent version of VCDS called "VCDS-Mobile".
PS there is a mobile version found it via
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=434608
http://www.ross-tech.com/vcds-mobile/index.html

DVD optical drive no longer works with Windows under bootcamp or parallels

For some strange reason, the DVD optical drive- Optiarc 5680 on my 27" iMac, no longer works anymore with Windows under Parallels or Bootcamp. It used to work perfectly fine before, but now it just shows up with a yellow exclamation mark under Device Manager and Code 39 "Windows cannot load the device driver..."
The DVD drive continues to still work fine with OSX. But it won't work anymore under Windows via Parallels or bootcamp, despite trying to uninstall the optical device drivers, update, reinstall, etc. Anybody else experiencing this or have any ideas?

Finally found the solution for anybody else who runs into this problem. It was solved by doing a registry mod in Windows from this site:
http://aumha.org/win5/a/xpcd.php#problems
described in “My CD drives have vanished (from Explorer, Device Manager, etc.)”
After applying the registry changes the DVD optical drive worked instantly again with Windows....sigh...guess I can't blame the Mac on this one.

Which performs better for windows development, bootcamp or parallels?

I have an imac at home and am using parallels to host a w7 vm, wherein I do some web and db development. It is quite sluggish at times. I think i may need to tweak the config to perhaps allocate more ram to it but i'm not sure. I just picked up a macbook pro gen2 i7 and before I install a w7 vm or parttition i was wondering which is better, parallels or bootcamp? I do like the interactivity that parallels gives me with respect to files between the w7 vm and lion, but am wondering it that is perhaps the achilles heal when it comes to performance.
what's the preferred route by other developers out there?
Thanks!

that's what i thought. thanks for confirming. it sounds like i might be able to use parallels ALSO later on to access the windows bootcamp partition, based on reading another thread.

Using a previous installation of Windows with Bootcamp

Hello,
I wondering if this is possible. We have a Dell 64bit machine that had some hardware failure so the user has sent up a purchase order for a new MacPro. His hard drive, with Windows XP Pro SP2 64bit, is fine and contains his installation of the Adobe CS2 Suite, MacroMedia Studio Suite and most importantly 3D Studio Max. What we're wondering is this, since we don't have an Intel-based Mac here to test with, can we install the SATA drive from the Dell into the MacPro and have the startup see the Windows installation on the secondary drive. If this is possible this would save a lot of time not to mention the transition from 3D Studio Max to Maya. I didn't see anything like this in the discussion but if someone has some information or a link to a previous discussion that would be great. Thanks for any help offered!
Tracy

I doubt this is possible, and even if it was, it would not be advisable to use an OS that was installed on one computer, then move the installation to a computer with a different processor architecture. Doing that is asking for trouble.
If you have any further questions about Bootcamp, I suggest you post them in Apple's Bookcamp discussion forum.

BootCamp or Parallels 6? Windows 7 or Windows XP?

Hello all!
I have this question that has been haunting me for a pretty long time, but now that I got a copy of windows XP and windows 7, I've decided to ask and get rid of this dilemma.
So, first let me give you the main directions:
1- I have a 15" 2010 model, macbook pro core i5 2,4.
2- I need the longest-lasting battery life. Even if the difference is only 15-30 minutes, that's a lot for me.
3- I need windows for playing games.
Based on that, should I use windows 7 or XP, for better battery life?
How about performance, is windows XP so much faster than 7?
And finally, considering what's above, should I run windows with bootcamp or parallels 6?
Thanks!

timelover wrote:
BobTheFisherman wrote:
This is becoming very confusing given you are asking questions in two threads.
You should/can only install one version of Windows using Bootcamp. I'd go with Windows 7. If you install Windows using Bootcamp to take advantage of all the computer's resources (better gaming performance), you can then if you want install Parallels and tell Parallels to use your Bootcamp installion of Windows 7. Then to get best performance boot into Windows 7 for gaming and if you want you can start parallels with the same Windows 7 installation for running other Windows programs.
You seem to be under the impression that you need to install Windows using Bootcamp and again using Parallels. You don't install Windows twice. You install Windows using Bootcamp once then tell Parallels to use this same installation as its target OS.
Hey you were the one that told me to ask my questions over here!
True. But you continued posting over there.
I'm aware that I dont need to install windows twice. I will install it using bootcamp for gaming, mainly.
Good. XP is no longer supported by Microsoft so you won't get security updates. IMHO, install Windows 7 and move on. Windows 7 has many advantages over XP including: more secure, supported, better user interface, better networking, etc.
However, i've read that when you are running OSX and then use parallels, there were supposed to be a difference in terms of performance if you choose the "already installed by bootcamp windows partition", instead of letting parallels create it's own partition from the windows installation DVD.
Whenever you run an OS in Parallels or any other similar software such as Fusion, you get a performance hit because Parallels uses part of your computer's resources and OSx uses part of your computer's resources. For example, if your computer has 4GB of RAM, Parallels will use say 2GB for Windows and OSx will use 2 GB for OSx. If you install Windows using Bootcamp, Windows can use all 4GB of your computer's RAM.(You need to install the 64bit version of Windows to take advantage of more than 3GB of RAM.
I need to know that to make the decision: use windows XP or windows 7 with parallels, since I'd like to be on OSX but, at the same time, have the possibility of pressing a button and switching to Windows.
That is what Parallels allows. If you install Windows (either version) using Bootcamp then specify in Parallels to use the Bootcamp installation of Windows as the target OS you can be in OSx then start up Parallels showing a Windows with Windows 7 (or XP depending on what you installed using Bootcamp) running in it. Or, because you installed Windows (either version) using Bootcamp, you have the option of booting Windows natively, without running OSx at any time to benefit from the performance advantage for running games. Regardless of whether you boot Windows from within Parallels or natively, it is the same Windows installation, and associated data files, that you are running and accessing.
What's really on my mind is this: Is Seven outperformed by XP when on a VM, like parallels? If so, can Seven overcome this disadvantage by the process of choosing the bootcamp installation instead of creating a new one?
The issue is running any version of Windows in Parallels will result in less performance than running any version of Windows natively from the Bootcamp partition.
If windows XP runs smoother/has better performance, I'll go with XP. If Seven has the leverage, i'll go with it.
XP never ran "smooter" than Windows 7 for many reasons: stability, age, security, etc. etc.
Thanks

Installation of Windows 8.1 in the Maverick Bootcamp Issues

When installin the Windows 8.1 on the Bootcamp partition of the OS X Mavericks. I have removed the original optic drive and placed it in a seperate case connected USB. The Bootcamp 5.1 (and 5) have both been used to attempt the installation. The Bootcamp partition is created. Once the two check boxes have been selected (I have assumed that the first check box must only be done once in order to save this to the USB flash drive). Upon the Bootcamp Assistant recognizing this installation a pop up will tell you to give the disc a few seconds to recognize the you click the OKAY box. The desktop will fade out and the Apple loader (circle will be in view). The desktop will then reboot to what appears to be the installing of the windows disc. Upon the self reboot the screen will go to a quick gray (5-10 seconds) then default to a Blackout screen with a flashing cursor in the top left corner (this is the same quick screen that occurs whenever WIndows 7 or 8 is in it's boot initial start). Now from hear the installation never continues. At this point I have tried the methods and have spent 8 hours with both the LeveL 2 technicians at APPLE and MICROSOFT. To no avail!!!! There would appear to be a conflict between the Windows EFI files at booting the windows and the Bootcamp assistant installation commands for the partition booting for install. Nobody as of yet has come up with the solution or answer/fix. If anyone has seen this or has found a work around for this issue. Please feel free to post. I feel this is either a very simple issue that we are all overlooking or this has not been addressed as of yet. As I understand both parties are saying that they have been getting many calls regarding this issue but have not understood why it is occurring. I will be will to post different scenarios that have been attemted. Again if anyone has seen this and/or found a way to make this work please post you methods and/or thoughts. Oh by the way, all of the installations directions dealing with the Windows step by step instruction from both Windows and Apple have not worked. If the hard reboot is done and holding the option key (therefore giving you your drive selection options) you can see the Windows disc in the external drive but it will not boot to that drive. This leads us to believe that the USB is the conflict with the Windows EFI files. We have attempet this also from the Flash drive installation using the .iso but upon the hard reboot/option start the flash drive .iso file is not available for disc selection. This has led me to think that a .iso copy could be placed on the new bootcamp partion (in the Disk utility application) but I am uncertain if this could be booted form the hard reboot/option startup. Just some thoughts. So again, our final stage is staring at a Black screen with a cursor flashing, oh and there is no keyboard entry recognized at this point. In order to exit you must hard reboot/option restart to get back to the Mac HD. Looking forward to your ideas folks!

Okay, new update! As of today, I have been able to finally create a .ISO bootable flash drive that contains the new Windows 8.1 Pro. Once the bootcamp partition has been made I can now interrupt the reboot process and using the Option Key select the new EFI bootable Windows disk (on USB) it's orange. The Windows begins to load and takes me through a few steps of selecting language and enter the product key. Then we move on to the selection of the partition that is to be used for the installation of Windows. Here is where I have tried several different types of things but have not been able to get through to the installing. Depending on what selection was made during the Bootcamp partitioning installation from my Utilities in Mavericks will depend on the faults that I get. If I choose to erase and make a new installation on the new bootcamp partition then during the Windows installation (at the partitioning step) I will get the error that Windows cannot be installed on the MBR disk (Master Boot) and must be done on the GPT disk. If I try any of the disk options at this point it will either delete the partition (and cannot ADD a new partion) therefore I am forced to return back out to the Mac HD OS and restart the Bootcamp process OR If in the Bootcamp set up I choose the first option to make a partition for the Windows installation then once I get into the partitioning set up for the Windows install it says the same thing. Now I have also attempted all of the other options even the load drivers option (assuming that maybe this will allow me to load disk drivers to read the Bootcamp HD) Nope, still no continuing on to installation. I have read many days on several other methods used in the Forum. By the way, thanks for all the posts it has allowed me to be able try just about everything to include the cloning of the Info.plist files and teminal authorizations for USB and so on. I'm not a supertech but have been able to find my way around with some difficulties. The real issue here is that Apple and Microsoft have yet to make this process very easy even for someone who has some experience with this. I have loaded Windows 7 on several other Macbook Pros operating earlier versions of the OS X but this has become absolutely too time consumming to ever wish to continue to operate MAC products in my preferred Windows. I have used other 3rd party boot patitioning programs such as Parallels and VMware. My experience with these types of programs make the install process much easier but in time as different OS software updates are applied these programs tend to have different problems forcing the user to make odd corrections at the most in opportune times. If there is anyone that has any information to further my progress I am all ears to see what may be the fix!

How should I install/setup a single OS of windows 7 to run through bootcamp and parallels 7 on my new macbook pro?

I just bought a new macbook 8g ram and 750g harddrive and want to be able to run windows 7 through bootcamp and parallels. How do I setup that up and install a single version of windows (want to be able to utilize heavy programs - photoshop, 3D modeling CAD etc. - by installing them once and being able to use them through parallels 7 or bootcamp)? Please let me know of anything that may red flag by doing this and clear concise instructions of which to do first/ settings for bootcamp and parallels

BootCamp is directly booting your computer into Windows for full hardware access and performance, just like a PC. It's free from Apple.
https://www.apple.com/support/bootcamp/
Virtual machine software (paid) like Parallels and VMFusion both can take the Bootcamped Windows and make a copy for use in OS X in a window at the same time as using OS X, but less performance. It's usualyl easiler to use.
A free virtual machine option is VirtualBox, but it might not have all the bells and whistles of the payware options above, but works just fine.
We can't provide detailed installation instructions, it's too much, you will have to read Apple's instructions and the manual for your virtual machine software.
http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/boot_camp_install-setup_10.7.pdf

Looking to run windows on my MBPro through Bootcamp or Parallels, but would like to use a downloaded Windows 7, is it possible to install without the Windows Disc?

Looking to run windows on my MBPro through Bootcamp or Parallels, but would like to use a downloaded Windows 7, is it possible to install without the Windows Disc?
Need to set up a workstation on my MBPro that will only run on Windows. Im willing to use Bootcamp or Parallels to see what works best. Need to get this set up this week to enable working from home on my MB - rural and hoping to buy Windows 7 online - am I able to get windows working through either bootcamp or Parallels without the actual Windows disc? Bootcamp set up guide calls for a disc.

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
First, the answer to your question is yes, it IS possible to install Windows in Parallels without a disc, using an .iso image file.
Boot Camp since OS X 10.8 also installs Windows without a disc: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4889551?tstart=0
Parallels has complete documentation, series of forums, and a knowledgebase. You can also download the current release of Parallels 9 and try it for free for a few weeks before you decide to purchase it.
The Parallels Desktop for Mac product page: http://www.parallels.com/products/desktop/
The Desktop for Mac forums: http://forum.parallels.com/forumdisplay.php?58-Parallels-Desktop-for-Mac
Documentation: http://www.parallels.com/support/desktop-virtualization/desktop/#c12970
The Knowledgebase for Desktop for Mac: http://kb.parallels.com
The primary difference between a Boot Camp installation and a Parallels installation is that in the Boot Camp installation, you're installing Windows into a separate partition on your internal mass storage device (hard drive or SSD) and then rebooting your Mac directly into Windows.
In Parallels, you're always running OS X on the Mac and Parallels is running a Windows virtual machine.
Not to get too technical here, but it is also possible for Parallels to run an installed Windows Boot Camp partition as a virtual machine. If you're evaluating system performance with a trial copy, that might be the way to go, because you only have to install Windows once on Boot Camp as a dual-boot system, then install Parallels Desktop and run the Boot Camp partition as the virtual machine.
There is a performance difference between the two, with the Boot Camp Windows installation being faster, but without the convenience of running both Mac and Windows applications simultaneously offered by Parallels. Sometimes that convenience outweighs a performance hit.
I can't give you more Mavericks and Parallels 9 specifics, because I'm currently running Windows 7 with Parallels 7 on OS X 10.8.5. Parallels 7 will not run on OS X 10.9 Mavericks.
I've been using Parallels (to run a few old rarely-used WIndows applications with features that would require a steep learning curve and major expense to purchase and learn a similar Mac app) occasionally since Parallels 3 and Windows XP. With each new release of OS X, each new release of Parallels, and each new Windows release, there are ALWAYS 'early adopter' bugs that get worked out over time.
Message was edited by: kostby

HT4818 Can you use both Bootcamp and Parallels with the same Windows 7 installed

I have Parallels installed with Windows 7. Can I use both Bootcamp and Parallels on the same machine depending on whether I just want to work in Windows all day (Bootcamp) or alternate during the same session (Parallels)?

You can, yes. But there is a complication: once you activate windows it will only be activated for one of the two methods you use. So, let's say you install into boot camp and activate windows. You can then install Parallels and it will find your boot camp installation, but when running in Parallels, Windows will report that it is not activated. Or, you can activate it in Parallels and when running in Boot Camp Windows will report that it is not activated. The reason for this is because Windows thinks it is running on different computers depending on how you boot it. This may not be an issue for you if you run Windows a lot one way and just occasionally the other way, so be sure to activate Windows in whichever method you use more often. Hope this helps!

New MBP,..Should I install Bootcamp first,..then Parallels to the Bootcamp partition?, New MBP,..Should I install Bootcamp first,..then Parallels to the Bootcamp partition?

What is the install process for Bootcamp/Parallels?
I have a new MBP being delivered today and need to install Windows for one program. What is the process to install a VM?
I heard that I should install Bootcamp first, then install Parallels to the Bootcamp partition. Any advice? Thx.

I guess I shold explain more about what I am doing.
I will be running a CRM program (Windows Based), and a Order Entrry program (Windows Based) (Memory Hog) all the time. Along with this, I will have Lotus Notes for Mac and Mac Mail open all the time.
Is there any harm, comcern, issues, hesitation,....to using Bootcamp to Parallels/Windows?
I just want to get this configuration correct the first time.
Also,...Am I able to drag files between Mac/PC ???

Bootcamp or Parallels for Windows 7

I would like to know, which option is better for installing Windows 7 on iMac ( 500 GB, 4 GB RAM)
1. Bootcamp
2. Parallels
Is there any difference in performance, when Windows 7 is running in both the environments. Mostly I would be using Windows 7 for connecting to my office workstation, surfing Internet and occasionally playing online games. What would be the recommended disk space for bootcamp to install Wondows 7.
Do Apple provide support for Windows hardware drivers?

Open Boot Camp Assistant in your Utilities folder and click on the large Print Documentation button. Read it carefully.
You can find out about Parallels at their website.
Windows on Intel Macs
There are presently several alternatives for running Windows on Intel Macs.
1. Install the Apple Boot Camp software. Purchase Windows XP w/Service Pak2, Vista, or Windows 7. Follow instructions in the Boot Camp documentation on installation of Boot Camp, creating Driver CD, and installing Windows. Boot Camp enables you to boot the computer into OS X or Windows.
2. Parallels Desktop for Mac and Windows XP, Vista Business, Vista Ultimate, or Windows 7. Parallels is software virtualization that enables running Windows concurrently with OS X.
3. VM Fusionand Windows XP, Vista Business, Vista Ultimate, or Windows 7. VM Fusion is software virtualization that enables running Windows concurrently with OS X.
4. CrossOver which enables running many Windows applications without having to install Windows. The Windows applications can run concurrently with OS X.
5. VirtualBox is a new Open Source freeware virtual machine such as VM Fusion and Parallels that was developed by Solaris. It is not as fully developed for the Mac as Parallels and VM Fusion.
Note that Parallels and VM Fusion can also run other operating systems such as Linux, Unix, OS/2, Solaris, etc. There are performance differences between dual-boot systems and virtualization. The latter tend to be a little slower (not much) and do not provide the video performance of the dual-boot system. See MacTech.com's Virtualization Benchmarking for comparisons of Boot Camp, Parallels, and VM Fusion. Boot Camp is only available with Leopard or Snow Leopard. Except for Crossover and a couple of similar alternatives like DarWine you must have a valid installer disc for Windows.
You must also have an internal optical drive for installing Windows. Windows cannot be installed from an external optical drive.

Can Bootcamp and Parallels share the same Windows applications and data?

I'm looking at getting an Intel iMac which will let me throw away my old PC - Yeah!
I will have a couple of Win apps that I will need to hang on to (Quicken - Quicken for Mac is horrible, but that's another tghread). Anyway, can Bootcamp and Parallels share the same Windows applications and data?
My thought would be to allow my wife to access Quicken from Parallels and not have to reboot. She will only need lightweight access and the overhead of running virtualization wouldn't impact her. I, on the other hand, would want to occasionally boot natively into Windows and run the same application with the same datafile. Is this possible?
Thanks and looking forward to joining the MacIntel world!

Thanks for all of the freplies. I suspected that BootCamp and Parallels could not shar ethe same partition, but wanted to verify. To address some of the other posts:
Re: Quicken vs MoneyDance - I looked at MoneyDance a while back and while it is comparable to Quicken for Mac, it isn't comparable to Quicken for Windows (ergo, Quicken for Mac isn't comparable to Quicken for Windows!). But, as I said, that is a topic for another thread!
Re: Using Bootcamp/Parallels for only one app: I actually have several apps that I still need access to on Windows. I work with many business applications than only run/are supported on Windows as well as receive some complex Office documents which Office for Mac cannot handle. Quicken (for Windows 2007) was just the best example of a consumer app where I could see wanting access from both OS X and Windows.

While installing windows with bootcamp error showing "A require Cd/Drive driver is missing" in the middle of installation. Please help what to do ??

While installing windows with bootcamp error showing "A require Cd/Drive driver is missing" in the middle of installation m not able to install windows on my mac . Please help what to do ??

What DVD drive are you using?

How to move windows 8.1 from parallels to bootcamp?

I just bought a Macbook Pro Retina (late 2013) a few days ago, and installed a windows 8.1 into it using parallels. Now I want to bootcamp my mac because I realize bootcamp play games better than parallels. So I want to ask is there a way to move my windows 8 from parallels to bootcamp

if you need the stuff from the parallels install then use a window backup program and make a backup and store it somewhere external
install windows in bootcamp and restore the backup you took of the parallels virtual machine

Installation of Windows: first bootcamp or Parallels?

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