Is it worthwhile to load windows 7 onto my MacBook Air? Will it slow down my computer?

Is it worthwhile to load windows 7 onto my MacBook Air? Will it slow down my computer? What might be the benefits of having windows and mavericks as two different operating systems side by side?

Check out this article first. It deals with BootCamp vs Parallels Desktop but there are two other products: VMWare Fusion and VirtualBox that offer the same basic features as Parallels. So your first decision is which you prefer. As I said, I chose virtualization: Parallels Desktop in particular.
You need a full retail version of Windows - If you live in the States try New Egg for the best price. This is what I bought. You'll need it whether you choose BootCamp or virtualization. Note that Win7 apparently isn't available via download from Microsoft any longer, only Win8 so you'll need access to an external optical drive or use remote dvd sharing with your Windows computer. I've not tried installing Windows using remote DVD sharing but I have installed other software that way so I'd expect it to work if you choose virtualization. If you choose BootCamp you'll need access to an external optical drive or create an ISO image of Windows on a large flash disk.

Similar Messages

  • Loading windows os on MacBook air

    Hi, just got new Mac book air 256 mb flash drive, new model but can load window os.
    Please advise what kind of external DVD drive one recommends to have this done.
    Bought at best buy and was suggested by geeks team
    To go get one but don't know which one.
    Thanks for your help.

    You can use any brand external DVD drive that connect by USB port with your Mac Air. It does not have to have the Apple name on it for it to work. Most go for around $30 and are Tray load which in my opinion are better than the slot load styles like the Apple superdrive.
    I disagree with the post above. IMHO the Apple external DVD Superdrive is not the best option. In cost and function.

  • Loading LR onto a MacBook Air

    Hi,
    Would appreciate some help. I have a LR licence but the software is installed on a PowerBook that's 200 miles
    away and all I have is my MacBook Air. Can I load LR on same without having to download a trial?
    Thanks
    Marc

    Just download version 2.3 from the Adobe site, and either apply your license, or put it in Trial mode for now. The "trial" version is the full version, and is also not an increment to 2.0; it's the full deal. So, d/l, install, enjoy!

  • When loading songs into iTunes, from my external hard drive. It seems to be copying the music onto my MacBook Air.

    When loading songs into iTunes, from my external hard drive. It seems to be copying the music onto my MacBook Air.
    How do i have iTunes only read the songs from my hard drive, rather then copying them?

    You may find these Links of Interest...
    Moving iTunes Media Folder
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1449
    http://macmost.com/moving-your-itunes-media-to-an-external-drive.html

  • How can I download windows onto a MAcbook Pro if it is not even in the app store?

    How can I download windows onto a macbook pro if it is not even offered at the app store?

    tlynch58 wrote:
    How can I download windows onto a macbook pro if it is not even offered at the app store?
    Am I the only one that see's the walled garden horror in that statement?
    Go to a Office type store or online and buy a copy of Windows  7 Home Basic, Home or Pro  (whatever) and stick the 64bit DVD into the computer.
    You'll have to first learn about Bootcamp  if your going to want to dual boot, it's complex and a hassle, but gives full hardware performance.
    https://www.apple.com/support/bootcamp/
    Another way is to first install VMFusion, Parallels or VirtualBox and then install Windows into that, Windows runs like a file in a window on OS X. You can run Windows programs in that, but it's not as powerful as BootCamp method, but more convenient for most normal (non-hardware taxing) programs.

  • HOWTO: Make Virtual WiFi work in Windows 7 for MacBook Air (Late 2010)

    I just spent several hours figuring out what is a bug in the Broadcom WiFi drivers for my new MacBook Air, and thought I would post how I fixed it for others until Apple can get Broadcom to fix their drivers.
    Virtual WiFi:
    First, what is Virtual WiFi. Virtual WiFi is a feature in Windows 7 that allows a single WiFi adapter in a computer to look like more than one adapter. The most common use for this is for software like Connectify that allows you to use your laptop as a wireless access point (AP) when you travel. For example, you might settle into a hotel room, pay for an Internet connection for your MacBook, and then want to share that connection with your iPhone, iPad, and other devices. For Virtual WiFi to work, the WiFi drivers for your WiFi hardware need to indicate that they support the feature, and then in Device Manager in Windows Control Panel, under Network Adapters you will see the "Microsoft Virtual WiFi Miniport Adapter" listed. Notably, this adapter was missing after installing Windows 7 and BootCamp 3.1 on my MacBook Air (Late 2010).
    Why it Doesn't Work:
    The strange thing is, this was working fine on my wife's MacBook from 2008, with similar Broadcom WiFi hardware. It turns out that whoever made the Broadcom driver file made a small copy-and-paste error, and neglected to support Virtual WiFi for the slightly different chip that is in the MacBook Air versus the MacBook. By fixing the driver file, the issue can be fixed. The problem is right here in the file, which we'll get to more below:
    %BCM430N_DeviceDesc% = BCM43XNM_NT61, PCI\VEN14E4&DEV432b
    %BCM430N_DeviceDesc% = BCM43XNG_NT61, PCI\VEN14E4&DEV432c
    %BCM430N_DeviceDesc% = BCM43XNM_NT60, PCI\VEN14E4&DEV4353
    My wife's MacBook uses the first line with DEV_432b at the end. Note that it uses the installation section BCM43XNM_NT61 which refers to Windows 7 and correctly installs Virtual WiFi. The newest MacBook Air uses the last line with DEV_4353 at the end (a slightly different chip). Note that it incorrectly refers to the installation section BCM43XNM_NT60, which is Windows Vista with no support for Virtual WiFi.
    How to Fix It:
    1) You first need to extract the Broadcom drivers that are in the latest version of BootCamp so that you can modify the INF file. To do this, I followed all of the instructions in the BootCamp Assistant from Mac OS X on my MacBook Air to download the WindowsSupport folder with BootCamp drivers, which you can save to the hard drive or burn to a CD. Once you have this, open the folder "Boot Camp\Drivers\Broadcom". We need to extract the file BroadcomNetworkAdapterWin7_32.exe or BroadcomNetworkAdapterWin7_64.exe depending on whether you are using a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows 7. I was able to do this with WinRAR installed, by right-clicking and selecting to extract the file to a folder.
    2) In the folder from the last step, there are 31 files on my installation, but the one we want is bcmwl6.inf. If you open that file the first two sections (BROADCOM.NTamd64.6.1 and BROADCOM.NTx86.6.1) are the ones with the error as reproduced above. The first section is for 64-bit installations, and the second section is for 32-bit installations.
    3) Modify the last line of each section to change BCM43XNM_NT60 to BCM43XNM_NT61, and save the file.
    4) Now we need to install the driver from this folder onto the MacBook Air. I did this by opening Device Manager from Control Panel, right-clicking the "Broadcom 802.11n Network Adapter" under Network Adapters, and selecting "Uninstall" followed by "Update Driver Software". Point the update dialog to the folder where you modified the driver, and let it install.
    5) Note that because the INF file is modified the driver is no longer correctly signed. You will see a warning to this effect, and you should select to install the driver anyway.
    6) You should now see the "Microsoft Virtual WiFi Miniport Adapter" in Device Manager, and software like Connectify should work to share your WiFi connection.
    Hopefully Apple will fix this the correct way soon, by getting Broadcom to fix their driver and updating BootCamp to include it. At the time of this writing, the Broadcom driver version is 5.100.57.8 so anything later than that may be fixed.
    Good Luck!

    That is one heck of a post for a newcomer here. Your instructions worked like a charm, with one exception:
    When uninstalling the Broadcom Device, I had to check the box to delete the driver, and then had to scan for new hardware to get the device to show back up. Then I was able to load the edited driver software.
    I am not complaining, but very grateful, as I was pulling my hair out on this one.

  • Downloading purchases onto my MacBook Air

    Hi there,
    Is there a way to download (from iTunes, not from the iMac itself) songs I purchased on my iMac, onto my MacBook Air?
    Thanks in advance, Craig

    iTunes on both Macs must be authorized to the same iTMS account. both Macs should have access to the internet and be on the same network.
    click on the house icon under shared ...
    ... to load the other Mac's library. then look for the two buttons @ the lower right corner of the iTunes window. one says settings, the other import. both buttons will only be visible when the shared library is connected.
    in settings you select which content is automatically transferred. to import content from the other Mac's library, select it from the list and click import.
    JGG

  • I upload all of my photos from my iphone 5 onto my macbook air to get more space on my phone, and now whenver i try to upload it says there is no more storage or there was a problem transferring a picture. what can I do to get more space onto my iphoto?

    i upload all of my photos from my iphone 5 onto my macbook air to get more space on my phone, and now whenver i try to upload it says there is no more storage or there was a problem transferring a picture. what can I do to get more space onto my iphoto? I've tried putting the pictures on flashdrives, but iphoto would no tlet me transfer.

    I don't know how large the SSD (solid state hard drive) is, or how big your iPhone 5 is, but with some iPhones having 64GB and some Airs having as little as 64GB and some having as much as 512GB it's not hard to see how storing the contents of your iPhone 5 on your Macbook Air could run you out of space.
    Go to the Macbook Air and bring up a finder window and pull the Go menu down and go to the Computer. Right click on the Macintosh HD and select get info. See if there is any available space on the MacBook Air. If not you are out of SSD space (you're storing more on your Macbook Air than it has storage for). I'm not sure if iTunes can store its library on an external hard drive or quite how you would make that happen. But even if you managed that, when the hard drive was disconnected, you would lose access to your library. Using a smart media card might be possible (I don't know) but it would probably be irritatingly slow. If you have a small Air and a big iPhone you might just have to find a different computer to sync to. Just remember a 64GB iPhone is a big chunk of SSD for a Macbook Air. I did it with my previous and my current Air but even my previous one had 256GB and I really just fit.

  • I installed Adobe Flash Player 11.7.700.169 onto my Macbook Air (OS 10.7.5) and when I went onto website it still read that I need update. I've tried 3x and still same message.

    I successfully installed Adobe Flash Player 11.7.700.169 onto my Macbook Air 2012 (OS 10.7.5) and when I went onto website (Morrision Planetarium-California Academy of Science) it still read that I need update. I've tried 3x and still same message.  Is there something I am doing wrong?  Quite frustrating!

    If you're sure you've installed the latest version of Flash, take each of the following steps that you haven't already tried. After each step, relaunch Safari and test. For a "missing plug-in" error, start with Step 4.
    1. If you're getting a "blocked plug-in" error, then from the menu bar select
     ▹ System Preferences… ▹ Flash Player ▹ Advanced
    and click Check Now. Quit and relaunch your browser.
    2. Triple-click the line below to select it:
    /Library/Internet Plug-Ins
    Right-click or control-click the highlighted text and select
    Services ▹ Open
    from the contextual menu. A folder should open. Delete the following item, or anything with a similar name, if present:
    Flash Player (failing).plugin  
    You may be prompted for your login password.
    3. Re-download and reinstall Flash. Download it from this page:
    Adobe - Install Adobe Flash Player
    Never download a Flash update from anywhere else.
    4. If you get a "missing plug-in" error, select
    Safari ▹ Preferences... ▹ Security
    from the Safari menu bar and check the box marked Enable plug-ins.
    5. Select
    Safari ▹ Preferences... ▹ Extensions
    from the Safari menu bar. If any extensions are installed, disable them.
    6. In the Safari preference window, select
    Privacy ▹ Remove All Website Data
    Close the window. Then select
     ▹ System Preferences… ▹ Flash Player ▹ Advanced
    and click Delete All. Close the preference pane.

  • My macbook air is so slow at loading web pages

    Why is my Macbook Air suddenly so slow at loading web pages?

    Please answer as many of the following questions as you can. You may already have answered some of them. In that case, there's no need to repeat the answers.
    Have you restarted your router and your broadband device (if they're separate) since you first noticed the problem? If not, do that now and see whether there's any change.
    If your browser is Safari, then from the Safari menu bar, select
              Safari ▹ Preferences... ▹ Privacy ▹ Remove All Website Data
    and confirm. Any change?
    If you're running OS X 10.9 or later, select the Advanced tab in the Preferences window and uncheck the box marked
              Stop plug-ins to save power
    Any change?
    Quit and relaunch the browser. Any change?
    Enable guest logins* and log in as Guest. Don't use the Safari-only “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac.”
    While logged in as Guest, you won’t have access to any of your documents or settings. Applications will behave as if you were running them for the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this behavior; it’s normal. If you need any passwords or other personal data in order to complete the test, memorize, print, or write them down before you begin.
    Test while logged in as Guest. Same problem?
    After testing, log out of the guest account and, in your own account, disable it if you wish. Any files you created in the guest account will be deleted automatically when you log out of it.
    *Note: If you’ve activated “Find My Mac” or FileVault, then you can’t enable the Guest account. The “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac” is not the same. Create a new account in which to test, and delete it, including its home folder, after testing.
    Enable Private Browsing in the Safari menu. Any change?
    Are any other web browsers installed, and are they the same? What about other Internet applications, such as iTunes and the App Store?
    If other browsers and Internet applications are also affected, follow these instructions and test. Any change?
    If Parental Controls is active for any user, please turn it off and test. Any change?
    If only Safari is affected, launch the Activity Monitor application and enter "web" (without the quotes) in the search box. If a process named "Safari Web Content" is shown in red or is using more than about 5% of a CPU, select it and force it to quit by clicking the X or Quit Process button in the toolbar of the window. There may be more than one such process. Any improvement?
    Open the iCloud preference pane and uncheck the box marked Photo Stream, if it's checked. Any change?
    Are there any other devices on the same network that can browse the Web, and are they affected?
    If you can test Safari on another network, is it the same there?
    If you connect to your router with Wi-Fi and you can also connect with Ethernet, do that and turn off Wi-Fi. Any difference?

  • I made the mistake of installing windows on my MacBook air and can't open in lion, anyone know how to get lion back and remove windows?

    I recently installed windows 7 onto my MacBook air- big mistake, I cannot work out how to get back to OSX Lion and get rid of windows for good, anybody help?

    Boot Using OPTION key:
    Restart the computer.
    Immediately after the chime press and hold down the "OPTION" key.
    Release the key when the boot manager appears.
    Select the Lion disk icon from which you want to boot.
    Click on the arrow button below the icon.
    Once you return to Lion open Startup Disk preferences and select your Lion volume for the startup disk.

  • After start Windows 8 on Macbook Air (late 2011) all freeze.

    When I start Windows 8 on Macbook Air (late 2011) all freeze. If I switch off Wi-Fi adapter or power unit problem does not exist. Do you have same problem?

    Here's how to fix the problem.
    Macbook air 2011 freeze fix
    1. Install Windows using Boot camp on battery power (AC adapter unplugged).
    2. After the installation, right click on the power icon.
    3. Click More power options
    4. Click change plan settings for the balanced plan
    5. Click change Advanced power settings
    6. Select "PCI Express"
    7. Selct Link state power management
    8. Change Plugged in from Moderate to OFF.
    Done! No more crashing. Now you can plug in your AC adapter.

  • Windows 8 on macbook air

    Anybody aware of any challenges installing Windows 8 on Macbook Air? Just want to ensure that all audio, video and all ports continue to work when installing Windows 8. Don't want to take the plunge without getting some advice, since the system requirements don't list Windows 8 as supported.

    The best way I got windows 8 to work was to install windows 7 and all the bootcamp drivers etc as directed by Apple, then install windows 8 and select keep previous programs
    You may still get a couple of errors (bluetooth/trackpad and maybe video) but you can fix these simply by reinstalling the drivers, or rollback if a windons upgrade has over written the previous ones or by manually selecting your old windows 7 area that is kept when you upgrade to 8 (only delete windows 7 once you are happy)
    If you try and do a clean install of windows 8 bootcamp will not be installed (in the system tray) so none of the keyboard options or remapping will work or your backlight keyboard, even if you edit the bootcamp file so it will run in windows 8 to fix some of the drivers, bootcamp will not be installed
    You will not have the option to change some of the options in bootcamp system tray in windows 8 as it will show an error so only the default 2 finger scrolling etc is available, but it's enough for the function keys, sound, dimmer etc all to work ok
    How do I know this? I upgraded from 7 to windows 8 and had no problems, I then upgraded my SDD and had to reload everything from scratch, it took me several permutations (only windows 8,  windows 7 then 8, IOS and windows 8) till it was ok with IOS, windows 7 then 8. I also ran the system speed test on each permutation and the last one was the best which had something to do with Apple video drivers and chipset drivers IMO opposed to the ones windows 8 installs

  • How to install windows 7 on macbook air 13" 2014

    I try to install windows 7 on macbook air 13" 2014, OS X Yosemite, i used flash 16GB and windows 7 image iso. but i got this error. please help me to fix this.
    Thank you so much.

    Is the USB devices a USB2 or USB3 device? Please run Disk Utility Repair. In some cases, re-installing OS X (which does not modify your files) also addresses this issue.

  • Solution to install Windows 7 on Macbook Air MID-2013 after 3 weeks of test, make with ISO image a usb key 2.0, It works!

    Solution to install Windows 7 on Macbook Air MID-2013 after 3 weeks of test, make with ISO image a usb key 2.0, It works!

    1. Select Partition4: Bootcamp. You should see advanced Options.
    2. Click Format and convert the partition to NTFS.
    3. Click Next.
    Reference - http://manuals.info.apple.com/MANUALS/1000/MA1636/en_US/boot_camp_install-setup_ 10.8.pdf
    See Page 6.

Maybe you are looking for

  • Firefox 19 not working with MSN homepage keeps crashing, Msn homepage works with IE 9 though?

    I have always set MSN as my homepage with all versions of Firefox. Firefox suddenly stopped working (crashed 3 days ago). I had been running Firefox 19 for a few days with no issues, just stopped working with MSN and the screen just froze? I tried MS

  • Love the iPhone, Verizon is not the same.

    My other half purchased an iPhone for me two weeks ago.  I have had zero problems with the iPhone itself and I am very pleased.  No freezing, crashing, dropped calls (unless there is little or no signal) it's really helpful to me and my busy life. Up

  • Read Internal Table based on Multiple Values for Key Field

    Hi Gurus, i have one query can you tell me how read an internal table it_kna1 for multiple values of land1 DE US IND etc. i had tried as below but i could not can you try and let me knwo at the earliest. here i want read the values with DE or US and

  • Bank account array list

    I'm very lost and need a push in the right direction. I am trying to get the balance of a bank account which is an array list of accounts and balances. The class I am working on is the Bank class. There is also a BankAccount class and a BankTester cl

  • Adobe X render pdf correctly but printout with missing character

    Hi There, I encounter this problem when I'm trying to print a pdf which is mailed to me from Shanghai. The character which is missing is not the Chinese character but instead, is the normal english AlphaNumeric character. I'm currently on Adobe Reade