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

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