Windows on mac

Hi, Yes, Windows is exactly as if it were installed on a PC when using it on a Mac, and if you have a Windows keyboard, all keyboard commands are the same as on any other PC, in fact, I personally think the best PC out there is a Mac. My Mac is the best system I've ever ran Windows on, and I don't see myself going back to a regular Windows PC any time soon, or in fact, any time at all.

Hi Santiago, I just bought a 2013 MacBook Air for the purpose of running Windows. I got it today, and am quite impressed thus far. I bought it because I wanted to have OS X and Windows in one system, but more so because I wanted a built-to-last Windows computer with the great hardware service Apple offers. Just out of curiosity, what Mac are you running Windows on?

Hi Ray, I have a fully loaded 2013 13" MacBook Air, and Outlook 2013 runs better on this machine than I have ever experienced with Outlook on any other system. In comparison, Outlook 2013 was incredibly sluggish on my 2011 Toshiba Sandy Bridge i5 laptop.

Hello, Apple's Boot Camp Utility is free, however you will need a valid Windows 7 or Windows 8 product key from Microsoft. Generally, you will need sighted assistance to install Windows using Boot Camp because there is no speech during the Windows instalation. However, there is a guide on how to do it if there is no sighted assistance available. If you use the guide, please be sure to read it through first and follow the directions exactly.

Hi Michael, I'm running Windows on my 2011 iMac. I've considered installing it on my MacBook Air as well, haven't really found the need for it though.

When I bought Windows 8, the product key was emailed to me by Microsoft.

One thing you need to make sure of... When you buy your copy of Windows, it needs to be a "Full version," not the "upgrade" version. That'll run around $170 (based on a quick Amazon search), depending on which version of Windows you want (Home, Pro or Ultimate). Here's Apples FAQ about Bootcamp: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5639

When I bought Windows 8 Pro, the price was $40. I think the price has gone up by now though. As far as I know, it was a promotional price for its introduction. According to Microsoft, it was an upgrade version of windows 8, however, it still worked, and to this day, works perfectly fine on my Mac. The ISO Microsoft gives you is the actual full Windows 8 installation. I did have to provide them with my Windows 7 product key though, so if you have one of those, they you might be able to get Windows 8 for a better price.

I am considering taking the plunge and purchasing the latest version of the Macbook Pro with 8GB of ram and installing Windows 7 or 8 and Jaws in addition to the Mac's default operating system. I believe the process is 2.4 GHZ. Are these specs sufficient to run Windows and Jaws on a Mac, or should I consider upgrading either the memory and/or processor?

I could be wrong, but I'd interpret fully loaded as the most memory, fastest processor, and largest flash memory available for the MacBook Air or Pro you are considering. Either that, or possibly it means the model with the best specs. Of course, this can get quite expensive. I believe the top MacBook Pro model with a 13-inch display is around $1,800. I could only justify such an expense if I saw it as a three-year investment, or knew I could get most of the money back if I traded it in a year later towards the purchase of a new model.

In the windows world, I'm most comfortable in XP. Is it also possible to install XP using boot camp instead of Windows 7 or 8? Or, should I give overf my comfort zone and install windows 7 or 8 instead? I have a mid 2010 Macbook pro running 8 gigs of ram with a 500 GB Hd. 2.2 processor, I think. Thanks. Scott

Hi Scott, I think you can only install Windows 7 or 8 on the later Macs. I'm not sure if your 2010 MacBook Pro would support Windows XP. I tend to think that if it's running Lion, Mountain Lion, or Mavericks, that it would be Windows 7 and 8 only. But I do not know for sure, so doing a Google search may help. As far as which OS to run, I personally would use Windows 7. Windows XP to Windows 7 is not a terrible jump. I have not upgraded to Windows 8 and do not have any plans to do so at this time. Regards, Michael

Hi guys! I finally took the leap to installing and old copy of Windows 7 on a bootcamp partition on my MacBook Pro 13 2012 a weak ago. Haven't regretted it! Works flawless, and as you say, much better and more stable than on my old Windows PC. I also installed VMWare fusion, so that I can quickly switch between Mac and Windows when needed, and that's the way I find myself using Windows the most now. Have a few questions regarding keyboard-mappings and such in VMWare, but I can save it for another forum post :) I was really just curious to what experiences you guys have had with Windows 8 in regards to accessibility, or what you've heard about it. I have never tried it myself, and frankly, I feel pretty confident in using Windows 7, so I was unsure if I wanted to go through the hassle of getting Windows 8 installed if it may be worse or similar to Windows 7 in regards to accessibility. Oh, I can't behave, one simple VMWare fusion question to you before ending this: How do you activate the Windows-window, so that the keyboard sends commands to Windows instead of the Mac? The only way I've found so far, is to route the mouse to the VO cursor, place it somewhere in VMWares toolbar, then drag the mouse a little bit down and click. Then the windows-machine seems to be activated for keyboard input, but I'm not always lucky when doing this, so it might take a few tries. There's gotta be an easier way, that I have missed... Take care!

hi, let me point out a few things here. firstly, windows 8 was awesome, and windows 8.1 is even better. that's just me though, I'm used to it, and I love it. won't ever be going back to windows 7. it's so slow and confusing compared to 8. lol. secondly, let me point out, it's all well and good comparing running windows on your mac to an old windows computer, but that's of little use, really. I mean, it's no different to me saying that my current Toshiba that I purchased a few months ago, is way better, and more powerful, then a 2011 or 2010 mac. lol. computers get better. so partly, where you are seeing your mac as a better machine compared to your old windows machine, is false. believe me, I got this windows machine, for under a thousand bucks Australian, and it blows any mac out of the water, unless you pay nearly $3000 and btw, I even ran the stats of my windows machine past a guy in apple, and even he agreed that there is little point in trying to come close to it with a mac, in under $2500. I also can run a virtual version of OSX, which I do sometimes. and for another thing, if you got a new computer, a windows one, today, and wiped it, and installed your own version of windows on it, it would likely be as fast, if not faster, then even my machine is, and certainly faster then any mac you have. so these kinds of comparison are useless. you need to compare windows on your 2013 mac, to a comparable windows machine with no extra manufacturer software installed, as this is effectively what you're doing on your mac. you're running windows bare, no extra drivers, software, and junk. that's why it runs so well. and even though this Toshiba has loads of stuff in it from Toshiba, it runs like a dream. I'd imagine, that it would run even better if I got rid of some of the stuff. lol. as a note of interest, and rather amusing, ... I was talking to this apple guy the other day, the one I spoke of. he isn't using macs at all! he uses windows only. why? because windows is still more flexible then a mac, he says. and he can't build a machine to his liking, with a mac. to expensive. so yes, I don't dout that your mac is running windows better, mostly because you have installed a clean version. and the hardware, at least, comes with farely good service and repair if needed. but all I'm saying, is don't be too blown away about how well it's running. that's how windows is supposed to feel.

oh, and as a note, i forgot to add to the other message. if you are running a mac with a flash drive, use windows 8 or windows 8.1. it will be much better over all. because 8 and 8.1 are designed to handle a flash drive, where as 7 isn't.