Running Windows on a Mac

 Ramesh Yerraballi

This document will explain how to run Microsoft Windows on your Mac.

Required Hardware/Software:

Here is what you need:
  1. A Mac preferably one that has a Intel Core Duo processor or better.
  2. A virtualization software. Here are some choices:
    1. Parallels (http://www.parallels.com/): $79 retail but the campus computer store has a better deal ($39.99 I think for version 7)
    2. VMware Fusion (http://www.vmware.com/products/fusion/): $50 retail but again the campus computer store may have a better deal 
    3. VirtualBox (https://www.virtualbox.org/): Its FREE
    Parallels is the most feature rich of the lot but VMware Fusion is the fastest. Of course Virtualbox is free like free beer!
  3. Windows 7 OS CD from the campus computer store ($34 I think)

Installation Procedure

This is the order in which you should proceed with the installation.

  1. Install the virtualization software. The first two options are pretty straightforward, the third I  have not run myself. Once you complete your installation, you will be presented with instructions on creating virtual images of the OSs you would like to run.
  2. You will install Windows within the virtualization software you choose. Here is the prompt I get from Fusion when I choose File->New
    Insert Windows CD
    Insert the Windows CD and go through the steps of installing the OS. This should take around 45 mins or so.
  3. Now you are ready to run Windows. Again, you will open your virtualization application and choose the Windows OS you just installed to be run. My Fusion screen looks like below showing Windows Vista as the OS that I can run:
    Insert Windows CD

    Click on the play button and you will boot the Windows OS. You will be running both Windows and Mac OS at this point. There are some neat features in both Fusion and Parallels that allow you to seamlessly integrate the running of applications from both Operating systems.