Installing and Running Windows 8 on a Mac

Installing and Running Windows 8 on a Mac



Got a Mac and want to Run Windows 8 on it? Here’s how.

More and more, people have not just PCs, but Macs as well. Some people like Macs
so much, in fact, that they like to run Windows on their Mac. That way, they get the
best of both worlds—Mac OS X and Windows on the same machine.

There are several ways you can do this. One is to use the Apple program called Boot
Camp. This lets you run a dual-boot system; that is, you can boot into either Mac OS
X or Windows 8. Apple has ample documentation for Boot Camp, so if you’re
interested in it, follow Apple’s instructions—they’re generally well done and
straightforward.

Note: As I write this, Boot Camp doesn’t formally support Windows 8. But, by the
time you read this, it most likely will.


Also, Boot Camp requires you to boot into either Mac OS X or Windows. When you
want to switch between the operating systems, you’ll have to reboot.

Note: You need a registered version of Windows 8 to run it on Mac OS X. It can’t
have the same registration code as the version you run on your PC, unless you
have the right to run it on multiple devices. You can also use a trial version of
Windows 8.

There’s another type of solution, that lets you run Windows 8 inside Mac OS X. In this
case, you run your Mac as you would normally, and Windows 8 runs inside a Mac
window. To do that, you use software to create a virtual machine (VM), and then run
that virtual Windows 8 machine. Three popular programs let you do this: Parallels
Desktop, VMWare Fusion, and VirtualBox. In this hack, I’ll show how to use all three.



Installing and Running Windows 8 Using Parallels Desktop

Get a copy of Parallels. It costs $79.99. You’ll also need a copy of Windows 8, either
on DVD or other media or as an .iso file. Before you install Windows 8, you must install
Parallels Desktop, which is the same simple process as installing any Mac program.

Now you’re ready to install Windows 8. But since you’re installing Windows 8 as a
virtual machine, you have to install it from within Parallels Desktop. Run Parallels and
select File→New. A screen like the one shown in Figure 1 appears.


Figure 1.
Getting started to create a virtual machine for Windows 8 on a Mac using Parallels



On this screen, you have the choice of migrating Windows from an existing PC (which
makes sense if you already have a Windows 8 PC) or installing Windows from either
a DVD or an .iso file. Down toward the bottom of the screen, there’s also an option for
downloading Windows 8 for free. Keep in mind that this will be a trial version of Windows
8, not a fully paid one, so you can only use it for 90 days. It will likely be the
Enterprise edition of Windows 8. You’ll download it as an .iso file.

When you migrate, you’ll choose the method you want to use for the migration: over
a network, from an external storage device, or using a USB cable you can buy from
Parallels in the company’s “Switch to Mac” kit. From there, follow the wizard’s
instructions.

If you’re instead installing a fresh copy of Windows 8, select the “Install Windows or
another OS from DVD or image file,” and click that option. On the next screen
(Figure 2), choose whether you’re going to install from a DVD or .iso file (Parallels
calls it an image file). If you’re installing from an .iso file, browse to the location of the
file and choose it. Then click Continue.


Figure 2.
Choosing where to install from




On the next screen (Figure 3), you’ll need to enter your Windows 8 product key. If
you’re using a trial version of Windows 8, turn off the “This version requires a product
key” checkbox. Also, if you’re using the trial version, also turn off the “Express installation”
option. (If you don’t uncheck that box, your trial version may not install.)

If you keep “Express installation” checked and click Continue, your installation will be
straightforward. Just follow the prompts and you’re good to go. If you uncheck the
box, the process will require a few more steps, so read on for the details.

Whether you use the express installation or not, on the next screen you come to
(Figure 4), you’ll be asked to choose between two different ways that Windows 8
can run:

Like a Mac
If you choose this option, you won’t see the familiar Windows 8 interface, including
the Start screen, Desktop, and so on. Instead, you’ll only use applications that
you install onto Windows, such as Office. Each of these applications will run in
their own windows on Mac OS X, like a Mac OS X app. Unless you’re only installing
Windows 8 to run specific Windows programs, this isn’t a good choice.


Figure 3.
Putting in the product key

Like a PC
Choose this alternative, and Windows 8 runs like normal in its own Mac window,
with the Start screen, Desktop, and so on. This setup is the best choice for most
people.

Make a choice and click Continue (the rest of this section assumes that you’ve chosen
Like a PC). On the next screen, you’ll see details of the virtual Windows 8 machine
you’re creating, including its name location, and similar options. Make any changes,
or leave them as is, then click Continue.

At this point, Windows 8 starts installing on your Mac in the same way that it installs
on a PC. You’ll see the same prompts, choose the same options, and so on. You can
see it in action in Figure 5. When you come to a screen asking whether to install as
an Upgrade or Custom, select Custom. Then select the Mac’s hard disk as the place
to install Windows and continue. After the usual restarts, Windows 8 will be installed
on your Mac as a virtual machine. You’ll be able to run it every time you start Parallels
(Figure 6).

Figure 4.
Choosing how your Windows 8 programs will run

Figure 5.
Just like a PC: from here on in, the installation looks like a normal installation on a PC

Tip: It’s a good idea to use the same Microsoft ID on Windows 8 on your Mac as
you normally use on your PC. That way, all your settings, apps, and other information
will automatically sync.


Figure 6.
Here it is—Windows 8 running on Parallels

Installing and Running Windows 8 Using VMWare Fusion

You can instead run Windows 8 on a Mac using VMWare Fusion; $49.99. The setup is
much the same as with Parallels, so I won’t go into quite as much detail here: the
concepts are very much the same.

As with Parallels, you can either install Windows 8 from a DVD or .iso file, or you can
migrate Windows 8 from an existing PC. To migrate, both the Mac and PC must be on
the same network. Select File→Migrate Your PC, and then follow the prompts.

To install using a DVD or .iso file, select File→New, put your DVD in the drive and click
Continue. If you’re using an .iso file, click “Continue without disc.” Select your installation
media (in the case of the .iso file, you’ll navigate to its location) and click Continue,
as you can see in Figure 7.



Figure 7.
Starting the installation of Windows 8 using VMWare Fusion

On the next series of screens, choose the operating system, account name, password,
and Windows product key, if you have one. If you’re installing a trial version of Windows
8, turn off the “Use Easy Install” option. You’ll be sent to a screen describing the virtual
machine you’re setting up, including the memory you’ll devote to it, maximum size of
disk space it will use, and so on (Figure 8). Your best bet is to accept them and click
Finish. On the next screen, give your machine a name or accept the one VMware Fusion
gives you, click Save, and sit back while installation starts (Figure 9).

As with Parallels, select Custom when asked for the type of Windows 8 installation
you want to perform and select the Mac’s hard drive.



Figure 8.
Getting towards the end of getting VMWare Fusion ready to install Windows 8

Figure 9.
VMWare Fusion installing Windows 8

After the usual Windows setup routine, you’ll be running a copy of Windows 8 on your
Mac, as you can see in Figure 10.



Figure 10.
Windows 8 running on VMWare Fusion

Running Windows 8 Using VirtualBox

Your final choice for running Windows 8 in a virtual machine is to use the free Virtual-
Box software. The concepts for installing Windows 8 on it are identical to those for
Parallels Desktop and VMWare Fusion, so this section is going to move pretty quickly.
Refer back to the earlier sections if you need to.

One thing to keep in mind is that with VirtualBox, you can’t migrate Windows 8 from
a PC to your Mac, so if that’s your plan, you’ll have to use either Parallels Desktop or
VMWare Fusion.

Install VirtualBox on your Mac and start it up. Grab a Windows 8 DVD disc, or an .iso
file ready for installing Windows 8. In VirtualBox, click New. On the next screen, name
your virtual machine, and choose Microsoft Windows 8 as the operating system. Click
Continue.

On the next screen you’re asked how much RAM to devote to Windows 8 (Figure 11).
The default is 2 GB, but some people have reported being able to use only 1 GB. I
suggest going with the default.



Figure 11.
Choosing how much RAM to devote to Windows 8 in VirtualBox

Next, you’re asked to create a virtual hard drive. You’ve got several other options here.
Go with the default size of 25GB and click Create. For the type of hard drive to create,
you’ve got half a dozen choices. For example, one of them is to create an HDD (Parallels
Hard Disk), in which case you’ll also be able to use it with Parallels Desktop if the sun
and stars align. But your best bet here is to go with the default, VDI (VirtualBox Disk
Image).

After that, you’re asked whether the hard drive should be of a fixed size or one that
dynamically changes according to how much space it requires. The default is to
choose a dynamically allocated drive, and I’ve found that to be a good choice. If you
prefer, you can instead choose “Fixed size.” That partition will take longer to create
than a dynamically allocated one; however, it might lead to faster performance.

After all that, you come to a screen summarizing the name of the virtual drive and the
size you’ve told it to be. You can make final changes here. Otherwise, click Create and
the hard drive is created (Figure 12).



Figure 12.
Creating the virtual hard drive in VirtualBox where you’ll install Windows 8

At that point, you’ve created a virtual hard drive and machine where you’ll install Windows
8. You’ll be sent to a screen, shown in Figure 13, that summarizes all of the
settings you’ve chosen for when you install Windows 8. The screen lists all of your
virtual machines. Click Windows 8. If you’re adventurous, you can try fiddling around
with these settings, such as for how much video memory to use, and so on. But keep
in mind that they’ve been pre-chosen to work well with Windows 8, so my suggestion
is to stay with the defaults.

Now you’re ready to install Windows 8. Select the Windows 8 machine you’ve just
created and click Start. On the next screen, select either the disc where you have the
Windows 8 installation DVD, or else the .iso file you’re going to use. Then click Start.
From here on, it’s just like a normal Windows 8 installation.


Figure 13.
The VirtualBox manager

See Also
• “How to Use Hyper-V to Install and Run Other Operating Systems Inside Windows 8”