Windows 7 on a Mac Book Pro

So, I've done the research and it is very clear that running Windows 7 on a Mac Book Pro (dual booting naturally) is not only possible, it seems to be quite ubiquitous...there are even YouTube videos on how to do it.

My question (though to some it may seem silly) is if it's exactly like running it on a PC? More clarification: I'm looking to buy a Mac Book Pro for the obvious reasons that you buy a Mac Book Pro (Macs are pretty cool, I need to do some iOS development, etc.). However, I also need to do some Windows-specific development (stuff for work, WCF stuff, etc.)...my old PC is needing to be replaced and so I figured if the MBP can do both, why not.

Thank you in advance for your assistance with these questions.

macbook-pro

coach_rob

Posted 2011-08-26T13:57:12.303

Reputation:

Answers

Running it dual boot is going to give you a pretty native experience. If I am typically going to do more than minor work I prefer to reboot into Windows using Bootcamp. Depending on the type of work you are looking to do a virtual machine may do just fine.

My setup which I feel has given me a nice blend of easy access and power when needed is as follows. I installed Windows 7 as a bootcamp installation. I then use VMWare Fusion and mounted that partition as a virtual machine. VMWare Fusion is not free but not extremely expensive either. It does however allow me access to the same environment in either mode.

I can now access a quick IE9 browser (web testing) as needed or reboot into Windows if I need to run Visual Studio or any other heavier application (GAMES!!!).

Rig

Posted 2011-08-26T13:57:12.303

Reputation: 267

Sounds like VMWare Fusion is just the solution I was looking for. Thank you all for the quick responses. – None – 2011-08-26T14:27:46.863

Its been a fantastic setup for me but then again it may not be for everyone. If you do go this route and want a similar setup following the ordering in the instructions is pretty important for activation. Also would recommend 8gb of ram. – Rig – 2011-08-26T15:13:41.933

VMWare Fusion (~$100) is a fantastic solution for running Win7 on a MBP. It even lets you migrate a desktop PC to a virtual machine. Migration includes all your documents and applications. It feels exactly like sitting at your normal desktop. You can even cut and paste clipboard and files between the host OS X and your Windows virtual machine. They have a 30-day free trial.