Update: Since this post got a lot more readers than I expected, it’s become clear to me that the title was unintentionally vague. I thought it’s amazing that a technology I still think of as fairly advanced, virtualizing operating systems on the desktop, has become commoditized enough that free, open source tools are very mature. When I said “for free” here, I meant that virtualization is available at no cost, not that Microsoft’s giving Windows licenses away for free. Sorry for assuming that was obvious!
Pardon the uncharacteristically nerdy post, but I thought I’d write up a handy way I’d found to run Windows 7 in a seamlessly-integrated virtual machine under Mac OS X 10.6. I started with these basic components:
Pardon the uncharacteristically nerdy post, but I thought I’d write up a handy way I’d found to run Windows 7 in a seamlessly-integrated virtual machine under Mac OS X 10.6. I started with these basic components:
- A MacBook running Mac OS X 10.6.1 (Snow Leopard)
- A license for a full install of Windows 7 Ultimate
- VirtualBox 3.08 for Mac OS X
If you’re like a lot of geeks that I know, you have a Mac as your main machine, but often need to drop into Windows to check things like browser compatibility or to use some particular Windows applications. I happen to just really like Windows 7 (it’s on par with Mac OS overall for me, with some parts being better, such as the Windows Taskbar being much better than the Mac’s Dock, and of course some parts being worse.) Some of these instructions may be obvious, but I hadn’t seen a writeup anywhere, so here goes.
Here’s what you’ll need to do:
Nov 14, 2018 - The virtual machine runs in its own window on the Mac desktop, and can then run. Boot Camp 6.1 can now only be used to install Windows 7,.
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sudo chmod 777 /dev/disk0s3
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VBoxManage internalcommands createrawvmdk -rawdisk /dev/disk0 -filename win7raw.vmdk -partitions 3
While it’s not quite as seamless as some of the paid alternatives out there, I’ve found it was very easy to do (under an hour total, and only 15 minutes or so if you already have Windows installed), works very well, and is speedy enough to use regularly.
As always, your mileage may vary, and comments or corrections or feedback are welcome. I was too lazy to do screenshots of the whole process, but if you want to turn this into a complete gadget blog-worthy writeup, I’ll be happy to link to it. If you really liked this how-to, you can buy WIndows 7 from Amazon and I’ll make a few bucks.
As always, your mileage may vary, and comments or corrections or feedback are welcome. I was too lazy to do screenshots of the whole process, but if you want to turn this into a complete gadget blog-worthy writeup, I’ll be happy to link to it. If you really liked this how-to, you can buy WIndows 7 from Amazon and I’ll make a few bucks.
On a Mac, you have several options for installing software that allows you to run Windows and Windows applications:
- Run Windows and Windows applications locally:
- To dual-boot between macOS and Windows, use Apple's Boot Camp. This approach provides the most compatibility with Windows software and peripherals, but does not allow you to run Windows and macOS applications at the same time.
- To run Windows in a virtual machine within macOS, use Parallels Desktop, VMware Fusion, or VirtualBox. This method will allow you to run Mac and Windows applications concurrently, though the virtual machine does not support as much Windows functionality as a dual-boot configuration.
- To run Windows programs without having to install Windows itself, use a Windows compatibility layer, such as CrossOver Mac. This option typically offers good functionality for a limited set of Windows applications.
- IUanyWareIUanyWare is a client virtualization (CV)service available to Indiana University students, faculty, andstaff. With IUanyWare, you can use a web browser or mobile app to runcertain IU-licensed software applications without having to installthem on your computer or mobile device.See Set up and use IUanyWare.