Installing Windows 7 on the Macbook Air 11.6 through USB

[hachre]

Mac OS is far superior in power management to Windows. That is really not a secret.

 

[Night Spring]

Interesting that say this seeing as you've been a MR member for a quite a while. The battery issue comes up all the time. You will not get nearly the battery life running Windows 7 or any version of Windows on the Mac as oppose to what you get running OS X. Try turning it into whatever you want, at the end of the day Apple designs their computers to run OS X. That's why the keyboard is not a Windows keyboard nor does the trackpad run as smoothly as under OS X.

Nearly daily there are people from the Windows crowd who cheer about how much better specs you can get on a PC notebook over a Mac, yet we see many of them buying Macs to install Windows, yeah that makes sense. At the end of the day you're changing it to be something it's not and you won't get the full experience you would as running it in OS X. Including Sony there are few other good alternatives with good form factor. Buying into the Apple system means using the products they way they make them, trying to change what they are reduces the experience and it's a waste of money, period.

I mostly hang out in the iDevices forums, since I don't have a Mac notebook, yet. I do have an iMac running Windows 7, needed a bit of help when setting it up, but it's been running so smoothly ever since, I haven't had the need to hang out in the iMac forum, either. The superb experience I've had with Win7 on the iMac is why I'm itching to try it on a Mac notebook. You're right about the keyboard and trackpad not being optimal for Windows, but if it works half as well as the iMac, it'll be the best notebook I've had. As for battery life, after about half a year, the Vaio stopped holding charges, and gave me only an hour or two of battery life, forcing me to use it plugged in all the time. So I'm willing to give the Air a try. Even if it lasts less than if I were running OSX, it can't be worse than my current Vaio, lol.

As for the people cheering about how Windows machines have better specs, I bet they aren't the same ones buying Macs to run Windows. Not all Windows users are alike!

 

[thejadedmonkey]

To install Windows 7 on a computer without a DVD drive, you can google for a tutorial on how to turn a USB drive into a Windows 7 installer. All you need is access to a PC with a DVD drive, a USB drive of 4gb's or larger, and a Windows install DVD.

I'd imagine the process would work on the Air, as it's just a PC with an Apple logo on it.

 

[masterpace]

Bootcamp is a little different for the Air... (i just installed Win7 on a 11.6"er)

http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/Boot_Camp_Install-Setup_Late2010.pdf

This might help:

http://store.microsoft.com/help/iso-tool

Also, http://www.apple.com/support/bootcamp/

The link to the document you provided clearly mentions that the Windows CD is required. They don't make any assumption that a USB drive could be used. I would be interested to know how did you manage to install Windows 7 on your Air? I'm going to get mine delivered shortly and I have a spare Windows 7 family premium key (along with some downloaded setup files from the Microsoft store). Since I don't have the MBA Superdrive nor I plan to get one, I'm really looking forward installing Windows from a USB drive. Would you mind sharing your experience? Thanks.

To install Windows 7 on a computer without a DVD drive, you can google for a tutorial on how to turn a USB drive into a Windows 7 installer. All you need is access to a PC with a DVD drive, a USB drive of 4gb's or larger, and a Windows install DVD.

I'd imagine the process would work on the Air, as it's just a PC with an Apple logo on it.

Making the bootable Windows 7 USB drive is obviously not the issue here. I have a few PC laptops. Some of them are "DVD drive less". There are even some free utilities that create the USB drive for you, provided you have an install DVD or point to a local directory where the setup files are located.

The question is whenever you boot from the USB drive, is the MBA recognizes it as a Windows bootable "media"?

 

[hachre]

Making the bootable Windows 7 USB drive is obviously not the issue here. I have a few PC laptops. Some of them are "DVD drive less". There are even some free utilities that create the USB drive for you, provided you have an install DVD or point to a local directory where the setup files are located.

The question is whenever you boot from the USB drive, is the MBA recognizes it as a Windows bootable "media"?

My observation is, unless it is a GUID formatted disk, all Macs assume it must be something that requires BIOS and go into emulation mode to boot it.

 

[masterpace]

My observation is, unless it is a GUID formatted disk, all Macs assume it must be something that requires BIOS and go into emulation mode to boot it.

Et voilà! Then, is launching the bootcamp assistant prior to rebooting with the USB drive sufficient to "force" the Mac to boot from the USB?

 

[hachre]

Et voilà! Then, is launching the bootcamp assistant prior to rebooting with the USB drive sufficient to "force" the Mac to boot from the USB?

All you launch the assistant for is to partition your Mac. After that is done, just reboot and boot from USB, usually by holding the Alt (Option) key until the boot selection menu pops up.

 

[masterpace]

All you launch the assistant for is to partition your Mac. After that is done, just reboot and boot from USB, usually by holding the Alt (Option) key until the boot selection menu pops up.

Thanks hachre for the info. Have you experienced it yourself?

 

[hachre]

Thanks hachre for the info. Have you experienced it yourself?

Not on the Air. But all Intel Macs that support BootCamp work the same way.

 

[KnightWRX]

Get a PC laptop. End of story. Macs are made to run OS X. If you don't boot into OS X, there's no reason to get a Mac. If you paid good money for Windows 7 and Office 2010 and didn't just pirate them, then stick with a Windows machine.

 

[masterpace]

Get a PC laptop. End of story. Macs are made to run OS X. If you don't boot into OS X, there's no reason to get a Mac. If you paid good money for Windows 7 and Office 2010 and didn't just pirate them, then stick with a Windows machine.

FYI, I've already got 3 other PC laptops, two of them being Alienware and a Sony Vaio P. My "native" Windows stuff, including gaming, will remain on my PC laptops. Now, I currently have a MBP 13. I use it to do web browsing, do the "iLife" stuff, etc. The new MBA 11.6 will replace my current MBP 13. I plan on creating a small Bootcamp partition so I can do some light gaming on the go.

 

[Night Spring]

Get a PC laptop. End of story. Macs are made to run OS X. If you don't boot into OS X, there's no reason to get a Mac. If you paid good money for Windows 7 and Office 2010 and didn't just pirate them, then stick with a Windows machine.

The OP just happens to want to use the Air as mainly a Windows machine, but I'd think whether or not we can use USB to install Windows on the Air is a relevant question to anybody who wants to use Windows through bootcamp.

 

[Dragynfyre]

Get a PC laptop. End of story. Macs are made to run OS X. If you don't boot into OS X, there's no reason to get a Mac. If you paid good money for Windows 7 and Office 2010 and didn't just pirate them, then stick with a Windows machine.

Well do you know of any other Windows laptops out there that have

a) Similar weight
b) Similar Form factor
c) Similar price
d) Simiar or better specs?

I took a look at the Sony Vaio X and it meets the first 2 requirements. However, it's $300 more expensive and comes with an Atom CPU and a crappy Intel IGP.

 

[MrWillie]

Why not just go for a Sony Vaio X series? Since you're a "Windows guy" it's stupid to buy a Mac if only to run Windows, or at least most of the time as you say you are. If you're buying because of the Apple hardware you're wasting your money. If you're not going to use it as a real Mac then a PC equivalent will serve you better especially since you'll have better support. I never understand why people buy a Mac when most of the intention is not to run it as a Mac?

Interesting that say this seeing as you've been a MR member for a quite a while. The battery issue comes up all the time. You will not get nearly the battery life running Windows 7 or any version of Windows on the Mac as oppose to what you get running OS X. Try turning it into whatever you want, at the end of the day Apple designs their computers to run OS X. That's why the keyboard is not a Windows keyboard nor does the trackpad run as smoothly as under OS X.

Nearly daily there are people from the Windows crowd who cheer about how much better specs you can get on a PC notebook over a Mac, yet we see many of them buying Macs to install Windows, yeah that makes sense. At the end of the day you're changing it to be something it's not and you won't get the full experience you would as running it in OS X. Including Sony there are few other good alternatives with good form factor. Buying into the Apple system means using the products they way they make them, trying to change what they are reduces the experience and it's a waste of money, period.

Well some of us can't get away from Windows because we are required to run Windows only programs. (Step 7, RS Logix 500/5000, ect...)

Even Maximuim PC (and others) admit that the best Windows machines are Macs. Besides (here I go again) if I call customer support from the US, I expect them person on the other end to speak English.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

Making the bootable Windows 7 USB drive is obviously not the issue here. I have a few PC laptops. Some of them are "DVD drive less". There are even some free utilities that create the USB drive for you, provided you have an install DVD or point to a local directory where the setup files are located.

The question is whenever you boot from the USB drive, is the MBA recognizes it as a Windows bootable "media"?

Sorry, I misunderstood!

 

[neonkru]

Flash drive no, external dvd drive yes, but not sure if it has to be Apples.

you are wrong. you can create a bootable usb drive for windows 7 installation. theres a lot of software to do that. however you dont need to it by usb drive or cd. you only need to have an iso and install it directly on bootcamp for dual boot

 

[max90034]

Get a PC laptop. End of story. Macs are made to run OS X. If you don't boot into OS X, there's no reason to get a Mac. If you paid good money for Windows 7 and Office 2010 and didn't just pirate them, then stick with a Windows machine.

I do have Sony x ( as well as Sony p). While the weigh and size are amazing, the keys are too small and atom CPU is painfully slow. Battery life is nice but only after I bought $300 direct from japan double capacity battery for it. So, I am also planning to get MBA 11 and will try to run mostly windows on it.

 

[MrWillie]

Get a PC laptop. End of story. Macs are made to run OS X. If you don't boot into OS X, there's no reason to get a Mac. If you paid good money for Windows 7 and Office 2010 and didn't just pirate them, then stick with a Windows machine.

Then why do they do a better job running Windows than a Windows PC ?

 

[ImperialX]

Get a PC laptop. End of story. Macs are made to run OS X. If you don't boot into OS X, there's no reason to get a Mac. If you paid good money for Windows 7 and Office 2010 and didn't just pirate them, then stick with a Windows machine.

You need Windows 7 to run the essential TRIM command on these new MBAs.

 

[HLdan]

Well some of us can't get away from Windows because we are required to run Windows only programs. (Step 7, RS Logix 500/5000, ect...)

Even Maximuim PC (and others) admit that the best Windows machines are Macs. Besides (here I go again) if I call customer support from the US, I expect them person on the other end to speak English.

And just how is it for your personal use you are "required" to run Windows? I don't think so. If it's for your job then you have no reason to buy a Mac to install Windows on it, your job provides computers. Not buying the argument. Go ahead and get a Macintosh and make it a Windows machine, it will always be a fake Windows machine. It still has a OS X keyboard and all the hardware optimization is for OS X.

 

[KnightWRX]

You need Windows 7 to run the essential TRIM command on these new MBAs.

You keep using that word, I don't think it means what you think it means.

 

[MrWillie]

And just how is it for your personal use you are "required" to run Windows? I don't think so. If it's for your job then you have no reason to buy a Mac to install Windows on it, your job provides computers. Not buying the argument. Go ahead and get a Macintosh and make it a Windows machine, it will always be a fake Windows machine. It still has a OS X keyboard and all the hardware optimization is for OS X.

1) Never said I was required to run Windows for personal use.
2) While due to theft, I am using a Toshiba, I get a company credit card to purchase a work computer, and it will again be a Mac (MBA, 13" fully loaded), and it will dual boot OSX and Windows. It will not be a fake Windows machine, but a superior Windows machine.
4) No reason to buy a Mac ? Well I am in the US, and while we are losing more and more rights every day (come on Nov elections), it's still a free country and I can run my legally purchased Windows OS if I want to.
3) Arguement????

What is the hangup with people using Windows on a Mac ?

 

[Dragynfyre]

you are wrong. you can create a bootable usb drive for windows 7 installation. theres a lot of software to do that. however you dont need to it by usb drive or cd. you only need to have an iso and install it directly on bootcamp for dual boot

Really? I have my disc copy of Windows 7 Home here to make a ISO image.

 

[1984]

And just how is it for your personal use you are "required" to run Windows? I don't think so. If it's for your job then you have no reason to buy a Mac to install Windows on it, your job provides computers. Not buying the argument. Go ahead and get a Macintosh and make it a Windows machine, it will always be a fake Windows machine. It still has a OS X keyboard and all the hardware optimization is for OS X.

Yeah! Go ahead and do it! I dare you! See if I care! [runs off crying]

 

[1984]

Well do you know of any other Windows laptops out there that have

a) Similar weight
b) Similar Form factor
c) Similar price
d) Simiar or better specs?

I took a look at the Sony Vaio X and it meets the first 2 requirements. However, it's $300 more expensive and comes with an Atom CPU and a crappy Intel IGP.

You do not want a VAIO X. Trust me.