Bootcamp quality

Associate
Joined
27 Sep 2009
Posts
1,701
How does the latest Bootcamp cope with Windows 7/8.1? I'm looking to run these software:

Orbiter 2010
Flightsimsoft PFPX
Flightsimsoft Topcat
EU IV (I think thats on Mac Steam anyway)
 
It seems to me that Boot Camp seems to sometimes work, sometimes not, on certain systems. To be honest right now I'd either only run a VM if possible (not in your case), or do a native install of Windows 8.1 without Boot Camp (EFI boot), only using Boot Camp Assistant to grab the required drivers. Wouldn't bother with Windows 7 at all.

Sure, the EFI boot is a tiny bit more hassle to do, but probably worth it.
 
Last edited:
Never had any major issues with Windows 7 on bootcamp (even on my 5 or 6 year old Macbook).

For the most part it works exactly the same as Windows 7 on a normal laptop, once you have drivers installed correctly.
 
I run PFPX and TOPCAT in a virtual machine and they work perfectly. I don't know what Orbiter 2010 is but you certainly don't need a native Windows installation to run PFPX and TOPCAT.
 
Never had any issues with bootcamp on 200 Macs in a faculty.
The only minor issues we had were years ago when intel macs first came out.
Basically a Mac is a standard intel PC with EFI instead of BIOS and additional security chip to enable it to run OS X without needing a serial.
Bootcamp simply partitions the hard disk, then just downloads the latest drivers and slipstreams them onto a USB stick with the install media from ISO and then boots from that.
 
Just in time for this post, Windows 7 support has now been removed from Boot Camp.

I read that you can run bootcamp, then use that Windows install in Parallels. Sounds like a good option?
You can. Parallels, VMware Fusion, anything that can boot off a native install basically.

All things considered I'd say it isn't a good option, despite the fact that I do this currently. You lose the ability to use App Nap, you can't suspend the VM (well, you can, however it is potentially dangerous), and Fusion Drive won't work (Windows will be installed on the mechanical disk instead).

In a couple of months I'll be having a separate "work" Windows VM and a separate gaming one. Another good thing is that this allows me to copy a VM onto my other machine and just use it (and back it up easily), rather than doing two separate installs.
 
Really? But the FAQs says it does:
I should have been clearer. New machines don't support it, so essentially, Apple have dropped support in that they aren't adding support from now on.

No biggy as frankly you wouldn't want to run Windows 7 anyway. Windows 8.1 with Classic Shell is far better.
 
Back
Top Bottom