So you love your Mac a lot but want to install Windows 8.1 on Mac along with OS X Mavericks (Macbook Pro, Air, Mac Mini or, iMac) Then you’re at the best place one could be. This guide will present to you the precise steps you need to follow to give Windows 8.1 a whirl without disturbing your current installed Mac OS X Mavericks (Dual Boot) and without spending your precious bucks on a new computer.
Install Windows 8.1 on Mac
The steps are similar to that of Windows 8, but the twist in the story is that you’ll have to rely on the Windows drivers provided by Apple in order to make everything run properly. Since Apple is not so much eager in updating its drivers for a new version of Windows, some features won’t work, but most will.
The good news is that you can easily dual boot Windows 8.1 and OS X Mavericks on Mac. That means you don’t need to worry about risking your Mac OS X.
Requirements to install Windows 8.1 on Mac:
- Internet connection.
- Installed OS X 10.8.3 or later.
- A Bootable Windows 8 64-bit installation DVD or USB drive, See How to Create Windows 8 Bootable USB.
- 20-30 GB of free space on Mac required for Windows partition. The more, the better.
- A USB Drive to save Windows support software from Apple (Flash or External USB drive must have single FAT partition).
Note: Make sure to backup your important stuff on Mac, to avoid any sort of risk.
Step-1: Download Windows support files
Insert FAT formatted USB drive into Mac.
Press cmd+space from keyboard and type Boot Camp Assistant in the spotlight and select Boot Camp Assistant from results or go to Applications > Utilities > Boot Camp Assistant.app.
Once you open the Boot Camp Assist. click the Continue button. On the next window, unless you have latest version of Boot Camp Drivers downloaded elsewhere, select both options: “Download the latest Windows support software form Apple” and “Install Windows 7”, read the given details under these option if you want to know more about these options. Hit the Continue button.
Here you will be asked to select location where you want to save Windows support software files, so select your location and hit continue button.
This may take several minutes depending on your internet connection, so be patient.
Step-2: Create partition for Windows 8.1
Once the drivers download has been completed, you’ll be presented with the screen to allocate space for the Windows OS.
Partition your drive and allocate at-least 20GB to the Windows drive, which is recommended space. However, you’ll require more space if you want to put in more files in the Windows OS after installation. Once you’re done with partitioning click install and when prompted reboot your Mac with your Windows 8.1 DVD or USB inserted. If all goes well, your Mac should reboot from the Windows installation DVD or USB stick.
From this point on, it’s just like installing Windows on a PC. Simply follow the on-screen instructions and choose the “BOOTCAMP” when asked to choose the destination partition. It’s the same partition that we just created.
Now you can enjoy both your Mac OS X and Windows 8.1 alike on your Mac itself. Boot into the one you feel like and enjoy its features.