How to install the Windows 10 Technical Preview on a Mac
dakudydi@yahoo.com
In fact, doing so is actually a relatively pain-free process. To give the Windows 10 Technical Preview—a very early pre-release version of Windows 10—a whirl, you don't even have to pay for a Windows license or already have Windows on your Mac. The Technical Preview is free to test.
Intrigued? Let's dig in.
Decisions, decisions
There are two ways to get the Windows 10 Preview on your Mac.The first is to install Windows on a separate partition of your hard drive using Apple’s built-in Boot Camp software. When finished you can boot directly into Windows, essentially transforming your Mac into a full-blown Windows PC.
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Whatever you do, back up your Mac's data first. Didn't you hear the part about the Windows 10 Technical Preview being very early experimental software? You don't want to lose all your valuable documents and family videos if Microsoft's OS hiccups.
Download the ISO
Done backing up? Good. First we'll head to the Windows 10 download site to download the Technical Preview. You’ll have to sign up for the Windows Insider Program by giving Microsoft your email address.After registering—note all the warnings about this being pre-release software, and Microsoft's stern warnings about backing up your data—select the version of Windows 10 that's right for your particular system. If you're running a relatively recent Mac with an Intel processor, opt for the 64-bit version. It's nearly 4GB, so get comfy—the download may take a while. Jot down the product key, too; we didn't need it in our testing but it's a good thing to keep in your back pocket just in case.
Install Windows 10 in VirtualBox
Let’s explain how to get Windows 10 running in a virtual machine first, since that's our recommended method. Head to the Oracle VM downloads page, and select the VirtualBox version built for for OS X hosts.Launch the download, dragging the icon into the Applications folder. Included is a 300-page PDF if you want a thorough set of instructions—though you can skip those and keep reading this if you don't have time or desire to brush up on VirtualBox's most arcane secrets.
At the VirtualBox launch screen, you'll be asked to choose which operating system to install. I chose “Windows 8.1” from the menu, as it's the most recent version of Windows. Windows 8 should probably work out as well—just be sure to select the appropriate 64-bit or 32-bit option based on the version of Windows 10 you downloaded.
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Next you’ll be asked to create a virtual hard drive for Windows 10. Unless you’re planning on doing extensive work or installing more software, you can safely choose the default of 25GB. Select the VirtualBox Disk Image option on the next screen and continue.
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The Windows signup screen will appear next. Pick a language and hit Install now. Then you’ll have two choices: a custom or upgrade installation. Select custom, then choose a specific location on the hard drive for installing Windows. Just leave this as-is—it's installing to the virtual hard drive created by VirtualBox.
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Voila! You’re running Windows 10 on your Mac. You'll probably want to check out PCWorld's guide to exploring Windows 10.
Running a virtual machine is a slightly different experience than running an operating system on a hard drive. Things may move a little slower and appear janky. But it works fine for getting basic work done, or just plain playing around with Windows 10.
When you're done, just close the VM's window as you would anything else. You’ll be prompted either to save the machine’s state as-is or power it off.
Using Boot Camp with Windows 10
If you want the full Windows Technical Preview experience, you can use Apple’s Boot Camp tool to install Windows 10 straight to your hard drive and boot directly into Windows. (You did remember to back up your data first, right?)For this you'll need a USB drive with at least 4GB of free space. Boot Camp will take the Windows ISO file and create a boot disk that can be used to install Windows on your Mac.
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Insert your flash drive and then select the .iso file's location. Boot Camp will then download all the necessary drivers to run Windows and transform your USB drive into a boot disk. This step takes a while, so be patient.
You’ll then be asked to partition your hard drive. This is a critical step, as you can't expand or shrink the storage later on. Instead, you’ll have to wipe that part of the drive and start from scratch.
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When you're done, click Install to start (you guessed it) installing Windows 10.
Windows will next restart a couple of times. The longest wait will be when it hits the “We’re getting our apps ready” screen, which sat on my machine for 10 minutes. It does, however, cycle through some pretty colors for your viewing pleasure.
If for some reason your computer boots back to OS X, reboot and hold the Option key. This brings up a menu where you can select which operating system to launch.
A few impressions
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The brightness was a little inconsistent, fluctuating between too bright or too dark. The backlit keyboard was also confused: Trying to reduce its brightness didn't work at all until the next-to-lowest setting, which then plunged the keyboard into near-darkness.
Such inconsistencies are to be expected with a pre-release operating system, however. If you run into trouble or want to check system requirements further, both Microsoft and Apple offer a support page. And if you want to return to Apple's warm embrace, just hold down the Option key during a reboot and select OS X as your chosen OS.
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