Back before 2006 (which is like 100 years ago in the technology industry), there was a clear dividing line between Macintosh computers and PCs. Mac OS couldn't run on PCs, and Microsoft Windows couldn't run on Macs. This created a great rift between users of each system. It wasn't unusual to hear heated arguments between two users about which was the better system. A few brave souls tried to take an all-inclusive approach by trying try to run both using virtualization software, but even that presented limitations. If you wanted to use the full features of both operating systems, you'd have to buy both a Mac and a PC.
But in 2006, that all changed. Because in 2006, Apple began moving away from its PowerPC processors and offered Mac hardware with Intel processors like those used in PCs. This introduced the possibility that Windows and Windows-based applications could run on Mac hardware just as they run on PCs. At the same time, Apple released Mac OS X Tiger (10.4), the first Mac OS to support running on Intel processors [source: Apple, Buchanan].
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Boot Camp is software developed by Apple, in cooperation with Microsoft, designed to effectively run Windows on Mac hardware. By using Boot Camp, you don't have to choose whether to install either Mac OS or Windows. Instead, you can install both, and you can switch between them just by rebooting and selecting the other OS. /tune-in-radio-auto-subscription.html.
This article covers how Boot Camp works and how you can set it up on your Mac. Boot Camp has been available as part of Mac OS X since Leopard (10.5), released in 2007. The latest version of Boot Camp as of this writing, Mac OS X Lion (10.7), supports Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional or Ultimate editions [source: Apple].
Dec 10, 2019 With Boot Camp, you can install Microsoft Windows 10 on your Mac, then switch between macOS and Windows when restarting your Mac. What you need to install Windows 10 on Mac One of these Mac models.
Before we dive into Boot Camp, let's look at how the partitions work on your Mac's hard drive, and how the Mac knows which partition to use when you boot.
Boot Camp is the free utility included with Lion that allows you to install and run Windows on your MacBook’s hard drive. This gives you the freedom (and convenience) of having both Windows applications and Mac applications available.
In years past, you may have heard that a Mac computer couldn’t run Windows out of the box (without expensive hardware or software) and that Mac software was off-limits to PCs. Well, you’d have been correct, at least for all but the recent history of the Macintosh computer.
May 16, 2019 No, not at all. Running Bootcamp is basically a way of running another OS within your computer. Your MacOS shuts down, and restarts within another OS. This enables the computer to use its full capacity and capability on the running of that OS. Aug 05, 2011 No matter which way you run Windows on a Mac, you're going to give something up If you use Boot Camp, Windows will probably get as much as it.
Why the incompatibility? It was because Apple used a series of Motorola processors (or CPUs) that didn’t “talk the same language” as the Intel CPUs used in PCs. Consider a person speaking Korean trying to read a book in Arabic and you get the general idea.
Then Apple began using Intel processors in Macs, and the ground rules changed. Now Apple hardware was suddenly compatible with Windows. All that was needed was a “bridge” to help keep both operating systems separate on the same hard drive — and Apple developed Boot Camp. Of course, that bridge works in only one direction because you still can’t run Macintosh software on a PC. (Go figure.)
Boot Camp accomplishes this magic by creating a separate Windows partition on your laptop’s hard drive. The partition holds all your Windows data, including the operating system, your program files, and the documents you create while running Windows. Consider this partition as completely separate from your Mac OS X data, even though both partitions exist on the same physical hard drive.
When you reboot your MacBook using Boot Camp, it’s similar to changing the station on your FM radio: the hardware is the same, but you’ve switched to a different DJ (Windows instead of Mac OS X) and you’re listening to different music (country instead of rock). How’s that for a comparison, Dr. Science?
Naturally, you’ll need free space on your Mac’s hard drive to install Boot Camp. Apple recommends 10GB of free space for a Windows 7 installation, but bump that up to 40GB. Both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Vista and Windows 7 are compatible with most Macs capable of running Mac OS X Lion, and any Intel-based Mac can run 32-bit Windows XP or Vista.
When your MacBook is running Windows, it’s as susceptible to virus and spyware attack as any other Windows PC. Make sure that you invest in quality anti-virus and anti-spyware protection for your Windows side!