Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, Yosemite Edition

Boot Camp

To set up Boot Camp, you need the proper ingredients:

• A copy of Windows 7 or later. OS X requires the Home Premium, Pro, or Ultimate editions of Windows 7—or any version of Windows 8 or 8.1. In all cases, it has to be the 64-bit version of Windows, and it has to be a full installation copy—not an upgrade version.

  FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION: The Virus Question

  Doesn’t running Windows on my Mac mean that I’ll be exposed to the nightmare of viruses and spyware, just like the rest of the Windows world?

  Yep!

  If you install Windows on your Mac, you should also install Windows antivirus and antispyware software to protect that half of the computer. The world is crawling with commercial programs that do the job. There are also lots of free programs, like Microsoft Security Essentials, which protects you against both viruses and spyware.

  The good news is that even if your Windows installation gets infected, the Mac side of your computer is unaffected. Just as OS X can’t run Windows-only software like, say, Microsoft Access, it also can’t run Windows virus software.

  Some people, therefore, run Windows naked—without virus protection (especially when using Windows-in-a-window programs like Parallels and VMware Fusion). If a virus does strike, no big deal; they just drag the infected copy of Windows to the Trash and install a fresh one!

  A DVD copy of Windows is fine—if your Mac has a DVD drive. Since it probably doesn’t, you need an electronic copy of Windows, which you can download as a simulated ...