Bootcamp. Using a 64-bit Windows 7 DVD

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I have a late 2009 Mac Mini running El Capitan and would like to install Windows 7 on Bootcamp. According to Apple Support https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205016 I can install Windows 7 32-bit not but the 64-bit version on a Mac Mini of that age. I have a Windows 7 Home Premium disk (intended for distribution with a refurbished PC) that includes SP1 and is labelled as 64-bit. My question is whether the disk will also allow me in install the 32-bit version - looking at adverts to Windows 7 suggests that a single disk might contain both versions - and how I can check that before running a Bootcamp installation. Many thanks.
 
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I think your problem will be the DVD is an inhouse unit, specificaly for Dell, Asus etc. If that is the case it will not install and you will need another type of Windows 7 disk. Some version of Windows 7 came with both 32 and 64bit. I know my Windows 7 Ultimate did. Your Mini is 64bit so I would try that.
 

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Harry is correct. Your copy of Windows 7 is an OEM disk specifically for a particular PC and will only contain the single version - 64 bit. You would need a retail version of Windows 7 in order to have both the 32 and 64 bit versions on the disk. My copy of Windows 7 was purchased direct from Microsoft and contains both the 32 and 64 bit versions.
 
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Thanks for your replies. I know the disk will install and that the Mac Mini is 64-bit but according to the Apple support link I enclosed, a late 2009 Mac Mini will not support 64-bit versions of Windows 7 opening in Bootcamp, only 32-bit, for whatever reason. Maybe I would be best downloading a 32-bit ISO from the many sites that offer it and use the key I already have, if, as you say, I probably only have the 64-bit version on the disk.
 

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Thanks for your replies. I know the disk will install and that the Mac Mini is 64-bit but according to the Apple support link I enclosed, a late 2009 Mac Mini will not support 64-bit versions of Windows 7 opening in Bootcamp, only 32-bit, for whatever reason. Maybe I would be best downloading a 32-bit ISO from the many sites that offer it and use the key I already have, if, as you say, I probably only have the 64-bit version on the disk.

You won't find many forum members advocating that due to questions about its legality. There is also the possibility that these sites often contained files littered with malware.
 
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It won't work as the key you have is for one particular brand machine of machine and probably used previously. But go ahead.
 
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Thanks guys. It looks like eBay then for a 32-bit version.
 
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I think the question is WHY on earth do you want to install windows on a mac? Why not buy a bog standard laptop* and install windows on that? Laptops are so cheap now so imho it would be foolish to install windows on a mac. I changed to mac in my office in 2009 and have never looked back. No more down time, no blue screens etc.
* My wife needed windows for a very special software for her profession. She purchased a HP laptop, I think she paid 399 Euro for it. This was a far better solution than having windows slow her mac down.
Regards from Germany
 
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Cheap is a relative term!! I don't consider €399 cheap. Many people put Windows on their Macs via Bootcamp, Virtual Machines etc and I have have plenty of space on the hard drive for 30GB that won't affect the Mac's performance. That way I can easily transfer files between the partitions for those few Windows apps that I need. £20 buying Windows & 32-bit would be fine, €399 overkill. Besides which I hate laptop keyboards/mice and am happier sticking with my Mac keyboard.
 
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More complete information here. While hardware and software has been capable of 64-bit, some of the components were not 64-bit. Some graphics cards and some older processors. 2006 and 2007 Mac Pros for example had Xeon processors and other macs with Intel processors that were core duo. Capable of 64-bit but apple apparently believed this and some graphics cards were problematic. Generic term! So Apple put in 32-bit EFI (also known later as UEFI) which is similar to a Windows BIOS. Open Source and cos such as Camelon wrote 64-bit utilities.

Is your Mac 64-bit. The best way to find out.
Run the following command in a terminal session:
ioreg -l -p IODeviceTree | grep firmware-abi

If the EFI is 64-bit, this will be the output:
| | "firmware-abi" = <"EFI64">
 
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Your problem will continue should you buy a used Windows 7 disk as the activation code has been used. If you want to go this way buy a new 32bit version of Windows 7.
 
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My Mac is 64-bit according to Terminal. So I'm left puzzled why, according to Apple, I can't run 64-bit Windows 7 in Bootcamp. But I've gone ahead anyway and bought an unused Windows 7 32-bit.
 
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Remember you cannot use a Windows cd from a computer manufacturer who trailers the OS to their processors etc.
I generally buy an OEM w7 premium from a third party which has both 32 and 64 bit. I never buy home versions. Locked out of too many things which make w7 easier to use.
 
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According to the link you posted in #1 if your MBP is a 2009 it should install 64bit. Prior to 2008 32bit only. Like the Mac Pro 1.1 and 2.1, they have 64bit architecture BUT 32bit EFI which prevents this.

Check through this and find your MBP CPU capacity and check it is both 64bit architecture and EFI. Also you did not supply your operating system. Note OS X.6 Snow Leopard boots into 32bit by default. See well down this list:-


http://www.everymac.com/mac-answers...-bit-macs-64-bit-efi-boot-in-64-bit-mode.html

And


http://www.everymac.com/mac-answers...64-bit-performance-how-to-boot-in-64-bit.html
 
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I think the question is WHY on earth do you want to install windows on a mac?

Why not buy a bog standard laptop* and install windows on that? Laptops are so cheap now so imho it would be foolish to install windows on a mac.

What works for you may not work for others. Having a single computer that can dual boot the Mac OS and Windows is very convenient & useful for many folks. Cost is not always the issue. Some folks don't want to lug around two laptop computers.

And besides. Installing Windows on a Mac is still MUCH less expensive than purchasing a separate laptop just for running Windows.:)

- Nick
 
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Check through this and find your MBP CPU capacity and check it is both 64bit architecture and EFI. Also you did not supply your operating system.

How do you do that please? And you must have missed my first post. I'm running a late 2009 Mac Mini 2.26GHz (not MBP) with El Capitan installed. Even if Windows 7 64-bit will run, Apple say not, so which version of BootCamp support software do I need to use (see my original quoted link.)

Ah, according to you first link, harryb, my last 2009 Mac Mini 2.26GHz boots to 32-bit alone.
 
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It worked on my 2008 MacBook Pro

How do you do that please? And you must have missed my first post. I'm running a late 2009 Mac Mini 2.26GHz (not MBP) with El Capitan installed. Even if Windows 7 64-bit will run, Apple say not, so which version of BootCamp support software do I need to use (see my original quoted link.)

Ah, according to you first link, harryb, my last 2009 Mac Mini 2.26GHz boots to 32-bit alone.

i purchased a 64-bit win7 disk from BestBuy which loaded and runs well on a 2008 Macbook Pro.

I have since taken advantage of the free upgrade for Win7 to WIN10 which also operates in a more qualified way. in Win10 some of the older windows software will not run so, be careful. When upgrading to WIN10 have more disk space than win7 free.

Additionally booting from one system to the other takes some handling as Win10 and Yosemite don't play nice in that area. We use the win10 to run Quicken as my wife didn't want to give up on that one.

booting up, the pro will come up in whichever OS was last used. Become familiar with the boot up process of holding down the options key until the machine asks which you wish to boot up and select. Not a problem to us and you won't put out the cost of a second machine. Frankly we have more to do with my $$ than feed the industry more cash. Good Luck
 
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Whoops sorry about that MBP reference.

When I ran Windows 7 Ultimate on my Mac Pro 2.1 just used the 32bit version. Compared to later running on a 2012 iMac in 64bit, the only difference I noticed was in accessing memory. The 32bit version could only access some 2.9GB of the Mac Pro's 16GB, but the 64 bit could access the whole memory on the iMac.
 
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I'm left confused. I originally had the 64bit version installed on Bootcamp successfully despite what Apple support suggests. How I don't know, can't remember. Despite possible restrictions on RAM I'm probably better off going with 32bit this time. I only want the partition for very modest occasional reasons.
 

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