Installing Windows on 2015 MacBook Pro

On my mid-2010 MacBook Pro, I would install Windows on Boot Camp using a DVD disc because installing it via USB was not allowed, and I have done a lot of research regarding that but failed to make it happen so I gave up. Since my 2015 MacBook Pro does not actually have an optical drive, would I be allowed to install Windows via USB flash drive properly? Would I need to have Boot Camp Assistant create the USB flash drive for me or would the one I use for my PC work fine? I would prefer to install Windows 7 if possible, by the way, but are there drivers for it anymore?

Thank you so much!

According to this Apple document...you need the ISO file version of the Windows installer. I know that the document covers Windows 10. Same procedure may apply to earlier versions of Windows on a 2015 MacBook Pro:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204990

- Nick

Here's another another Apple document that says Windows 7 is probably not supported on 2015 MacBook Pro's (chart only goes to 2014 models):

Scroll down to the part about "Boot Camp requirements by Mac model":

https://support.apple.com/kb/HT205016

The solution may be to install a newer version of Windows.

- Nick

Explains it all Windows 8+ for 2015 models.

http://www.cultofmac.com/316626/boot-camp-just-got-a-little-worse-for-the-2015-macbook-pro/

Thank you for your help, guys. I guess I am going to have to install the terrible Windows 10.

Hey Tarek:

You don't have to install Windows 10. Why don't you run Windows from a VM? VirtualBox is free and you can even run XP from it.

Hi! I have thought about it but I have tried both Parallels and VirtualBox on my older MacBook Pro and the experience was awful, therefore I decided that Boot Camp was the way to go. Do you think my machine can handle it? I only have 8GB of RAM on this one and a 256 SSD.

EDIT: I installed Windows 7 via VM and so far so good. I am having a problem with the resolution, though, because it doesn't auto-fit the window when I readjust it; Parallels seemed easier when it came to that. I tried using Scaled Mode but the resolution gets messed up. Any ideas?

Screenshot for reference:

Yeah... that's the one thing about VirtualBox that I don't like. I know I had the same problem with it when I was running XP in a VM on an older MacBook that I have long since sold off. Parallels is going to work a lot better but I don't like having to pay $75 each time they come out with a new version. Scaled mode is not going to work from a VM. You've probably have it running the best it's going to be. My iMac is 27" which gives me more room to run stuff in a VM or using "OpenGL".

Tarek said:

EDIT: I installed Windows 7 via VM and so far so good. I am having a problem with the resolution, though, because it doesn't auto-fit the window when I readjust it; Parallels seemed easier when it came to that. I tried using Scaled Mode but the resolution gets messed up. Any ideas?

Click to expand...

This isn't a solution...just a comment. There may also be some resolution issues on a 2015 retina MBP. Not sure how seemless resolution settings/changing are between a VM and the "retina resolutions" on a retina MBP. Something to keep in mind.

- Nick

I run both Win7 and Win10 using Virtualbox on my MacBook Pro with 8GB of RAM and a conventional drive. It is a bit slow, but it works fine. It's important not to run big Mac apps at the same time. For example, Firefox for OS X seems to suck up a lot of resources. As does Adobe apps such as Photoshop and Lightroom. With Virtualbox, it's important to run the Guest Additions to install additional drivers. The plus side of running a VM is backup. You only have to copy off the single VM file.

VMware is perfect but does not support USB3

chscag said:

Hey Tarek:

You don't have to install Windows 10. Why don't you run Windows from a VM? VirtualBox is free and you can even run XP from it.

Click to expand...

VMware is perfect, but only has the limitation that it does not support USB3. My MBP has only USB3 ports, so I decided to use VMware fusion which has up to now no issues . Performance and user friendly options are what you want. They have discounted offers now and then so worth the investment. But sure VB is good as always.

Hi Tarek,

I would strongly suggest that you use a virtual machine. I use Parallels, latest version compatible with my OS El Cap which, is Parallels 10. Parallels has always been a little clugy but does what I need which is no longer much of anything in Windows. That way, you do not have to go through the bother of booting back and forth between OS X and Windows on your separate partition. That is a REAL PAIN!. I did this for several years back in the days of Windows NT and small RAM machines because I could not use all the loading instructions when booting to do everything I needed. Instead, so I had to use three different boot sequences and switch between differently loaded NT configurations. Boy was I glad when Windows did away with the 640K OS memory group (or whatever it was called back then) limitations. Using the dual booting system with Windows in one partition and OS X in another is basically the same idea and it sucks big time. As I said, Parallels leaves something to be desired but it does keep getting better and does the job I need. In use, it has full access to all the files and resources of the Mac OS when operating in Windows (I am now using Win 10 but used Win 8 previously). I would say without a real dual OS, a good virtual machine is probably the best alternative. You can configure Parallels so its use is almost transparent when switching between OS X and Win.

Hope this helps...OJ

Good luck.