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Windows 7 OEM parallels and Bootcamp, installation sequence?

So ive got a 2013 macbook air and planning on using the OEM licence to firstly create a bootcamp partition, and the having parallels run off the bootcamp partition. Now I understand I might have to go through the whole phone activation the second time. My question is ...what sequence should I use to activate.Should I activate parallels first after the installation of parallel tools or can I just activate bootcamp first????

MacBook Air, iOS 6.1.4

Posted on Jul 18, 2013 12:29 PM

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15 replies

Jul 18, 2013 4:22 PM in response to Karim.Foad

1. Create Bootcamp partition

2. Install Windows 7 on Bootcamp volume

3. Install Bootcamp drivers

4. Register W7 using online method

4. Boot back into OSx

5 Install Parallels

6 Create a VM and Select Bootcamp as image

7. Open Parallels Virtual Machine list, Select and Launch your W7 Volume

8. Install Parallels Tools

9. Get on phone and go through the re-registration process (Should only need to do this once as later versions of Parallels have got round the early bug that used to flip the registration process)

10. Install Virus protection software (Minimum MS Defender - free from MS)

11. Start the Windows update process and wait for several hours whilst it completes.

Jul 18, 2013 4:50 PM in response to Karim.Foad

Latest version of Parallels tools can autostart the installation process however you can still select it from the Virtual Machine menu bar.


If you have or try a Linux distro Parallels Tools can be a bit tricky through.


You can also install a 12 month license of Kaspersky Virus software from the menu bar if you want.


As for the OEM version completely fine as its just the same as the box set without all the documents !


Only PC recovery discs cause issues as they have a ton of crapware diagnostics and drivers for specific machines.

Jul 18, 2013 5:20 PM in response to Keith Doherty3

Ok wow that's cleared a lot up ....I've been researching this for the last few days , and getting mixed views with some saying windows will count the virtual machine as a separate computer and they have all sorts if activation problems .But for the second activation , in parallels , the long digit phone activation should be sufficient ?? Because I really don't look forward to explaining everything to a Microsoft Representative

Over the phon haha!

Jul 18, 2013 6:17 PM in response to Karim.Foad

Karim.Foad wrote:


Ok wow that's cleared a lot up ....I've been researching this for the last few days , and getting mixed views with some saying windows will count the virtual machine as a separate computer and they have all sorts if activation problems .But for the second activation , in parallels , the long digit phone activation should be sufficient ?? Because I really don't look forward to explaining everything to a Microsoft Representative

Over the phon haha!

This is why I originally suggested that you read the activation directions on the Parallels and Fusion sites. They address the issue of Windows thinking that the VM installation is a second installation of Windows when in fact it is not. This is because you are not installing Windows in Parallels you are only pointing to your single Bootcamp installation of Windows. This is an issue that has been addressed by the VM manufacturers.

Jul 20, 2013 2:33 PM in response to Karim.Foad

There is not much to explain. Installing Windows in a Bootcamp partition then accessing it from a Virtual Machine is a common configuration. I'm sure the reps, if you for some reason have to talk to one, have seen this configuration thousands of times. With this configuration you are only installing Windows once which is 100% within the terms of the license. You are then accessing it from a virtual machine, that's all.

Jul 20, 2013 3:01 PM in response to Karim.Foad

Karim.Foad wrote:


I'm still waiting for my macbook to arrive . I'm just worried that the telephone activation won't work the second time and ill be stuck with a Microsoft representative , I'm dreading trying to explain the whole situation to them ....

You won't, the second activaton will be a phone activation, all machine, no-one to explain to. When the system asks how many machines you installed it on, the answer is 1.

Windows 7 OEM parallels and Bootcamp, installation sequence?

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