I have my old vista box with a key that'll work. I was told that OS X 10.8.4 only allows one to use windows 7 through boot camp. I have the windows 7 upgrade, but I would need to install Vista before I could upgrade. Is there any way I can do this or do I need to spend the extra $150 to buy yet another disk?
MacBook Pro, iOS 6.0.1
You have the box but does this mean you also have the disk? Im gathering from your question that you don't. If you only have a Windows 7 upgrade disk and not a vista disk then you would need to purchase either a full copy of Vista or a full copy of windows 7 (or 8 if you're so inclined). The upgrade disk requires the previous version to be installed prior.
I'm sorry, I should have been more specific. I have the disc and key for both vista full system and the 7 upgrade. My problem is that apparently the new boot camp can only let you install windows 7 or 8. I'm attempting to find a work around to install vista and then upgrade to 7
I do believe the Boot Camp on Mac OS X Mountain Lion only supports Windows 7 and Windows 8. However, there are other options if you want to install Windows Vista such as Parallels which allows you to create a virtual machine and run Windows Vista there.
Would it be possible for me to install vista on parallels upgrade to 7 and some how put it on boot camp? I'd rather be able to have my full processor/ram dedicated to the operated system I am using.
You can manually partition your internal HD and start from Vista's CD pressing "c" at startup. Then you could choose either system pressing OPTIOn at startup. The problem is: as Apple will furnish you with Win 7 drivers (starting Bootcamp Assistant): will they work with Vista?
Worth a try if you have a data backup...
Cheers
Simon
If you don't mind spending the time. You can install Windows 7 on the blank drive. When you get to the point where it asks for the key, just click next (don't enter anything). It will allow you to perform the installation, but it will require that you enter the key and activate with a few days... but this won't work for you as you'll get a message indicating your key is for an "upgrade" only. Now, while you're in Windows, launch the Windows installer again from the DVD. This time, choose an "upgrade" installation. When promted for your key, your upgrade key will now work.
Basically, Windows just looks to see if there is an existing version of an OS installed (activated or not). You're using the first Windows installation as the previous version. Microsoft has recommended this method for similar situations.
How do I install Vista on OS X 10.8.4?
