win 7 on MBAir and 2015/14/13 BCA vs 5.1

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Level 1

106 points

win 7 on MBAir and 2015/14/13 BCA vs 5.1

i want to buy an air but want boot camp 7 on my machine. 2015 will only load windows 8 i think and 2014 runs BCA while 2013 runs 5.1.

what is the difference bw BCA and 5.1?

iPhone 6, iOS 8

Posted on May 8, 2015 5:37 AM

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Answer 1

Loner T

Level 9

59,536 points

May 8, 2015 5:43 AM in response to hotwheels22

If you are looking at System requirements to install Windows on your Mac via Boot Camp - Apple Support , please see

Table key

The tables will have one of these symbols or entries in each column. This is what they mean.

BCA: Use Boot Camp Assistant (BCA) to download the latest Boot Camp software. The support software available from Boot Camp Assistant is newer than what is currently available as a manual download.

4 or 5: These link to the manual download for the related version of the Boot Camp support software you need to install Windows on your Mac. You can also get the right version by using Boot Camp Assistant.

DVD: For older Macs, Windows drivers are located on the Mac OS X installation DVD that came with your computer.

Dash "-": This version of Windows is not supported.

BCA means that there is no public download of a .zip file for the drivers. You must use BC Assistant to download appropriate drivers.

I recommend Late 2013 models for running W7.

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Answer 2

hotwheels22 Author

Level 1

106 points

May 8, 2015 5:49 AM in response to Loner T

/thanks/

som can i please ask whybyou recommend 2013 as opposed to 2014 which should have some kind of speed improvement i think?

also my 2009 was none too happy running Parallels and i never thought i had disk space to install boot camp.

is there a scenario where i install parallels on a 2015 air (11" or 13" which is a lot faster read write i think)?

also, is it insane to think about making the 2009 a windows only machine? i mean for mot too mich money i could pick up a windows laptop i suppose but i do have this machine...

THANKS

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Answer 3

Loner T

Level 9

59,536 points

May 8, 2015 2:32 PM in response to hotwheels22

The Mac will be better off staying on OSX. If you can, get a Windows machine and install both W7 and WXP. If you do not need speed, consider Virtualization engines.

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Answer 4

hotwheels22 Author

Level 1

106 points

May 8, 2015 2:39 PM in response to Loner T

OK. thanks for all your help.

can i just ask you about the 2014? i mean right now it seems like 2015 MBA using virtualization or 2013 using 5.1.

is 2014 in the mix?

also, is there a good argument that 2015's speed using virtualization will mimic a native install?

i hate to pass up a fast 2015 for 2014/13....

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Answer 5

Loner T

Level 9

59,536 points

May 8, 2015 3:03 PM in response to hotwheels22

2015 models are running into some BT support issues. Please see https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204432.

2013/2014 refurbished would cost you less and for a few MHz clock speed, it may be a better return on your money.

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Answer 6

hotwheels22 Author

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106 points

May 8, 2015 4:02 PM in response to Loner T

ok thanks.

is that link with BTooth issues strictly macbook line 2015 or has it also affected MBA somehow?

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Answer 7

Loner T

Level 9

59,536 points

May 8, 2015 4:21 PM in response to hotwheels22

It is common to Macs which have the same BT/WiFi chipset.

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Answer 8

hotwheels22 Author

Level 1

106 points

May 8, 2015 5:22 PM in response to Loner T

thanks

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Answer 9

hotwheels22 Author

Level 1

106 points

May 8, 2015 7:36 PM in response to Loner T

hi LT.

can i please ask you if there is anything particular about the 11"/13" i7 2013 that you like as compared to this model in say 2014? or even say 2015?

i mean, aside from any possible price savings is there anything to recommend this model year in particular?

the one big difference i see (ignoring performance ratings) is that the 2015 does NOT allow for windows 7 boot camp. also there appears to be an issue with bluetooth and bootcamp in the 2015's but since i will /probably/ not install boot camp if i don't have windows 7 this may not be an issue for me with the 2015's.

THANKS

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Answer 10

Loner T

Level 9

59,536 points

May 8, 2015 8:05 PM in response to hotwheels22

If your MBA will remain a OSX-only machine, a newer model makes much more sense. If you foresee any Windows needs in the future then an older model will support W7 better, but a newer model will support W10 better. One other factor to consider is the intended longevity of your MBA. If you want to keep it for 5+ years, a 2015 makes more sense. If you intend to keep it for 2+ years and like bleeding edges and regular upgrades, then an older model would lose less of your money in depreciation. If Mobility is a critical factor, a 2015 would give you better battery life than say a 2013 model and less weight to carry.

I personally have sworn off of latest and will buy refurbished. I tend to keep my devices. I still have a working 2008 MBA 1,1 with SL and a 120gb OWC ZIF SSD. Constant upgrades also mean constant fights with bugs, and very little stability. I have yet to upgrade any of my machines to Yosemite, except two 2012 MBPs for testing. I am not very enamored of the Yosemite UI, I prefer the iOS6 and Mavericks look and feel.

At some point, technology loses to aesthetics, and vice-a-versa, depending on a very subjective view.

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Answer 11

hotwheels22 Author

Level 1

106 points

May 9, 2015 9:47 AM in response to Loner T

hi LT.

thanks for all the good advice here. somehow i am not finding an easy course of action.

short answers would be the following:

1. i am running XP and 7 on my desktop (hope to have this running again shortly actually) and i am struggling with what i need on the laptop. i bought a 250 GB 2009 13" MBP and expected to do everything with it and it was a very frustrating ride. right now i have NO DATA on this machine and it is throwing errors that i have no disk space.

2. so the thought was to get an 11" air and get a machine that i can get PAPERWORK, INTERNET, WEBSITE and QUICKBOOKS and to leave the CAD, PHOTOSHOP and other actual computer intensive work tasks at home.

3. my 2006 mac pro was an awesome computer and i have no doubt that the 2012 will be equally trusty.

4. i do like to upgrade to latest OS for newer sync functionality primarily for workflow reasons but also networking/social media upgrades.

5. not sure if virtualization on 2011 can be done for XP and for 7 but this IS an option since it would be reasonably simple. but, not sure if virtualization is sufficient to run windows only version of quickbooks since 2009 MBP could not do this and this has cost me a LOT of time.

6. also not sure to what extent new MBP line may suite my portability needs. that said, the 11" is very attractive now that the new 12" i was waiting for does not seem to be the machine for me.

so in short i do like to buy the trustiest machine but i do also like to upgrade. i am also at the point where some upticks in performance are well worth the additional cost.

THANKS

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Answer 12

hotwheels22 Author

Level 1

106 points

May 9, 2015 9:48 AM in response to hotwheels22

also, not sure what the upgrade to windows 10 looks like. i hate to do this but if it is seamless i suppose i could do this but i hate monkeying with new versions of windows...

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Answer 13

Loner T

Level 9

59,536 points

May 9, 2015 12:59 PM in response to hotwheels22

How important is mobility and portability in this equation? If you have an MP - the 2012 MP, can host many of what you need, and you can also setup remote access to your MP while traveling via VPN. It also has 4 disk bays, which can accommodate your Windows needs and provide much better CPU/IO than a MBP/MBA can. PCIe flash or SATA SSDs can be easily added to the MP, unlike the MBP/MBA line.

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Answer 14

hotwheels22 Author

Level 1

106 points

May 10, 2015 7:56 AM in response to Loner T

hi LT.

again a huge thanks for helping me thrash through this.

can i please follow up with you on this issue of the Mac Pro "hosting" and also gaining access to it via VPN from my Laptop (or even from my iPhone?!).

i am guessing the machine has to be ON to do this?

also, some really dumb questions - this VPN is different than "Back to My Mac" or File Sharing or Screen Sharing?

i was once able to hook up to my machine a long time ago from my laptop and literally operate it and while i WOULD find this useful in an extreme case where i have to find a file and send it to someone or to look at it - i am not sure what other functionality is available now that i am coming up for air again.

THANKS

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Answer 15

hotwheels22 Author

Level 1

106 points

May 10, 2015 8:03 AM in response to hotwheels22

got to the windows store yesterday and ran into a very intelligent tech.

fwiw, upgrading to windows 8 and then eventually to 10 does in fact appear to be an option for me in particular because there may be options to run older software running on older OS on the newer software. not sure if this specifically doesn't apply to XP but hatter has been planting this bug in my ear and it sounds like something i am going to go for on the new machine.

this means i would leave the old boot camp installs in place from what i can gather.

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