Best way to install Windows with on a MBA?

Suggestions for the best way to install Windows on a MBA?

Possible to do it with the Remote Disc on network or only usb?

 

is it a new macbook air? best method is to get a windows 7 disc image, and use the os x bootcamp utility to create a bootable windows USB drive.

if it's an old macbook air, I would get a windows 7 disc image and use the restore functionality in disk utility to get it on a USB. You will also need to install rEFIt. You can remove rEFIt completely after windows is installed, if you want.

 

It would be a new Lion MBA, easier than older MBA?

Would the following be the least expensive legal Win7 license :

Amazon.com: Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit (Full) System Builder DVD 1 Pack: Software

I've seen this Installing Windows 7 with USB Flash drive on Macbook Air youtube video using rEFIt a while back saying it required a Win7 equipped PC with DVD but this office still uses XP ..still possible ?

- Thanks

 

You would be able to use bootcamp under OS X Loin to create a bootable USB drive that would then allow you to install Windows 7 You have to go the rEFIt route if you are on an older MBA. Microsoft has a free utility that will allow you to create a bootable USB thumb drive to install Windows 7 so long as you have a valid license.

The Amazon link is the least expensive legal copy of Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (full install) that I have come across without resorting to eBay (which is filled with pirated copies). You can also download Windows 7 Pro 64-bit for $30 if you have a valid *.edu e-mail address. Also, if you know any college students, you should have them check their campus bookstores or MSDNAA websites. I can pick up Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit for $10 from my campus bookstore and download Windows 7 Pro 64-bit for free from the MSDNAA website.

 

just buy home premium x64 and download windows legally from here:

http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65733/X15-65733.iso

If you get a different version or want more information about the download link, read this thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/win...-7-download-links-just-like-vista-before.html

Use your cd key and the iso file to make a bootable windows USB. It will be extremely easy on the new MBA, and still very easy on the older MBA.

 

You da man , that's what I was looking for-Thanks . I may bug the forum again if an issue comes up when it is purchased but is the following still a concern with buying at this time :

http://forum.notebookreview.com/apple-mac-os-x/603991-macbook-air-wifi-drop-problem-lion-bugs.html

 

It is hard to gauge how widespread problems really are simply because the people that complain will always be heard over the people that don't have any issues. For every 1 person complaining on a forum about a problem, there are probably 20 back home having an enjoyable experience. The people with issues will always have a louder voice than those with good things to say.

I can tell you that I am experiencing wi-fi problems on my MBP. They were there with Snow Leopard and Lion didn't change anything. Essentially my MBP has an issue only when it wakes from sleep mode. It states that it is connected to my wi-fi network and it sees all other wi-fi networks in its range but, when I try to access anything online, the program states that I am not connected to the internet. So my solution is to disable wi-fi for 10 seconds and enable it again. It has to be 10 seconds as disabling and enabling it too quickly won't do anything. The issue only occurs with Snow Leopard and Lion though as it is a specific OS X bug, it doesn't affect Windows.

Apple released its first Lion upgrade today that supposedly fixes the issue. I haven't installed it yet but I will see if it fixes anything tomorrow when I wake my MBP up and see if it actually connects to my wi-fi network or if I have to power cycle the wi-fi card.

 

Thanks so much kornchild2002, I must have scrolled too fast & missed your very helpful reply last time. Please let us know if it fixes the wi-fi issue as this could be a deal breaker especially since the MBA is designed to be used in & out of sleep a lot as an ultraportable.

My Cr-48 has no problems with Wi-Fi & sleep, open lid I'm on nearly immediately, close lid it sleeps, cycle back-forth no problems. No issues with my Windows notebooks either but are not quite as fast going in & out of sleep-Wi-Fi as Cr-48 which has its own limitations.

I forgot to test this but can the MBA-MBP go to sleep & wake simply by opening & closing screen lid or do you have to press its on-off button each time (like I think I saw an owner do)?

How can Apple let the Wi-Fi sleep issue go on for so long? This would be my first Mac (I've proudly resisted so far paying the Apple tax but MBA with Lion & its awesome multi-touchpad seem unique enough to warrant my reconsideration). I've considered the MBP with SSD, matte screen & its superior HD webcam & CPU+GPU as well but not convinced yet it's worth the price premium but the MBA with Lion may convert me yet obviously still want Windows on there as well. If you really can get Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit for $10 I may have to PM you when-if I pick up the MBA.

If this Wi-Fi issue persists it could be a dealbreaker however so please let us know more when you get a chance..

 

the 10.7.1 update was supposed to fix some wifi problems... I do not have any problems so I do not know first hand if anything is still problematic for some people.

 

Well, I restarted my MBP last night and put it to sleep. I woke it up this morning and it connected to my wi-fi network and the internet without issues. I put it to sleep again, woke it up, and had the same results. I will test it more periodically throughout the day but it looks like Apple may have fixed the issue with my MBP. Whether or not that translates to all MBPs and MBAs that were previously experiencing the problem is another issue entirely.

Opening and closing the lid works just fine. Pressing the power button won't do anything other than turn it off. There is also a keyboard combination you can hit to enter sleep mode (command-option-eject) that I use all the time when my MBP is in clamshell operation (hooked up to my HDTV) but, when it isn't hooked up to my HDTV, I simply open and close the lid. The MBA operates the same way.

Well, to be honest, the wi-fi issue (at least with the MBP) didn't really seem to be widespread on the 2011 MBPs with Snow Leopard. Some people were encountering it while the apparent majority weren't. It wasn't until Lion when the problem migrated over to the 2011 MBA. Even then I doubt it was very widespread. Lion has been out for less than a month and Apple already has a fix. I remember waiting for Nvidia to fix an issue with my 6800 card in my XPS notebook from 2005. It took them a solid year to release new drivers for Windows XP that stopped graphical freezing issues when using an external monitor. It has taken MS longer than that to release security updates for Windows to help block out the latest adware craze. A one month turn around to making an update, testing it for stability, and releasing it to the mass public really isn't all that bad. Granted, one could argue that Lion shouldn't have been released if it was doing this to the MBA and MBPs but that is just the way software and hardware companies roll now. They release a product after testing it for a little bit and, if people encounter issues, they patch things as they go. It is particularly annoying that I can buy a new game on its launch day, put it in my Xbox 360 or PS3, and I have to download a patch before I can do anything.

I can put I have already picked up my copy. I can buy one Windows license per version of the OS. I downloaded Windows XP Pro for free, I downloaded Windows 7 Pro 64-bit for free, and then I purchased Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit for $10. I now can't download or buy any Windows OS (except Vista Business 64-bit, I refuse to download that even for free) until Windows 8 comes along. Then I will be able to buy that for $10 and download the Pro/Business edition for free. I will then have to wait until Windows 9 comes along to do the same thing (though I will definitely be out of school by then, I just started a two year MS last month so I will graduate in 2013).