Mac – dual boot Mac mini with Windows 8

bootcampmac-minimicrosoftwindows

I am planning to buy a new computer. I want to use Visual Studio 2013 and app development for iOS.

Is it possible to make a Mac Mini dual boot with Windows 8? Will I be able to run all Microsoft programs in Windows installation area smoothly?

I have never used Mac before, so I'd like to get some feedback.

Best Answer

Yes you can.

Windows 8 support was provided to Boot Camp in version 5, along with drivers for the Mac hardware.

Boot Camp 5 adds Windows 8 (64-bit) support. Use the Boot Camp Assistant and a USB drive to install the latest Boot Camp drivers for your computer. These new drivers support both Windows 7 (64-bit) and Windows 8 (64-bit). You should download the newest drivers available any time you install Windows.

Source: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5639

Per the quote above, you can use the Boot Camp Assistant to partition your drive, then install Windows 8 from ISO or disc.

You can find the full guide to installing Windows through Boot Camp on Apple's Help site:

To summarise:

  1. Open Boot Camp Assistant from /Applications/Utilities/Boot Camp Assistant.app.
  2. Follow the instructions to partition your disk.
  3. Let it reboot using your install media.
  4. Install Windows normally.
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