Member Avatar for hwoarang69

i have a mac. and than i download bootcamp windows 7 on it. so now i have OS and windows 7 on my mac.

the problem is that i have to restart every time if i want to switch os to windows. and it take alot of time. Is there way way login in windows side and use OS in a small window box?

note i also download oracle vm virtualbox. i am not sure if i need this. if i do can i do this?

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Dani AI

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Short answer: yes — run Windows as a virtual machine inside macOS so it appears in a window while macOS stays live. Since already has Boot Camp and VirtualBox, there are two practical paths: keep the Boot Camp install and run that partition as a VM, or create a standalone VM (fresh Windows install) and stop using Boot Camp. and pointed you to virtualization — that’s the right idea.

If you want to keep Boot Camp: backup first. Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion can detect and open a Boot Camp partition as a VM with minimal setup; VirtualBox can too but requires raw‑disk configuration and is more error prone. If you go VM-first, create a new VM from a Windows ISO (safer). In either case install the VM “guest tools” (Parallels Tools, VMware Tools, or VirtualBox Guest Additions) for drivers, clipboard sharing, folder sharing and better display support. Give the VM at least 2 CPU cores and 4 GB RAM for light use; for comfortable multitasking plan for 8 GB+ system RAM so both OSes have enough memory. Note: running Windows natively (Boot Camp) gives much better 3D/graphics and gaming performance; virtualization is about convenience.

A few cautions: always back up the Boot Camp partition before exposing it to a VM; switching between native Boot Camp and a VM can trigger Windows re‑activation because hardware appears different; raw‑disk VM setups risk data loss if misconfigured. Also, running macOS as a guest on non‑Apple hardware is not supported under Apple’s licensing and is not recommended.

Quick checklist: back up, decide native vs VM-first (performance vs convenience), pick Parallels/VMware for easiest Boot Camp integration or VirtualBox if you need a free but manual solution, install guest tools, and allocate CPU/RAM conservatively.

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Member Avatar for JorgeM

Yes, you are on the right track. The easier method is to run a virtual application that is suported on your Mac so that you can run Windows as a guest VM. this will allow you to run both operating systems at the same time if that is your wish and assuming you have enough resources on the host computer.

Member Avatar for Dani

As far as I know, Bootcamp requires you to have to restart. I use Parallels Desktop and I don't. I believe if you use VMWare Fusion you don't have to either.

Member Avatar for hwoarang69

i also have linux on my computer and bc of virtualbox i can run linux on windows at same time. how come i cant do this with os?

on parallel desktop it runs window on mac. do u know if it can it run mac os on window?

Edited by hwoarang69
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