Beginners Guide to Dual Boot Windows and OS X

[Going Bald]

hi ,

i have an HP pavillion dv7 6b50eb and i haven't UEFI , is it possible dual boot mac os x 10.9 and windows 7?

If you can manage to install OS X on it, you can install win7 on it. Best to use separate drives - one for each OS.
Of course, getting OS X to work is something else. Without specs on the HP board, not possible to tell - you have some research to do.

 

[idragus]

oh ok thanks but i want install mac os x and windows 7 in the same HDD ( 2 partitions for windows and 2 for mac os x mavericks) .

My computer specs are:

intel core i7 2670QM
8 GB RAM
2 graphics card: AMD RADEON HD 6490M and intel HD graphic family

on the hackintosh website, they wrote about the HP ProBook 4730s : "the AMD Radeon 6490M doesn't work with Mac OS X, so you'll have to disable it in the BIOS."
but is it good to disable the graphic card to run mac os x ?

 

[Going Bald]

oh ok thanks but i want install mac os x and windows 7 in the same HDD ( 2 partitions for windows and 2 for mac os x mavericks) .

My computer specs are:

intel core i7 2670QM
8 GB RAM
2 graphics card: AMD RADEON HD 6490M and intel HD graphic family

on the hackintosh website, they wrote about the HP ProBook 4730s : "the AMD Radeon 6490M doesn't work with Mac OS X, so you'll have to disable it in the BIOS."
but is it good to disable the graphic card to run mac os x ?

For formatting a drive to install both OS X and Win7/8 on the same HDD/SSD see link in post 23.
For actually installing OS X an that laptop, try asking in the laptop forum - http://www.tonymacx86.com/laptops/ . They are more likely to be able to help you with the actual install of OS X and getting it working.

 

[fredrickrockson]

hi
i havw windows 8.1 on my laptop
i partitiond the hard drive and install mavericks in CSM boot mode using umibeast
when i enable uefi boot mode, the laptop boots straight to windows 8.1.

i was hoping i coukd get an option to choose between the two

 

[tommyhollander]

This guide will show you how to install Windows and Mountain Lion to dual boot on a single hard drive and get them running perfectly. .......

In this guide I am using the following components:
- Gigabyte H61M-DS2 motherboard F7 Firmware
- Intel Core i3 3220 Ivy Bridge
- 1 TB Seagate Barracuda Hard Drive
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650
- 8 GB (2x4) 1333 MHz RAM
I will be using Windows 7 for this Guide, but the process is the same for Windows 8

@Apevia21
Thanks a lot ! A few questions:
A computer store will build the machine ( i7 4770k, GA-Z87x-UD5-TH, GTX 770, 32 GB Ram , etc.) and install Windows 7 on a HDD. I will have to install OSX my self on a SSD.

1. Will this guide work? As you have different Hardware and OSX, and use 1 hdd for both OSX?
If it is different , do you know where I can find the right tutorial?
2. The store doesn't know anything about hackintosh. Are there specific 'hackintosh' things, they should know (as they install windows).

 

[Going Bald]

@Apevia21
Thanks a lot ! A few questions:
A computer store will build the machine ( i7 4770k, GA-Z87x-UD5-TH, GTX 770, 32 GB Ram , etc.) and install Windows 7 on a HDD. I will have to install OSX my self on a SSD.

1. Will this guide work? As you have different Hardware and OSX, and use 1 hdd for both OSX?
If it is different , do you know where I can find the right tutorial?
2. The store doesn't know anything about hackintosh. Are there specific 'hackintosh' things, they should know (as they install windows).

There are a few thing Apevia21 leaves out as his guide is more for his hardware.
For installing OS X on separate drives there is no great secret - just 2 things to remember:

Only have the drive you are actually installing the OS on connected while doing the installation.

When installing Windows on a mainboard with UEFI BIOS make sure the installer installs it Legacy mode if you plan to use Chameleon / Chimera to dual boot with and select an OS to boot.

If your builder is going to install Windows for you, make sure they do not install Win7 UEFI.

 

[tommyhollander]

When installing Windows on a mainboard with UEFI BIOS make sure the installer installs it Legacy mode if you plan to use Chameleon / Chimera to dual boot with and select an OS to boot.

If your builder is going to install Windows for you, make sure they do not install Win7 UEFI.

THANKS! In case they would have installed UEFI, would be 'unfixable' ? Or would I need to install Windows again.

 

[Going Bald]

THANKS! In case they would have installed UEFI, would be 'unfixable' ? Or would I need to install Windows again.

Not "unfixable" - just have your choice of using Clover as your boot loader or re-installing non-EFI.
Chameleon and its branches like Chimera can't "see" the EFI boot partition Windows makes but Clover can.

 

[samstanton]

can you still use this same process when you already have windows on a computer. no reason why you cant, but in my experience, hackintosh machines are pretty temperamental.

 

[Going Bald]

can you still use this same process when you already have windows on a computer. no reason why you cant, but in my experience, hackintosh machines are pretty temperamental.

You can if installing on separate drives. You cannot add OS X to a Windows drive formatted by the Windows installer. (At least, I haven't found a way, yet)