Prepare Your Mac

Before installing Windows, you must make sure that your hard disk is properly configured and that the Mac has the necessary firmware, operating system, and software available. Follow these steps:

  1. Back up your computer: Because you're about to run software that will alter the structure of your hard disk, you risk losing data if an error occurs (or if, say, the power goes out during the process). So, unless you're starting with a brand new Mac that has none of your own files on it, stop right now and do a full backup.

    In this case, the best type of backup is a bootable duplicate, in which you copy your entire disk onto an external hard drive. For further guidance, see my books Take Control of Mac OS X Backups or Take Control of Easy ...

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