WinBook Air post.

Author: JohnScottUK

_posts/2023-02-22-WinBook-Air.md

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+---
+title: "Breathing New Life into my MacBook Air"
+excerpt: A new life for my MacBook Air. My old MacBook Air became a WinBook Air running Windows 10 natively.
+image: &image "/assets/images/winbookair1.jpg"
+categories: General
+tags: Mac Windows
+header:
+  teaser: *image
+  overlay_image: *image
+  overlay_filter: 0.5
+classes: wide
+---
+Yes.
+
+You read that right. My MacBook Air Mid 2011 running Windows 10 natively. Yes Windows 10.
+
+Upgraded from an activated Windows 7 to get a digital Windows 10 license linked to your Microsoft account. Running natively in a Bootcamp partition, and all the Apple drivers so nothing is unrecognised in Windows Device Manager.
+
+"A Mac, running Windows 10 natively... What! Why??!!??" I hear you say.
+
+{% include figure popup=true image_path="/assets/images/winbookair2.jpg" alt="Windwso 10 running on MacBook Air" class="align-center" width="600" caption="A MacBook Air Mid 2011 running Windows 10." %}
+
+Well, I'll tell you why. I'll tell you how.
+
+My main machine is a MacBook Pro (Retina, 15 Inch, Mid 2015) 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 with 16GB RAM. It continues to serve me well running macOS Monterey (version 12.6.3 at the time of writing). Still a worthy machine for development, graphic design, email etc. etc.
+
+For the few times I need Windows, I have it running in Parallels - but I rarely fire Windows up these days. Mostly to download and apply fixes to it.
+
+However, I recently encountered a frustrating problem with Macs that I was unable to resolve reliably.
+
+I have recently started 3D printing. I wanted to update the firmware on my 3D printer to a custom version with some extra features.
+
+Updating the firmware involved saving a file onto an SD card which you place into the 3D printer and power on. Now, being a 3D printer, using custom firmware it appears particular about the update process. The guidelines suggested the SD card contain nothing but the firmware update.
+
+I didn't want to brick my new 3D printer beause of a failed firmware update.
+
+Unfortunately, Macs can put one or more hidden files and directories on an external USB drive or SD card. This appeared to interfere with the firmware update process:
+
+```
+.Spotlight-V100
+.Trashes
+._.Trashes
+.disk
+.fseventsd
+```
+
+All the available instructions I find on the Internet involve anything from hacking Apple's config to putting special files in these hidden folders to stop macOS writing to it. But I needed an SD card containing the 3D printer's firmware and nothing else.
+
+First thought was to use my Parallels Windows installation. I can mount the USB stick for Windows and delete the hidden files - but they keep returning. All that is required is being seen momentarily by macOS and that was enough for these hidden files to return.
+
+Additionally, since I rarely spin up Windows on Parallels, that takes quite a while to start, then update with patches etc. All to delete a few hidden macOS files from a USB stick.
+
+I do have several Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 retail edition DVDs around from old PCs and laptop long since gone. How can I create a useful machine with what I have? My plan was to install Windows 7, activate it, then update it to Windows 10.
+
+Well, I have an old MacBook Air Mid 2011 edition with a Core i7 processor and 4GB RAM. It is still functional but never used because my main machine is so much better.
+
+How about using Bootcamp to run Windows natively? Windows 7 is very, very old but I knew you could upgrade for free. Does that upgrade process still work?
+
+Short answer is yes! A Windows 10 upgrade to an activated Windows 7 machine will apply a digital license linked to your Microsoft account.
+
+What is required:
+
+1. A MacBook Air. Optional DVD drive for a Windows 7 DVD.
+2. A Windows 7 DVD or ISO with a license that will activate.
+3. A Windows 10 ISO image downloaded from Microsoft.
+4. A USB stick (8GB).
+
+# MacBook Air
+
+First update macOS to the latest supported by the machine. Mine was at High Sierra 10.13.2. If you are on High Sierra 10.13.1, use an update to 10.13.2 from [this link](https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1946?locale=en_GB).
+
+Create a Bootcamp partition. To get the biggest partition size, a reinstall of macOS from the recovery partition helps. Backup any data and erase the disk first. Use [these instructions](https://support.apple.com/en-sg/guide/mac-help/mh27903/10.13/mac/10.13) from Apple.
+
+Once the new macOS is installed, use Bootcamp to reduce the partition down to a small macOS partition (e.g. 50GB) and a larger Windows partition (200GB). Choose whatever size preferred.
+
+# Windows 7
+
+Bootcamp on macOS only recognises Windows 7 and Windows 8. Use Bootcamp and a Windows 7 DVD or ISO to create a bootable USB containing Windows 7 and the Bootcamp drivers.
+
+**NB: Save the WindowsSupport folder from the Bootcamp USB stick. This is required back on the USB stick when it is reformatted for Windows 10 later.**
+
+During Widows 7 install, format the newly created Bootcamp partition as NTFS so Windows will install to it. Once installed, Bootcamp drivers install from the USB too. All good so far.
+
+In order to upgrade to Windows 10, activate Windows 7. This is initially a problem. Windows 7 does not recognise modern security protocols (e.g. TLS 1.2). Microsoft servers (even activation servers) seem to refuse connections using older security protocols. Security has moved on, but a Windows 7 DVD/ISO has not.
+
+There is an option to activate via telephone on the Windows 7 activation screen. Call that. It asks for a bunch of numbers from the activation screen and provides a bunch of numbers to enter. Once done, Windows 7 will report an activated status.
+
+Windows will still refuse to update (probably due to the same older security protocols), but Windows 10 is the goal here.
+
+# Windows 10
+
+Now create a Windows 10 USB stick to run the setup from the Windows 7 partition.
+
+From a Mac, use [these freeCodeCamp instructions](https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/how-make-a-windows-10-usb-using-your-mac-build-a-bootable-iso-from-your-macs-terminal/) with some modifications:
+
+1. From a Mac, download Windows 10 2022 - Version 22H2 from [here](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10ISO).
+2. Insert the USB and use `diskutil list` to find the USB device (e.g. `/dev/disk2`).
+3. The GUID Partition Table (GPT) disk format is not recognised by Windows 7. Erase the USB stick using a Master Boot Record (MBR) format:<br/>` diskutil eraseDisk MS-DOS "WIN10" MBR /dev/disk9`<br/>*Replace `/dev/disk9` with your disk from `diskutils list`*
+4. Mount the Windows 10 ISO using:<br/>`hdiutil mount ~/Downloads/Win10_22H2_EnglishInternational_x64.iso`<br/>*Replace `~/Downloads/Win10_22H2_EnglishInternational_x64.iso` with your downloaded ISO file.*
+5. Copy *most* of the Windows 10 ISO to your USB stick with:<br/>`rsync -vha --exclude=sources/install.wim /Volumes/windows_10_iso/* /Volumes/WIN10`<br/>*Replace `windows_10_iso` with the name of your mounted Windows 10 ISO. Note the `/*` suffix which must remain.*
+6. Install Homebrew which allows you to install and use a wimlib tool to split larger `.wim` files:<br/>`/usr/bin/ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)"`
+7. Install the wimlib tool with:<br/>`brew install wimlib`
+8. Ensure the destination directory is present with:<br/>`mkdir /Volumes/WIN10/sources`
+9. Split the large `install.wim` file into multiple `install.swm` files on the USB disk:<br/>`wimlib-imagex split /Volumes/windows_10_iso/sources/install.wim /Volumes/WIN10/sources/install.swm 3800`<br/>*Replace `windows_10_iso` with the name of your mounted Windows 10 ISO.*
+10. Copy the `WindowsSupport` folder saved from installing Windows 7 earler onto the root of the USB stick. This is to re-install Bootcamp drivers for WIndows 10.
+11. Eject the USB and insert into the MacBook Air.
+12. From the MacBook Air running an activated Windows 7, run the `setup.exe` file on the WIN10 USB disk.
+
+At this point the MacBook Air will reboot several times during upgrade. Once complete re-install the Bootcamp drivers from the `WindowsSupport` folder on the USB disk to ensure they are setup. Windows 10 should activate using a digital license linked to your Microsoft account:
+
+{% include figure popup=true image_path="/assets/images/winbookair3.jpg" alt="Windwso 10 activated with a digital license linked to your Microsoft account" class="align-center" width="600" caption="Windows 10 activated and running on MacBook Air." %}
+
+So, my MacBook Air Mid 2011 has a new name. MacBook Air is now WinBook Air!