I wrote this in my tank build thread and someone suggested I post it in a GHL thread, so I thought I'd put it here in case it is useful for someone. Feel free to delete it if it's inappropriate or already documented elsewhere.
I've seen some people shy away from GHL because they use a Mac instead of a Windows computer, but it's actually free and easy to use the required GHL software on a Mac...
The nice thing about this approach instead of using bootcamp is that you can very easily drag and drop files, such as GHL settings files, over to your Mac folder so they are not lost and you can still use your Mac and associated apps while running GCC. Also, this doesn't use Parallels and so there is no cost!
I’m using a Mac and GHL require Windows software. I've used Parallels before but I'd seen a free option mentioned elsewhere and decided to have a look at it.
It didn’t take long to figure this out but I hadn’t seen a decent guide and so perhaps this will be useful to others. If you are a Mac user and the Windows requirement was putting you off using GHL (or any other equipment that only has Windows software) then don't let it!
Using GHL Control Centre (GCC) on a Mac
The first thing required is a Virtual Machine (running a different operating system alongside the native system).
Rather than paying for Parallels I simply downloaded VirtualBox from Oracle:
https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads
Completely free and works fine. There were a couple of security warnings thrown up by the Mac and so after installation I went to the security settings, clicked the lock and allowed changes by that application. I then simply ran the installation again and it went through without problems. I said yes to pretty much every question…
Next we need a version of the Windows operating system.
To get a free copy of Windows I downloaded the VirtualBox Windows 10 virtual machine:
https://developer.microsoft.com/en-u...rtual-machines
When the Licence expires you can download another one, but you had better make sure you have taken backups of all of your settings for your equipment and saved them somewhere other than in the Windows installation (you could pop them onto a USB drive or you can enable a setting in VirtualBox that lets you copy and paste between Windows and Mac).
You can also download an ISO, which is basically a disc image:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/eval...-10-enterprise
The developer edition has a licence for, if memory serves me correctly, 39 days and you don’t have to register any details, whereas the ISO has a Licence for 89 days but you need to register your details when you use it. If you download a paid-for version of Windows as an ISO then that’s not a concern of course. You used to be able to get Windows very cheap through a student discount website if you have a child in school – I haven’t checked if it’s still available.
I tried both and so I've written a brief guide for both options - it's very simple.
Instructions for the ISO version:
Open the VirtualBox application and click ‘New’. Give your new Virtual Machine a name (I chose ‘Windows 10 VM’ and select ‘Windows 10 64-bit’ from the menu (or whatever version of Windows you have downloaded).
The next page will be where you assign how much memory the machine has access to. I have 16Gb RAM available and so I changed this to 6000Mb – just under half. On the next page select ‘Create a virtual hard disk now’ and on the following page select ‘VDI – VirtualBox Disk Image’. Next is the Storage page – set that to ‘dynamically allocated’ and then just click ‘Next’ past the next page. Your Virtual Machine has now been created.
Right-click on your new VM and click ‘Settings’. In Settings click on ‘Storage’. You should see a SATA Controller listed with a disk image that will say ‘empty. On the right is an Attributes section where you can select a hard drive. We will be using a virtual hard drive so click the browse icon to the right of the drop-down menu and then ‘Choose Virtual Optical Disk File’. You can then browse to the Windows ISO that you previously downloaded and select it and then press OK.
All done and you can select your VM and click start (or just double-click the VM).
You’ll then need to enter your details and set up Windows. Once done skip to the GCC installation part.
Instructions for the Developer VirtualBox Windows Virtual Machine:
Extract the zipped folder that you downloaded.
Open the VirtualBox application and click ‘new’ This is where you create a virtual windows machine. Give it whatever name you want, leave the Machine Folder as default unless you have a reason for doing something else, Type is Microsoft Windows and Version is Windows 10 64-bit (unless you are installing your own Windows version or something else). Click ‘Continue’ and leave the memory size as it is (unless you have a reason for changing it) and click ‘Continue’. The next page asks about hard disk options – select ‘use an existing virtual hard disk file’ and then browse to the VMDK file that was created from the Windows evaluation download Click ‘Create’’.
You now have a virtual machine set up! Double-click on your VM in the left menu or select it and click ‘start’
If the window is very small and does not resize when you select full screen (Command + F) then you need to select Devices/Install Guest Additions. Go to Windows Explorer and double click the drive that represents the guest additions installation disc. Run that and it should install and then full screen will work. I also had to go to the VM settings and enable 3D acceleration and increase RAM to just under half of what I have available on my system.
This didn't take long to do but I hadn't seen a detailed guide and thought it might be useful for someone out there.
Now you are ready to install GHL GCC!
Open Internet Explorer and navigate to:
https://www.aquariumcomputer.com/downloads/
Download the latest version (but not the Beta) of the GHL Control Centre and install it.
Done!
I've seen some people shy away from GHL because they use a Mac instead of a Windows computer, but it's actually free and easy to use the required GHL software on a Mac...
The nice thing about this approach instead of using bootcamp is that you can very easily drag and drop files, such as GHL settings files, over to your Mac folder so they are not lost and you can still use your Mac and associated apps while running GCC. Also, this doesn't use Parallels and so there is no cost!
I’m using a Mac and GHL require Windows software. I've used Parallels before but I'd seen a free option mentioned elsewhere and decided to have a look at it.
It didn’t take long to figure this out but I hadn’t seen a decent guide and so perhaps this will be useful to others. If you are a Mac user and the Windows requirement was putting you off using GHL (or any other equipment that only has Windows software) then don't let it!
Using GHL Control Centre (GCC) on a Mac
The first thing required is a Virtual Machine (running a different operating system alongside the native system).
Rather than paying for Parallels I simply downloaded VirtualBox from Oracle:
https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads
Completely free and works fine. There were a couple of security warnings thrown up by the Mac and so after installation I went to the security settings, clicked the lock and allowed changes by that application. I then simply ran the installation again and it went through without problems. I said yes to pretty much every question…
Next we need a version of the Windows operating system.
To get a free copy of Windows I downloaded the VirtualBox Windows 10 virtual machine:
https://developer.microsoft.com/en-u...rtual-machines
When the Licence expires you can download another one, but you had better make sure you have taken backups of all of your settings for your equipment and saved them somewhere other than in the Windows installation (you could pop them onto a USB drive or you can enable a setting in VirtualBox that lets you copy and paste between Windows and Mac).
You can also download an ISO, which is basically a disc image:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/eval...-10-enterprise
The developer edition has a licence for, if memory serves me correctly, 39 days and you don’t have to register any details, whereas the ISO has a Licence for 89 days but you need to register your details when you use it. If you download a paid-for version of Windows as an ISO then that’s not a concern of course. You used to be able to get Windows very cheap through a student discount website if you have a child in school – I haven’t checked if it’s still available.
I tried both and so I've written a brief guide for both options - it's very simple.
Instructions for the ISO version:
Open the VirtualBox application and click ‘New’. Give your new Virtual Machine a name (I chose ‘Windows 10 VM’ and select ‘Windows 10 64-bit’ from the menu (or whatever version of Windows you have downloaded).
The next page will be where you assign how much memory the machine has access to. I have 16Gb RAM available and so I changed this to 6000Mb – just under half. On the next page select ‘Create a virtual hard disk now’ and on the following page select ‘VDI – VirtualBox Disk Image’. Next is the Storage page – set that to ‘dynamically allocated’ and then just click ‘Next’ past the next page. Your Virtual Machine has now been created.
Right-click on your new VM and click ‘Settings’. In Settings click on ‘Storage’. You should see a SATA Controller listed with a disk image that will say ‘empty. On the right is an Attributes section where you can select a hard drive. We will be using a virtual hard drive so click the browse icon to the right of the drop-down menu and then ‘Choose Virtual Optical Disk File’. You can then browse to the Windows ISO that you previously downloaded and select it and then press OK.
All done and you can select your VM and click start (or just double-click the VM).
You’ll then need to enter your details and set up Windows. Once done skip to the GCC installation part.
Instructions for the Developer VirtualBox Windows Virtual Machine:
Extract the zipped folder that you downloaded.
Open the VirtualBox application and click ‘new’ This is where you create a virtual windows machine. Give it whatever name you want, leave the Machine Folder as default unless you have a reason for doing something else, Type is Microsoft Windows and Version is Windows 10 64-bit (unless you are installing your own Windows version or something else). Click ‘Continue’ and leave the memory size as it is (unless you have a reason for changing it) and click ‘Continue’. The next page asks about hard disk options – select ‘use an existing virtual hard disk file’ and then browse to the VMDK file that was created from the Windows evaluation download Click ‘Create’’.
You now have a virtual machine set up! Double-click on your VM in the left menu or select it and click ‘start’
If the window is very small and does not resize when you select full screen (Command + F) then you need to select Devices/Install Guest Additions. Go to Windows Explorer and double click the drive that represents the guest additions installation disc. Run that and it should install and then full screen will work. I also had to go to the VM settings and enable 3D acceleration and increase RAM to just under half of what I have available on my system.
This didn't take long to do but I hadn't seen a detailed guide and thought it might be useful for someone out there.
Now you are ready to install GHL GCC!
Open Internet Explorer and navigate to:
https://www.aquariumcomputer.com/downloads/
Download the latest version (but not the Beta) of the GHL Control Centre and install it.
Done!
