Windows for mac book air - 64 or 32?

Hello all,
I just installed Parallels Desktop 9 on my MacBook Air.
I have a 1.4 GHz intel core i5 processor, and 4 GB 1600 MHz DDR3 RAM.
I run OS version 10.9.3.

I purchased an online copy of windows 8.1 and haven't downloaded it yet. I would like to download it and create an ISO file as described.

Do i need to download my copy of windows from my mac, or from a PC?
If a PC - Does it need to be a 64 bit PC, or a 32 bit one?

Thanks,
Noam

 

Hello Noam,

The file downloaded from online will be in the form of an .EXE file. It is not possible for you to convert an .EXE file to an .ISO image file.

You may either need to have a Windows Disk to continue with the installation or you need to contact Microsoft to obtain an .ISO image file.

After getting the .ISO image file or a Windows DVD follow the steps as suggested at http://kb.parallels.com/4729 and this will help you

to create a new Virtual Machine on your Parallels Desktop.

 

Thanks for answering.
As i learnt, I don't have to purchase an actual DVD - I can activate the .exe file, and then, in the process of installing and before actually installing, i can chose an option to install later and create an ISO file.
That is what i meant to do.
My question is whether i need to do this using a 64 bit machine or 32, since that would determine which version of windows i will be downloading.
Thanks again.