I want to install Windows XP on my Mac....

HawgsHead · Apr 18, 2007, 12:30 AM

which 1 of the programs out there are is best?I do not want to run them both at the same time though.....thanks!

Lowfat · Apr 18, 2007, 12:48 AM

Boot Camp is what you want if you want to straight up boot and run XP while not running OS X at the same time.

~~DudeBoyz~~ · Apr 18, 2007, 12:55 AM

If you have an Intel based mac, which you seem to on your macbook, I would recommend Parallels:

http://www.parallels.com/en/products/desktop/

I found it on Newegg on sale for $65 and just bought it a bit ago after doing a 30 day trial. They only seem to have 15 day trials now, though. Maybe because the Beta is done and the code complete.

You could try Bootcamp, but that requires some partitioning that may not be to your liking. Not only that, it may not be free when all is said and done.

Parallels lets you create many virtual machines, including Windows and Linux. It also takes advantage of the hardware virtualization features of the Core 2 Duo chips, I believe.

It is not perfect, but I find it much easier to run things in a virtual machine than going through all the trouble of rebooting just to run XP.

But bootcamp does give you full access to the hardware, which should perform better than in a VM. But VM gives you more flexibility. I can restart Virtual Machines with virtual reboots, all while OS X keeps running and working. I can do an install of Linux or BSD in a Parallels session and browse the web in Safari.

I upgraded the iMac to 2 gig of memory specifically because I wanted to be able to run Parallels with better performance. It was expensive compared to a PC memory upgrade, because it only has 2 memory slots and I had to replace two 512 meg 200 pin modules with two 1 gig 200 pin modules. They should have put a single 1 gig 200 pin module in the thing so all I had to do was purchase another single gig module. The 2 gig modules were so freakin expensive that they were not even an option for me. The thing maxes out at 3 gig.

Anyway, good luck with everything!

Geminiwave · Apr 18, 2007, 01:16 AM

I second Parallels. I use it constantly :-)

be warned tho. MANY sites have it and say its freeware cause apparently its super easy to crack. They d ont tell you its cracked tho...so yea I was using an illegal copy for a long time that I snatched off download.com.

~~DudeBoyz~~ · Apr 18, 2007, 01:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geminiwave

I second Parallels. I use it constantly :-)

be warned tho. MANY sites have it and say its freeware cause apparently its super easy to crack. They d ont tell you its cracked tho...so yea I was using an illegal copy for a long time that I snatched off download.com.

It was a pain, cause you have to fill out forms, but I downloaded it from the Parallels site directly, so I was covered there. But I wanted a physical copy of the software and found Newegg had the best price.

This is one app that I would not want to have to worry about becoming unstable due to a crack. It sucks that they charge more for the OS X version than the PC version, but it seems worth it if you have an Intel based Mac.

Lowfat · Apr 18, 2007, 01:55 AM

He said he didn't want to run them at the same time, really no point with parallels then.

~~DudeBoyz~~ · Apr 18, 2007, 03:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lowfat

He said he didn't want to run them at the same time, really no point with parallels then.

Just wanted to mention it as an option in case he can't get boot camp to work. At least I still recommended boot camp.

On my Mac, I partitioned the hard drive into 3 sections:

Boot = 40 gig
Data = 170
Xtra = 40 gig

I did that so I could use Carbon Copy Cloner to image the BOOT partition to the XTRA partition easily. That way I can install the OS X setup from scratch if I wish, do testing, then get back to where I was. By putting all my downloaded archives and data on the DATA partition, I don't have to worry about re-downloading Open Office 2.2, or recopying over my mp3 collection or pictures, etc.

In that configuration, boot camp will not install. Yes, it would be nice to be able to install boot camp and boot exclusively to Windows XP on my iMac, but it was not an option for me because I am wanting to maintain flexibility and control of my system so that it is optimal for me and how I work. It is supposed to be a personal computer, after all, right?

Anyway, that's how I discovered Parallels, and wanted to share the joy, as it were. Should be nothing wrong with that.

GutterPunk · Apr 18, 2007, 02:27 PM

We have so many problems running parralells here. Too many steps, and its such a pain! With random crashes ewww. Bootcamp is what we started doing just to avoid the problems. I think bootcamp is easy and fun to work with. Paralells will be better if you want to be running on the mac side more though.

Geminiwave · Apr 18, 2007, 07:52 PM

...too many steps? You're joking. I downloaded it, installed it, and hit the "play" button. it started working. Honestly its the best virtualization program I've ever used in my life.

and its never crashed either. its just a bit slow.

fobis · May 9, 2007, 03:44 AM

3 good options now: Parallels, VMWare Fusion, and VirtualBox.
VirtualBox is completely free and I've heard stories that it runs faster than Parallels, which would be my next choice after VirtualBox.
VMWare is as fast as Parallels now, too, and even has light DX8 acceleration, but doesn't have all the cool features like Parallels does (ie - Coherence).

Apr 18, 2007, 12:30 AM	#1
HawgsHead Rest In Peace Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Danville Virginia.The United States of America"In the God of Abraham,Isaac and Jacob We Trust" Posts: 2,012 Rep Power: 0	I want to install Windows XP on my Mac.... which 1 of the programs out there are is best?I do not want to run them both at the same time though.....thanks! __________________ Rig specs to the left in the boxes....X-Box 360 w/Hitachi 42" HDTV....If Darwins theory of evolution is true then why are monkeys still monkeys?It takes much more faith to believe in Darwin's theory over the Genesis account of creation.

Apr 18, 2007, 12:48 AM	#2
Lowfat Xtreme Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Grande Prairie, AB, Can Posts: 4,254 Rep Power: 101	Boot Camp is what you want if you want to straight up boot and run XP while not running OS X at the same time. __________________

Apr 18, 2007, 01:16 AM	#4
Geminiwave I Have lovely Breasts Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: In the closet... Posts: 5,395 Rep Power: 63	I second Parallels. I use it constantly :-) be warned tho. MANY sites have it and say its freeware cause apparently its super easy to crack. They d ont tell you its cracked tho...so yea I was using an illegal copy for a long time that I snatched off download.com. __________________

Apr 18, 2007, 01:55 AM	#6
Lowfat Xtreme Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Grande Prairie, AB, Can Posts: 4,254 Rep Power: 101	He said he didn't want to run them at the same time, really no point with parallels then. __________________

Apr 18, 2007, 02:27 PM	#8
GutterPunk I = Greatest Dood Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Nebraska Posts: 5,949 Rep Power: 71	We have so many problems running parralells here. Too many steps, and its such a pain! With random crashes ewww. Bootcamp is what we started doing just to avoid the problems. I think bootcamp is easy and fun to work with. Paralells will be better if you want to be running on the mac side more though. __________________ Rock On \m/ Thank you Mousey for the Sig! --------------- Intel Core2Duo E6660 (3.4GHZ) ~ Tuniq Tower 120 ~ Enermax Galaxy 1000W ~ Corsair Dominator @ 1090MHZ 5-5-5-15 (OCZ XTC Modded Cooler)~ EVGA 8800GTX W/ HR-03 Plus 120MM ~ Asus DVD-RW LiteScribe ~ LG DVD-RW ~ Corsair Voyager 2GB ReadyBoost Drive ~ Vantec Nexus Fan Controller ~ ThermalTake Armor 25CM fan ~ Personal Finance Blog: Dent Your Debt

Apr 18, 2007, 12:55 AM	#3
~~DudeBoyz~~ banned Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: USA Posts: 1,677 Rep Power: 0	If you have an Intel based mac, which you seem to on your macbook, I would recommend Parallels: http://www.parallels.com/en/products/desktop/ I found it on Newegg on sale for $65 and just bought it a bit ago after doing a 30 day trial. They only seem to have 15 day trials now, though. Maybe because the Beta is done and the code complete. You could try Bootcamp, but that requires some partitioning that may not be to your liking. Not only that, it may not be free when all is said and done. Parallels lets you create many virtual machines, including Windows and Linux. It also takes advantage of the hardware virtualization features of the Core 2 Duo chips, I believe. It is not perfect, but I find it much easier to run things in a virtual machine than going through all the trouble of rebooting just to run XP. But bootcamp does give you full access to the hardware, which should perform better than in a VM. But VM gives you more flexibility. I can restart Virtual Machines with virtual reboots, all while OS X keeps running and working. I can do an install of Linux or BSD in a Parallels session and browse the web in Safari. I upgraded the iMac to 2 gig of memory specifically because I wanted to be able to run Parallels with better performance. It was expensive compared to a PC memory upgrade, because it only has 2 memory slots and I had to replace two 512 meg 200 pin modules with two 1 gig 200 pin modules. They should have put a single 1 gig 200 pin module in the thing so all I had to do was purchase another single gig module. The 2 gig modules were so freakin expensive that they were not even an option for me. The thing maxes out at 3 gig. Anyway, good luck with everything!

Apr 18, 2007, 07:52 PM	#9
Geminiwave I Have lovely Breasts Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: In the closet... Posts: 5,395 Rep Power: 63	...too many steps? You're joking. I downloaded it, installed it, and hit the "play" button. it started working. Honestly its the best virtualization program I've ever used in my life. and its never crashed either. its just a bit slow. __________________

May 9, 2007, 03:44 AM	#10
fobis DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 716 Rep Power: 51	3 good options now: Parallels, VMWare Fusion, and VirtualBox. VirtualBox is completely free and I've heard stories that it runs faster than Parallels, which would be my next choice after VirtualBox. VMWare is as fast as Parallels now, too, and even has light DX8 acceleration, but doesn't have all the cool features like Parallels does (ie - Coherence). __________________ MacBook Pro Mac OS X Leopard 10.5.4 Intel Core 2 Duo 2.33GHz 2GB DDR2-677 ATi Mobility Radeon X1600 256MB 120GB 7200RPM SATA HDD