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mrsr71

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 22, 2012
56
1
I have a Windows XP Pro re-installation disk from Dell. Will this install on a new MB Pro using Parallels Desktop 8?

Thanks...
 

Krazy Bill

macrumors 68030
Dec 21, 2011
2,985
3
If that's a Dell OEM disk that came with your machine it will not install on anything except the Dell you bought.
 

Bheleu

macrumors 6502
Nov 16, 2010
349
1
Spend the $40 for Windows 8 Pro "Upgrade" from MS

... and get the "Free" Media Center Code as well. (CLICK ADD FEATURES)
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/buy


I have already installed it as a fresh install on a computer that only had Windows 8 Developer Beta. It works as a full install product, as long as you have a copy of the DVD. If you burn the DVD, it depends on the capabilities of the machine you are running or pay the extra $18 for the media disks from MS. I have the 32-bit, and 64-bit disks burned - 64 bit came from the developer beta install I had done.

I am thinking of replacing my superdrive with a second hard drive and installing a copy of it there.

Directions I have read are effectively remove primary drive, and install on the new drive, bootcamp install Windows 8 from Optical Drive.

Remove Optical Drive and use one of the caddies you can get from Amazon with the new drive, and put the old primary drive back in its place.

Hold option down to boot between the two hard drives.

Heard to get trackpad going, you set it up and then change it to mouse, then change it back to apple trackpad, then it works.

Also one possibility was some info I read off of amazon for being able to use external USB drives for getting DVD functionality to work again (might work for external disk installs too):
Quoting what I read:
"I, like many of you, was frustrated by all the different choices of cheaper external enclosures. I went with my gut and bought this one. No complaints here. It's just what you would expect. Not glamorous of flashy. Just a solid enclosure to get the job done. Obviously not designed for slot load opticals like mine (as there is no faceplate for that) but that doesn't really bother me. Aesthetics weren't my top priority as much as function was. Just get a cheap pouch at the dollar store to protect from dust, or do what I did and stick it right back in the plastic sleeve it was packaged in. Viola! Perfect external enclosure.

Also, for those of you with Macs who are saying that the optical drive will no longer be able to play movies via DVD Player, you're wrong. Here's a very simple fix for that. (Note: you'll need administrator permission) If you've experiencing an error when trying to use DVDs, just find the file /System/Library/Frameworks/DVDPlayback.framework/Versions/A/DVDPlayback. Copy it and paste it to the desktop. Then, leaving the original file where you found it, rename it by adding (ORIG) to the end of its name, just to keep it around for good measure. It should look like "DVDPlayback(ORIG)" Download a sweet program called 0xed and open the "DVDPlayback file you pasted on the desktop. Run a find and replace (command-F) and type "internal" in the search field and "external" in the replace field. check "all cases" option. Replace all and then "save as..." to the desktop, overwriting the other file on the desktop. Drag and drop the new file back in the System folder alongside it's (ORIG) brethren. That's it. Your now external optical drive will also play DVD movies again."


I bet it will also let you install OS from it as well.
 
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