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MacWinDual

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 17, 2013
2
0
I have a Windows XP key so I can legally use Windows XP. I want to install Windows XP SP3 on my 64GB MBA running the latest OSX with Bootcamp.

I only need Windows XP SP3 so I can use Ninja Trader. So, I do not need much space. I do not have an optical drive, I cannot borrow one etc.

Questions:

1) Where can I get Windows XP SP3.
2) How much space will I need for Windows XP SP3, and some programs (such as Ninja Trader). Is 10GB ok?
3) How do I use Bootcamp to install Windows XP SP3 and get it working correctly? When I tried to install Windows 7 Ultimate I had a problem where the partition wasn't formatted to NFTS (or something like that) even though Bootcamp created the partition in the first place!

Basically I need to install Windows XP SP3 from a USB and I have a key so I can use a real version.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The latest version of Boot Camp doesn't support XP. Have you considered virtualization? If you install XP inside a virtual machine (VM), you will be able to run Windows along side OS X without the need to reboot. The VM will also dynamically grow/shrink, so you won't need to worry about partitioning your HDD.

Check out Parallels and VMware. VirtualBox is a nice, free alternative.
 
I will try Parallels but how do I install Windows XP SP3? I have a legal key all legit. :cool:

No optical drive however. I have a USB stick with 12GB memory.
 
Since you already have the product key, search for an XP disk image/ISO. I won't post a link here as I'm not sure if it is against the rules, but it shouldn't be too hard to find one via Google.

You won't need the USB drive as Parallels can mount and install directly from a disk image.
 
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