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Getting up to date copy of Windows XP?

Tumbleweed666

Tumbleweed666

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Mar 20, 2009
1,761
141
Near London, UK.
I have a genuine Win XP disc and serial code from my current PC, which will be given away to charity with Linux on it. Therefore, I will have a legal version of Win XP I can use for those few odd programs I may need to run in Windows.
However, its an old version (it says WinXP 2002 on the CD so I presume its not even SP1) and its definitely not SP2.
Whats the best way of getting an XP SP3 CD to do a boot camp install from? I am loath to just torrent one, though no doubt there are many around, I don't want to be running a cracked version, apart from anything else I don't need to, and who knows what else might come packaged with a crack.
Can someone point me at a website or howto please.
 
I believe you need to install Windows XP SP2, then install Boot Camp 2.1, then update to SP3.
 
geoffshep said:
Presumably you could use a later disc (borrowed) but use your licence?
Click to expand...

Good idea but unfortunately don't know anyone with an XP disc that would be recent enough to be SP2, I know a few people who bought laptops recently but they are all Vista and as they were cheap probably didn't come with a proper disc anyway.
 
OK thanks folks, I am XP3 Slipstreamed now and have burnt a disc, lets see what happens when I eventually install - waiting for my iMac, it arrives hopefully before easter and an XP install is way down the list of things to do.

May be some fun and games with the 'authorisation process', the last time I upgraded my PC, just put extra memory in it, nothing else, I ended up have to call msft to get a code, this upgrade is a bit more radical :D
 
Tumbleweed666 said:
OK thanks folks, I am XP3 Slipstreamed now and have burnt a disc, lets see what happens when I eventually install - waiting for my iMac, it arrives hopefully before easter and an XP install is way down the list of things to do.

May be some fun and games with the 'authorisation process', the last time I upgraded my PC, just put extra memory in it, nothing else, I ended up have to call msft to get a code, this upgrade is a bit more radical :D
Click to expand...

Hey Tumbleweed!

FYI, further up the post someone mentioned this: you need an SP2version of XP to install; once it is installed via Boot Camp, you can upgrade to SP3. According to Apple's site, you cannot install SP3 (I don't know why). I followed this process and I have XP SP3 running fine on my iMac, both via Boot Camp and as a virtual machine, via Fusion 2.

You will need to activate XP after the install; mine activated fine over the internet.
 
RedRaven571 said:
Hey Tumbleweed!

FYI, further up the post someone mentioned this: you need an SP2version of XP to install; once it is installed via Boot Camp, you can upgrade to SP3. According to Apple's site, you cannot install SP3 (I don't know why). I followed this process and I have XP SP3 running fine on my iMac, both via Boot Camp and as a virtual machine, via Fusion 2.

You will need to activate XP after the install; mine activated fine over the internet.
Click to expand...

Grrrrr thats annoying (sorry to cathy I missed your post) OK thanks saved me a pointless install anyway will go and find an SP2 at least the slipstream process is pretty painless

As you mentioned Fusion 2, I presume you think that's preferable to Parallels? Or is it a coin toss?
 
Tumbleweed666 said:
As you mentioned Fusion 2, I presume you think that's preferable to Parallels? Or is it a coin toss?
Click to expand...

Sorry, I don't know anything about Parallels; I did some research and it seemed like a lot of folks like Fusion 2. Plus, I got a copy for $39 off eBay vs. $79 elsewhere.

I'm sure there's a couple of Fusion vs. Parallels threads around here.


So far the only application that doesn't seem to like Fusion is MS Office (imagine that). If I try to run an Office application via the virtual machine, it tells me that the hardware has changed, reinsert the install disk; when I go to run the same Office ap in Windows via Boot Camp.....I get the same message:confused:

So, to avoid the expense of buying Office for Mac, I DL OpenOffice for Mac and it seems to work fine (and is free!).

Otherwise, Fusion 2 seems like it will do the trick for me.
 
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