New To Mac

[Racerdog55]

Hello all I'm new to the Mac computer world always been a Windows user. Here is my question I still would like to keep a Windows XP base system on the new Mac Pro, can I install a new hard drive and install Windows XP to it and still be able to boot into Windows to play my online games and then boot into the Mac OS.
Thanks for any help
Racerdog55

 

[zwida]

Yes, you can do exactly what you're wanting to do. It's really a cinch. Download and install Bootcamp; install windows. You're now set up for dual boot.

 

[Racerdog55]

Parallels

Zwida thanks for the fast reply, another question I bought this program called Parallels Desktop should I use it to do the Windows install, and also I seen below your reply I prefer not to. did you mean not to install Windows XP.
Thanks
Racerdog55

 

[steamboat26]

It depends- Parallels is basically running windows or linux or whatever OS you wanna run in a window in Mac OS X.
With boot camp, you have to reboot your computer and choose either Windows XP or Mac OS X to boot in to.
As far as i know, parallels doesn't support heavy 3-D imaging, which includes some games. So if you wanna play the latest and greatest games, then you will have to use boot camp

 

[Racerdog55]

Steamboat26, will I be able to install boot camp on the 2nd hard drive that I would like to install Windows XP on, I would really like to keep the orginal Mac hard drive intact.
Thanks
Racerdog55

 

[dpaanlka]

Parallels does not actually run your computer using Windows, it just runs Windows inside a simulated PC while you're running Mac OS X.

 

[PillarFan1]

check this out

http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp/

 

[Chundles]

Steamboat26, will I be able to install boot camp on the 2nd hard drive that I would like to install Windows XP on, I would really like to keep the orginal Mac hard drive intact.
Thanks
Racerdog55

Boot Camp is a program that partitions your HDD and creates a CD with drivers for the specialised hardware on your Mac. Once you've run it, you never have to run it again. You could delete it from your HDD and everything will still work. It's just a little program.

If you have two hard drives you could use Boot Camp to select that HDD as the destination for your Windows install, leaving your original Mac HDD intact.

Then you install Windows and away you go. Boot Camp never runs again. You will never run something "in Boot Camp," you run it "in Windows." Boot Camp does nothing more once you've finished using it to prepare your Mac for dual-booting with Windows.

Parallels Desktop/Workstation is closer to VM Ware in terms of operation. It runs Windows within a virtual machine within OSX, so you can be running OSX and inside a window, you can be running Windows or Linux or whatever. As it's virtualised, for most operations it's really fast enough to not worry about having a dual-boot option available but if you need 3D accelerated stuff then you'll want to be able to boot natively into Windows (using the version you installed with Boot Camp) for full access to the hardware.

 

[Racerdog55]

Mac

Ok,today is the day I take down my Windows XP computer and clean the desk off for the new Mac Pro with the 30in screen Wow the size. and thanks for the replies to my earlier post, I will post back if I have any trouble. great to be a member here.
Thanks
Racerdog55