Questions about configuring Fusion on MB Air

[Maui19]

I am a long-time Mac user who just got my first Intel Mac--a MacBook Air. I want to run some windows apps on my MBA, and bought Fusion to do the job. I have a copy of Windows XP that used to be installed on an old Dell laptop that we recently donated to charity. Here are my needs and concerns:

-My MBA is the SSD version, so disk space is a concern.
-I want to run perhaps 6 Windows apps. Some are shareware, but I also want to run Excel and Explorer.
-I would like to run these on my MBA rather than an external HD. (Perhaps I could do two virtual spaces--one on the MBA and one on the HD?)

Questions: How large do I need to make my Fusion space in order to run these sorts of apps?

Is it a simple matter to install Windows XP? I'm thinking I'm going to have to call MS about it.

What kind of performance can I expect out of this setup?

Anything else I should be aware of?

Thanks for your help!

 

[matperk]

How large do I need to make my Fusion space in order to run these sorts of apps?

When you create the disc images in Parallels or Fusion, you basically only create a maximum size. The disc image is only as large as it needs to be at the current moment, and expands when you add data or install programs. In your situation, I would put about a 15gb cap on the drive. I have office 07 and maybe 6 other programs and i'm at 14gb now.

 

[bobwooderton]

Windows stripping

Additionally there are methods of GREATLY reducing an xp sp3 windows install footprint. I remember reading a guide from bold fortune a long ways back.