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fjs08

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jun 25, 2003
1,252
0
Hi,

what is the recommended vehicle to get XP on MBP.

Fusion, Bootcamp, etc

I'll probably run very few programs on XP. Only my office checkbook/payroll program

Thanks.
Frank
 
The recommended vehicle really depends on your needs.

Here are the most common scenarios:

1) I only need to run a few Windows apps, none of them games, 3D apps, or other graphics-intensive apps. None of them are 64-bit. (Parallels)
2) I only need to run a few Windows apps, none of them games, 3D apps, or other graphics-intensive apps. Some or all of them are 64-bit. (Fusion)
3) I only need to ruin a few Windows apps, but some or all of them are graphically intensive. None of them use DirectX versions newer than V7, and none are 64-bit. (Parallels)
4) I only need to ruin a few Windows apps, but some or all of them are graphically intensive. None of them use DirectX versions newer than V7, and some or all are 64-bit. (Fusion)
5) I need to run apps which use DirectX versions newer than V7, or run best with native hardware access, or I'm running Windows Vista and want to see the fancy effects. (Boot Camp)
6) I need to run mostly older Windows applications, and would rather not buy Windows. (CrossOver)
 
This may sound dumb, but I think my MBP has a built in program, but I don't even know what it is??? Parallels or bootcamp??

I doubt I'd run anything but my old checkbook program but I HAVE to run it. I'd like to be cheap about this, so I may use whatever comes on the Mac, if it is worth it at all.

Frank
 
This may sound dumb, but I think my MBP has a built in program, but I don't even know what it is??? Parallels or bootcamp??

I doubt I'd run anything but my old checkbook program but I HAVE to run it. I'd like to be cheap about this, so I may use whatever comes on the Mac, if it is worth it at all.

Frank
Boot Camp comes with your Mac. It is free, yes... but requires a licensed copy of Windows XP SP2 to run. If you already have this then you are ready to go - start up the Boot Camp Assistant and follow the directions. It's not that hard at all. However, Boot Camp does require you to reboot every time you wish to switch operating systems.
 
>>Boot Camp comes with your Mac. It is free, yes... but requires a licensed copy of Windows XP SP2 to run. If you already have this then you are ready to go - <<

Actually, I do have a fresh XP, not sure if it has SP2 though. Bought it about 6 months ago. I'll have to check the labeling.

Thanks.

Frank
 
Is there a minimum I should alot on my Mac HD for XP??? I remember reading that you have to partition the HD off. I'd hate to give up a lot of my HD for this one program.

I really like OSX and really, other than this program, have no reason to install XP.

Thanks.

Frank
 
Is there a minimum I should alot on my Mac HD for XP??? I remember reading that you have to partition the HD off. I'd hate to give up a lot of my HD for this one program.

I really like OSX and really, other than this program, have no reason to install XP.

Thanks.

Frank
Yes. 10 GB is a good minimum for XP. Vista requires 9 GB for itself so you'll want to increase that allotment to 20 GB or so, if you choose to put Vista on there.
 
>>10 GB is a good minimum for XP.<<

10 for just the XP program, plus some for the application or do you mean 10 for XP plus a "modest" sized application.
I'm going to check tonite for the actual size of the program.
Frank
 
>>10 GB is a good minimum for XP.<<

10 for just the XP program, plus some for the application or do you mean 10 for XP plus a "modest" sized application.
I'm going to check tonite for the actual size of the program.
Frank
Windows XP needs only 2GB for itself. This leaves 8GB for applications.
 
VirtualBox

I have found that for just the basics, VirtualBox works just fine and it's free (open source). I'm running XP Pro on it just fine and haven't had a problem. May not be as fancy and all, but it does the job with a nice interface. Worth a try before you take the plunge on Fusion or Parallels.
 
In your situation, I would definitively give VirtualBox a whirl. I personally needed XP for work and use a VPN, so I've been using Fusion which is excellent. I'm sure Parallels is good as well. Fusion is currently on a free beta for version 2.0. Parallels may have something similar.
 
>>VirtualBox works just fine and it's free (open source). I<<

I checked out their web site and the screen shots look nice.

I'll use VirtualBox or Bootcamp, although I don't really know why I'd choose one over the other. <g>

Frank
 
>>VirtualBox works just fine and it's free (open source). I<<

I checked out their web site and the screen shots look nice.

I'll use VirtualBox or Bootcamp, although I don't really know why I'd choose one over the other. <g>

Frank

I use bootcamp for my Vista parition to run my games and more graphically intensive stuff and also for VPN support in native environment.

My XP Pro is for my quick and dirty windows apps or the "non-compatible with Vista" apps, no need for intensive resources so that's why I use the virtualbox.

I also have a Linux vm running on virtualbox.

A note though on virtualbox though, make sure to download the guest additions (match the version of virtualbox). It's a nice addition.
 
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