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Running XP on iMac

E

ElWardo

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 3, 2008
12
0
New Jersey
When I get my new iMac I'll need to run Windows XP for some programs my wife uses for work. Am I correct in what I read on another site that I must buy a new copy of Windows to install with BootCamp or Parallels? I was hoping to just reinstall my current copy of Windows and never give Microsoft another freakin' dime. I was actually thinking that I could transfer Windows from the old PC to the Mac with a USB cable and a external hard drive along with data and programs which everyone says is so easy! Am I naive? Dumb? You be the judge...

Thanks.

PS. Love this site, the advice herein was a big factor in my decision to go Mac.
 
Simply put, the answer is no. You can't do it the way you outlined. But, since all computers have a sticker with a serial number on it, you could just get an XP cd and install it using the serial found on the sticker on your old pc. You can't transfer Windows from the old pc to the mac using a usb cable and external HD.

I bought a copy of XP just for Boot Camp, but I hardly use it. I have it just in case.
 
It depends. If you are going to trash that old PC and never use it again, then you can use the license code. It should be somewhere on the casing. The only problem is getting the install media. The one that came with it wouldn't be the best choice since they usually have some add on programs specific to the manufacturer.

I don't know about coping the contents and using it with a Mac. I just have no experience with such a thing. Plus - I don't think it would work with bootcamp.

For this reason, I actually believe you could use a torrent site to get the install media. As long as you have a valid license that isn't being used on another machine.
 
Thanks. I do have the original CD for Windows with a product key. The bundled software is a concern, tho.

What's a 'torrent site'?
 
ElWardo said:
Thanks. I do have the original CD for Windows with a product key. The bundled software is a concern, tho.

What's a 'torrent site'?
Click to expand...

Torrent sites are like places that give you access to various things like movies, music, installation DVDs ect. Usually they contain material that is dubious or copyrighted and thus, is illegal to download.

There are some good uses too. Linux distributions are the first thing that comes to mind. If you really want to know more about it, just use wikipedia to look up torrent.


Using the bundled CD/DVD shouldn't be too much of a problem. Just uninstall all the crapware and run ccleaner. Take a look here before you do.


You should be ok. You will need to call the 800 number to activate it though. You need to tell them you had a Motherboard upgrade. (It's a different one from the old PC and will unlock that code from running on that specific set of hardware.)
 
Can't always use serial on the box

After my sons XP system stopped working, I tried to re-install on a brand new PC (using the Original XP CD) and the Serial number on the box. No-Go. I rang MS and they said, "Nup, can't do it. Different system" and all that. Had to buy a new OS. Yeah right... Always a way to get the OS working. Have 3 other XP PC's in the house and found a serial that worked. Until next month when I have 2 XP's and OSX!!

So you can't always use the serial number on the box
 
hi all,


There are different kinds of software licenses with Windows XP. The Retail version is independent from the hardware and can be transferred to a different computer as long as there is only one copy that is active. The OEM version that comes with a PC cannot be transferred, it lives and dies with the PC it was included with. If you are comply with the license terms of Windows, you should bear this distinction in mind and read the fine print.
 
I had to use xp too but I had 3 original licenses laying around, so I just downloaded a copy of xp and used it with an legit code.

If you want to go extremely fast check out Windows Fundamentals, it basically is a stripped down version of xp.
 
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