CmdrLaForge said:
I guess we can assume the same is true for VPC 7. Can we?
I'll eat my hat if it's any different
VPC's handy for running specific Windows apps. You're most certainly not going to be doing day-to-day stuff (file organisation, web browsing, email, photo manipulation etc) on the emulated PC. So really 95% of XP's 'improvements' over Win2k will be pointless in that situation. Even for coders, there's nothing really XP-specific that would mean 2K wouldn't do (although that's not intended as a catch-all statement!). VPC lets the emulated PC access the host Mac's hard disks natively, so there's nothing stopping you keeping the data you use in the emulated PC nicely organised within your existing OS X home folder.
I guess what I'm saying is treat VPC as an enabling tool to allow you to use specific apps that you require. Start by picking the leanest version of Windows you can get away with. Then, strip down that Windows installation to the minimum needed to run the app you're after, and disable all the bells, whistles, services and programs that aren't necessary.
Also, look at VPC as a sandbox. Use something like Virex on the Mac to scan files for macro viruses before using them within VPC. That way, you avoid having to bog down the emulated machine with a virus scanner. Do all your normal internet use safely on the Mac, and only use IE in the emulator for testing. If you need emulated IE for banking, look at locking down the emulated IE so it can only be used for the banking site. Avoid IE and Outlook if possible. Try Firefox on the Mac, or even Firefox within VPC (technically they should handle sites the same, but you never know!).
Keep the thing lean and isolated. Store your data outside of the virtual machine, in your Mac's home folder. Then, when it's just right, make a backup of the Virtual PC disk image. That way, if and when Windows pukes all over itself, you've got a nice clean system to copy across and work from, with all your data protected on the Mac.
Hope some of that diatribe's useful!