win 2000 for IE6 testing - bad idea? which one?

[finedesign]

I have a new MBP C2D and am losing my mind with all the options with buying Windows. In some places I hear "never buy OEM for bootcamp," then I hear "OEM is fine if bought from reputable company." Is it or isn't it?

I wanted basic XP so I could setup bootcamp and have Parallels access it, but with the prices I'm finding for Windows, that's not a reality. Now I'm considering Win 2k. [EDIT: Make that Windows 98?]

QUESTION 1: Is there any reason why I should not use Windows 2000 in Parallels? The main thing I need it for is IE6 web testing. Would it be able to install all the latest plug-ins?

QUESTION 2: If so, which version of 2k should I get?

QUESTION 3: Can I install multiple versions of the same software on my system? I'd like to have one VM for IE6, one for IE7, etc.

QUESTION 4: Cheaper option? Windows 98? ME?

Thanks-
paul

 

[Ladybug]

I have a new MBP C2D and am losing my mind with all the options with buying Windows. In some places I hear "never buy OEM for bootcamp," then I hear "OEM is fine if bought from reputable company." Is it or isn't it?

I wanted basic XP so I could setup bootcamp and have Parallels access it, but with the prices I'm finding for Windows, that's not a reality. Now I'm considering Win 2k. [EDIT: Make that Windows 98?]

QUESTION 1: Is there any reason why I should not use Windows 2000 in Parallels? The main thing I need it for is IE6 web testing. Would it be able to install all the latest plug-ins?

QUESTION 2: If so, which version of 2k should I get?

QUESTION 3: Can I install multiple versions of the same software on my system? I'd like to have one VM for IE6, one for IE7, etc.

QUESTION 4: Cheaper option? Windows 98? ME?

Thanks-
paul

OEM XP comes in two flavors..generic or bios locked such as copies you get from Dell, Sony, etc... The first type will work just fine. See the link for an example of a generic OEM disk.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16832116059

Note: you can only run your OEM XP on one computer, meaning moving it to another Mac or PC somewhere down the road might not be possible.

Windows 2000 should work just fine but you'll have to check with Parallels for a difinitive answer on whats supported or not...get Windows 2000 Professional if you do go this route.

As far as multiple installs go inside a VM...I don't know whether or not MS allows for multiple installs of there XP OS inside a VM so I'll leave that question for someone more knowledgable. You should have no problems installing Windows 2000 more than once since it requires no activation.

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

I'm running one Parallels VM with Windows 2000 Pro SP4 (had an old SP3 disk and spend several hours updating, but it was worth it) running MSIE6 and another VM running Windows XP Pro SP2 where I upgraded to MSIE7 (note that MSIE7 requires XP SP2 or Vista to install).

I don't use too many plug-ins, but for general testing I find that this set up is more than enough to find and adjust for those nasty little IE-bugs...

Now with Vista shipping right around the corner (well, in theory ) the price of XP should go down, at least second hand licenses...