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ozziegn

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Aug 16, 2007
1,311
844
Central FL Area
I'm curious to see how well Windows XP runs on my new 24" iMac so I was wondering if someone could please help me with this Boot Camp stuff?

like maybe a pretty easy 2 read tutorial or something like that?

thanks in advance. :)
 

ndriver182

macrumors 6502a
Jun 26, 2007
569
4
One quick question about bootcamp though since I'm more than likely going to be installing it when my iMac shows up. Do you ALWAYS have to choose an operating system to use during boot-up or do you just hold down the command button to bring up boot options when YOU feel like using boot camp. Seems like it might be a little annoying if you have to choose OSX or Windows each time you turn on the computer.
 

elcerrito494

macrumors member
Jul 2, 2006
45
0
One quick question about bootcamp though since I'm more than likely going to be installing it when my iMac shows up. Do you ALWAYS have to choose an operating system to use during boot-up or do you just hold down the command button to bring up boot options when YOU feel like using boot camp. Seems like it might be a little annoying if you have to choose OSX or Windows each time you turn on the computer.

Whenever you want to use boot camp, just hold down the option key as soon as it reboots, and then you will select what OS you would like to boot into. Otherwise, OS X will be the default boot OS.
 

ndriver182

macrumors 6502a
Jun 26, 2007
569
4
Whenever you want to use boot camp, just hold down the option key as soon as it reboots, and then you will select what OS you would like to boot into. Otherwise, OS X will be the default boot OS.

Sweet. That's what I was hoping to hear. Thanks.
 

wazgilbert

macrumors regular
Jan 15, 2007
203
19
UK South
I've just read through the instructions and hear to my horror that I need to use a single install disc for WinXP incl. SP2 - I have a 2CD set, which I had to swap in and out on the last PC install - should I put both these images on one DVD before starting, or would it still work?
 

l33r0y

macrumors 6502
Aug 7, 2007
288
0

Jimmdean

macrumors 6502a
Mar 21, 2007
648
647
I've just read through the instructions and hear to my horror that I need to use a single install disc for WinXP incl. SP2 - I have a 2CD set, which I had to swap in and out on the last PC install - should I put both these images on one DVD before starting, or would it still work?

If it is the 2-CD Media Center edition, you just need to borrow an external CD-Drive from someone and put the 2nd disk in it. Then it will work...
 

ndriver182

macrumors 6502a
Jun 26, 2007
569
4
So here's another question. I just got my iMac today and installed XP with Parallels so I can use Windows for limited applications without rebooting. At the same time I want to run Bootcamp so that I can do my gaming. Are there any foreseeable problems with having two installations of XP on the same computer? I assume that you have to do things this way to run bootcamp and Parallels. I'm also wondering how the Windows authorization would work.
 

powerbook911

macrumors 601
Mar 15, 2005
4,003
383
So here's another question. I just got my iMac today and installed XP with Parallels so I can use Windows for limited applications without rebooting. At the same time I want to run Bootcamp so that I can do my gaming. Are there any foreseeable problems with having two installations of XP on the same computer? I assume that you have to do things this way to run bootcamp and Parallels. I'm also wondering how the Windows authorization would work.

It depends on your copy of Windows. If it is single license, your installation would exceed that. The activation they do probably wouldn't allow you to activate the parallels and boot camp installations with the same key, if it is a single computer license.
 

ndriver182

macrumors 6502a
Jun 26, 2007
569
4
Yeah, it's a single license. Hmm. Am I really going to have to consider some version of Vista for bootcamp? :eek:
 

Gosh

macrumors 6502
Aug 14, 2006
349
0
Out of interest you can use your Boot Camp partition as a data disk or a bootable disk! see attached!:)
 

Attachments

  • Parallels Desktop for Mac.pdf
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wakerider017

macrumors 68000
Sep 20, 2006
1,790
1
US of A
So here's another question. I just got my iMac today and installed XP with Parallels so I can use Windows for limited applications without rebooting. At the same time I want to run Bootcamp so that I can do my gaming. Are there any foreseeable problems with having two installations of XP on the same computer? I assume that you have to do things this way to run bootcamp and Parallels. I'm also wondering how the Windows authorization would work.

No, don't listen to the other guys in here...

If MS won't let you activate the 2nd installation over the internet just use the phone activation method and tell them you only have it installed on one computer...

They will give you a code.. and Bam you are activated
 

ndriver182

macrumors 6502a
Jun 26, 2007
569
4
No, don't listen to the other guys in here...

If MS won't let you activate the 2nd installation over the internet just use the phone activation method and tell them you only have it installed on one computer...

They will give you a code.. and Bam you are activated

See that's the thing. I've installed my same copy of XP many many times over the years. I used to build my own gaming PC's a lot and I'd often reformat my hard drives or upgrade hardware that would cause Windows to freak and want me to re-enter the code. So calling India is not news to me. In fact, I have to do that for the install I just did for Parallels. I guess what I'm trying to figure out is if when I try to install with Boot Camp if it's going to make me call yet again. I suppose worst case scenario I can call India twice to activate. But maybe I should look into a home premium version of Vista or something. I don't know.
 

wakerider017

macrumors 68000
Sep 20, 2006
1,790
1
US of A
See that's the thing. I've installed my same copy of XP many many times over the years. I used to build my own gaming PC's a lot and I'd often reformat my hard drives or upgrade hardware that would cause Windows to freak and want me to re-enter the code. So calling India is not news to me. In fact, I have to do that for the install I just did for Parallels. I guess what I'm trying to figure out is if when I try to install with Boot Camp if it's going to make me call yet again. I suppose worst case scenario I can call India twice to activate. But maybe I should look into a home premium version of Vista or something. I don't know.

Not a big deal to call on the phone.. Just takes 5 minutes.

I think Windows XP activation is based on how often you install it. Like you can do over the internet activation every 3 months and if you install it more than once every 3 months you will need to call or something...
 

ndriver182

macrumors 6502a
Jun 26, 2007
569
4
Not a big deal to call on the phone.. Just takes 5 minutes.

I think Windows XP activation is based on how often you install it. Like you can do over the internet activation every 3 months and if you install it more than once every 3 months you will need to call or something...

Well, I just called. Looks like their phone service has gone fully automated as far as getting you the new product key vs. talking to people in India. That was interesting. I hadn't called them in 6 mo. to a year at least. In any case, I'm updating my Parallels version of XP now. So I guess we'll see what happens when I try to install the same copy for Bootcamp. It's too bad you can't have just one installation of Windows that both applications could see.
 

wakerider017

macrumors 68000
Sep 20, 2006
1,790
1
US of A
Well, I just called. Looks like their phone service has gone fully automated as far as getting you the new product key vs. talking to people in India. That was interesting. I hadn't called them in 6 mo. to a year at least. In any case, I'm updating my Parallels version of XP now. So I guess we'll see what happens when I try to install the same copy for Bootcamp. It's too bad you can't have just one installation of Windows that both applications could see.

It has always been fully automated...


When your key does not check out (meaning it has been used to activate too many times in a certain period of time) then they transfer you to india.


It has been this way since the beginning of time ;)
 

ndriver182

macrumors 6502a
Jun 26, 2007
569
4
It has always been fully automated...


When your key does not check out (meaning it has been used to activate too many times in a certain period of time) then they transfer you to india.


It has been this way since the beginning of time ;)

Right, that's what I meant. I've ALWAYS tried validating through the web first, but a lot of times when I was using my PC (after upgrades, reformats, etc.) it would tell me that I'd have to call the support line to get a new key. Then, it would usually lead me to India where they'd ask me how many computers I've installed it on, why I'm reinstalling, etc. This time the automated computer lady voice asked me those questions and gave me a new key. Well anyway, it's news to me. Lol.
 

marcg007

macrumors regular
Jan 28, 2003
103
2
Boston area
Strange, I was under the impression that...

You could use your Bootcamp install with Paralelles and did not need to do an additional installation. In any event, my plan is to use Bootcamp for a couple of games and I'm hoping to use Codeweavers for the 3 applications I need for school and for any games it will let me play. If it works, I'll be able to remove Windows completely.:D
 

ndriver182

macrumors 6502a
Jun 26, 2007
569
4
You could use your Bootcamp install with Paralelles and did not need to do an additional installation. In any event, my plan is to use Bootcamp for a couple of games and I'm hoping to use Codeweavers for the 3 applications I need for school and for any games it will let me play. If it works, I'll be able to remove Windows completely.:D

So you're saying I could've installed bootcamp with XP then told Parallels to use the same installation? That just makes sense if nothing else other than from a hard drive storage standpoint. Not to mention you'd only have to do Windows Updates once. I haven't really done anything with my XP install yet. Maybe I should just remove it and re-install with bootcamp?

There's another question, how exactly would I go about removing Windows anyway?
 
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