I want to install Windows XP (either Home or Pro, not sure which) but my manual says a Full Version and not OEM should be used. Why is OEM taboo for Parallels? Any help would be appreciated. I need to order soon. Thanks: Jerubaal
A full OEM version may very well work. The key distinction in "Full" versus "upgrade". Microsoft sells a lot of "upgrades" to XP to people who had an earlier version. You need the "full" version, which does not presume a prior install. Another distinction is "OEM" vs "Retail". The retail version may cost more, but it is portable. You can uninstall it from one machine and move it to another machine. However, with the OEM version, the license is only good for the computer where it was initially installed. When the machine dies, the license dies. Also you need to make sure that you get the SP2 version (not SP1). Personally, I bought a full retail version on EBAY. But I think people have had success with the OEM version. I recommend you check the Microsoft web site. They have a fuller explanation of the differences and also tell you how to tell if the license you buy is genuine. This is expecially important if you buy OEM or through EBAY, because there are a lot of counterfeits out there.
From what I've seen on the forums there are some bad (i.e. not bootable) Microsoft made XP home discs floating around. I have not heard of any bad discs of XP pro... There are workarounds of course.
The SP2 version is required for bootcamp, but not for Parallels. You can install any version of XP and then download and install service packs from MS.
True, but for most users, SP2 is a safer bet. They may find that important functionality that they need is not supported in Parallels...e.g. DirectX or USB.
Once any version is installed, updates can be downloaded from windows update, so it's just a matter of the install taking a bit longer. No need to buy a different version if you don't have SP2.
Security... If you do install XP from an old-ish disc then make sure that the VM is behind a firewall or in host-only networking mode. I once made the mistake of installing XP from a pre-SP1 CD on a machine connected to a University LAN and it was infested within 10 minutes. Having said that, I find that Windows 2000 runs nicely in a VM, needs less disc, RAM and CPU than XP and runs most legacy software (which is probably why you want windows on a Mac).
