I have Parallels for Mac, the Bootcamp.app, and WinXP to be installed on a dedicated internal 500GB hard drive on a Mac Pro. So far, none of the programs have been installed. What is the installation sequence. I'm thinking it would be to create the Bootcamp partition and install WinXP on it without activating, then install the Parallels VM and have it access the Bootcamp partition and activating WinXP from within Parallels. Does that sound correct? I'm fairly new to the Mac World so please don't be vague.
Here is my suggestions 1. Install Boot Camp Assistant 2. Create Windows partition using Boot Camp Assistant 3. Create Windows driver CD from Boot Camp Assistant 4. Install XP 5. Activate XP with key code 6. Install drivers from the driver CD you created 7. Download Windows updates 8. Install Windows programs that you need 9. Download updates for the windows programs 10. Make sure everything is working properly in Windows 11. Boot into OS/X, make a backup of the Boot Camp partition. You can either use a freeware called WinClone or the Disk Utility that comes with OS/X. 12. Install Parallels Desktop. Use the latest RC build, don't use beta. 13. Create your XP VM, point it to the Boot Camp partition. During the VM creation, XP will detect hardware change and ask you to reactivate Windows. Just follow its instruction, you don't need to reenter key code. Most importantly, during VM creation, DO NOT interrupt it. At some point, I don't remember where, you might think it is stuck but it is not, just wait it out, it will come out of it. Good luck and have fun.
A few points: Skip steps 5, 7, 8,and 9. Step 11 is optional at this point. After step 13, back up your bootcamp partition, then do steps 5, 7, 8, and 9 then backup your bootcamp partition again. This lets you activate only once. It makes no difference whether you are in the VM or direct in bootcamp when you install software, or run Windows update.
Did the sequence joem proposed work for you? In my experience, trying to activate a bootcamp WindowsXP installation first and only from Parallels works for accessing it from Parallels, but WindowsXP wants activation again once I boot directly in bootcamp. Therefore I can't recommend to do it this way. I don't know, however, if you get better results if you first activate Windows from within bootcamp and then reactivate it from Parallels.
I haven't tried either way yet. I was gone for the weekend and was just about ready to install it all, but I thought I'd check back here first to see if there were any other inputs. According to you (ursus) I'm going to have to activate twice, regardless. Are there others out there who want to share their experience. I've tried directly email the company twice and I've gotten no response. Not a good omen of future support, I'd say.
don't use Bootcamp I see so many problems with it on the Forums in June 2006 it seemed dated to me Hugh W
