Parallels or Bootcamp for Windows XP

Just bought a 15" Macbook Pro......Need to know what is the best/easiest way to use Windows XP. I want to be able to easily transfer files back and forth between XP and OS. Any thought?

thanks,

D

What do you want to do with XP? And nice avatar

Yeah, ??? hit it on the head. Which would be better for you depends completely on what you want to do.

If you need 3D rendering capability in Windows (whether it's games or animation software or whatever), then Boot Camp is your only option. The virtual video card that your Parallels "machine" thinks it has doesn't do Direct3D. Mac OS X can read files on your Boot Camp Win partition; if the partition is formatted as FAT32 instead of NTFS, then OS X can also write/modify files on the Win partition.

If you don't need 3D and you want to run Win and OS X simultaneously, then Parallels is the choice for you. You just create a shared documents folder (which Windows sees as a networked folder) and anything in that folder is accessible to both OS X and your Parallels Win XP applications.

Thanksy guys! I am a photographer....I need Windows to run MS Publisher and HP Image Zone (they have a OS version, but it is completely different from the Windows version and makes no sense at all for what I do......I think I will go with Parallels.

I have CS2, tried to update to CS3 Beta......it won't take my serial number......know anywhere I can get a valid one?

and thanks.....that is my girlfriend in the avatar with my Mac.....my two babies!

peace...

D

Try the free trial for parallels and see if it works before you actually buy it, that way you dont spend $80 on something you dont like or cant use. I know the latest beta lets you transfer files pretty easily so that shouldnt be a problem.

If you have CS2 for Windows, I don't think you qualify for the CS3 OS X beta, just the Windows beta. Also, at least last time I checked, Adobe won't consider a switch from CS2/Win to CS3/OSX an "upgrade" ... instead, they force you to buy the full version.