Worth using Win XP SP3 with Bootcamp?

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Hey all,

I want to play a few games on my white unibody macbook that are exclusive to windows. I like MMOs and besides WoW, I cannot really run any other MMO clients. I wanted to try out FFXI, and then play the new SW MMO that will be releasing soon.

I have a licensed copy of Windows XP SP2, and I was conidering setting up a boot camp partition on the macbook.

Windows XP is so old however....

The good things are that the OS only takes about 2gb of HD space to install, leaving my rather small 250gb HD in the macbook as free as possible running an extra OS..

How secure is XP with SP3 with all the latest updates these days? I would only be using the XP partition for games, never browsing the net, or doing anything sensitive. In that case, it should be rather secure, correct?


Investing money into getting Windows 7 just does not seem economical, in order to play a few games..

Opinions?
 
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If you are running Windows of any sort, you definitely need to install an antivirus; Microsoft Security Essentials is actually pretty effective and well-regarded (surprisingly enough), and others have recommended a variety of other free antivirus software (e.g., AVG). It just doesn't make any sense NOT to do that, especially with freeware.

As far as the cost of buying XP vs. Win7, they aren't that far apart dollar-wise, you have to make that call. Just remember that you need either a full retail or System Builder OEM edition of either one for it to work with Boot Camp.

Cheers!
 
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R
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Thanks,

I have a retail copy of Windows XP SP2, and its no longer registered, so it can be used on my mac.

I guess I will go for it!
 
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Coming from a Windows user (I'm planning on buying an iMac though, I want to join the fun), Microsoft recently announced they are going to stop supporting Service Pack 2, and you can download Service Pack 3 here.

For anti-virus, I suggest you get Avast Antivirus. They have a free edition to download which doesn't expire. You can get that here. If you want to purchase Avast, you can, but I suggest to save money you should also get Microsoft Security Essentials here (I tried this before I purchased Avast and it does the job).

This is pretty much what you need for Windows if it's just for gaming. Getting the free antivirus software is always good to have and always better than nothing. For gaming this is pretty good. I hope this helps you. Another thing, if it's just for gaming, Windows XP is perfect for games. There's no need for updating to Windows 7 because Windows XP won't become unsupported anytime soon. Have fun playing your MMOs.
 

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