Virtual PC on MBP

Joined
Jun 23, 2011
Messages
14
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Hey guys, I need some help.
I have a new MBP 13', and I just updated to LION! :D
Now, I want to install XP for some applications I use from time to time.

Now, there are two options:
Boot Camp and Permanent Xp
Virtual PC and XP

Now, I am not very okay about the idea to install xp via bootcamp, as I don't really want to clog my mac with Windows. Installing XP on a separate partition should not have any impact on my Mac experience theoretically, but does it have? I don't wanna ruin my Mac Experience :D

Second option, which I think would be better as the frequency of using them XP apps, is very less so I won't have any problem with virtualization.

That would be it, suggest what should I go for, and which program for virtual pc, and how to set it up.

Thank you.
 
Joined
Jun 6, 2011
Messages
223
Reaction score
2
Points
18
Location
NYC
Your Mac's Specs
2011 27in iMac i5 3.1GHz, AMD 6970, iPhone 4, Wi-Fi iPad 2
I have a bootcamped windows partition on my mac and it doesn't affect the mac side at all, so that'd be a good way to go. That said, I think bootcamp is the best way to go since you probably only have 4gb of RAM. When you virtualize, you need a lot of RAM to ensure you don't lose performance. If you don't anticipate using it all that often, then I'd say bootcamp is your best bet as it keeps Mac and Windows separate. Also, even if you bootcamp, you can always install parallels which allows you to boot the windows side virtually anyway, so it's a good solution all around.
 
Joined
Mar 17, 2008
Messages
6,879
Reaction score
191
Points
63
Location
Tucson, AZ
Your Mac's Specs
Way... way too many specs to list.
Installing windows on a second partition just makes your hard drive smaller to OS X.

VMware Fusion and Parallels both work well. I haven't used Virtualbox, so I can't comment at all on it. FWIW I have a Fusion installation on this machine, and an XP virtual machine.. I haven't used it in over a year.
 

vansmith

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2008
Messages
19,924
Reaction score
559
Points
113
Location
Queensland
Your Mac's Specs
Mini (2014, 2018, 2020), MBA (2020), iPad Pro (2018), iPhone 13 Pro Max, Watch (S6)
VirtualBox should work if you don't have intensive needs (this actually goes for all VM products but perhaps more so for VBox). Note that 3D support in VM products is limited so if you depend on access to the video card to do anything 3D, you'd be better off using BootCamp.
 
OP
Nikunj93
Joined
Jun 23, 2011
Messages
14
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Okay, I just want to run Tally version 7.2, from time to time. So bootcamp is a no for me, because I don't want to permanently reduce my hard drive space. Tally is a very light program, so ram and processing power is no issue at ALL! Let alone 3-d lol! That software was launched before 3d :p
So, Virtualbox or Parallels anything would do right?
 
Joined
Jun 6, 2011
Messages
223
Reaction score
2
Points
18
Location
NYC
Your Mac's Specs
2011 27in iMac i5 3.1GHz, AMD 6970, iPhone 4, Wi-Fi iPad 2
Should work beautifully.
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top