Bootcamp + Parallels 2gether?

Did a search on the board and couldn't find the answer!

Can you have Bootcamp AND Parallels on your mac and decide for the moment which you would like to use? Or will you have to install Windows twice and suck up all your harddrive space?

Thanks!

Here how it would work. You would have two licenses of windows. One that you can boo from (bootcamp) and the other running as a virtual desktop with in OS X. Both would take up some disk space.

As I have read, if you are planning to run games, then you want to be able to both windows (bootcamp). If you are doing basic windows stuff, then parallel is okay.

Parallels creates a virtual hard drive. BootCamp actually partitions your systems disk. You would need the two licenses and you would need to install the OS twice

You need to install Windows twice, but you don't necessarily need two licenses. I installed Boot Camp and my Product Key worked fine. Then when I installed Parallels it told me that the Key was in use and to contact the call center. So I called them and told the guy that I had Windows installed on two separate partitions. He asked me if I purchased Windows from a company or if it came on my computer. I told him I purchased it and he gave me a number to activate it. I'm not sure what Microsoft's official stance is on this subject, but I know they let me activated it twice.

trpnmonkey41 said:

Parallels creates a virtual hard drive. BootCamp actually partitions your systems disk. You would need the two licenses and you would need to install the OS twice

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you sir are correct!!!!
-chris

Well, seeing as you can't use both copies at Windows at the same time, but they are on the same system, do you really have to buy 2 copies? I wouldn't think so...

It would seem odd if you have to buy 2 copies for use on one computer. As Aptmunich says, you can't use them at the same time, and even if you could it's the same copy on the same machine. I'm going to go for a hyperbolic stretch and say that it's like having to pay for the copy on your mirrored RAID drive

The problem with installing Windows on Boot Camp and Parallels is that Windows doesn't see it as the same machine. Since Parallels uses a virtual setup, the hardware configuration is different from what your Mac really is. So from Microsoft's point of view, it's two different computers.

From the sounds of it (and from 2nd hand experience) MS will quite happily give you the activation code over the phone if you explain your set up. Shouldn't be an issue.

My household has 5 PC's, all of them running the same version of XP. If I ever need to register a microsoft product you just phone them up and explain you are having to install windows 'again because your sytem crashed and you had to reinstall'. Its not a big deal, it seems the Indian call centers you get when you call are quite relaxed with handing out codes!

Cam said:

My household has 5 PC's, all of them running the same version of XP. If I ever need to register a microsoft product you just phone them up and explain you are having to install windows 'again because your sytem crashed and you had to reinstall'. Its not a big deal, it seems the Indian call centers you get when you call are quite relaxed with handing out codes!

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Hmmm that sounds illegal! :spook:

Illegal? Its their problem if they are stupid.