Boot Camp Question

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Just wondering if anyone can help me with this - I recently bought a MBP, and would like to be able to run Windows on it. The only copy of Windows I have is the one which came with my Compaq laptop, now a couple of years old, and therefore service pack 1. I've read that service pack 1 does not work with Boot Camp - is this true? I wouldn't be looking to do anything fancy with it, just basic stuff.

I did actually try a couple of weeks ago to 'slipstream' the service pack 2 download with the content from my XP installation CD, but I hit an error message. I'm not sure if I was doing it correctly (although I was following a tutorial I found online) or if I actually need to have a service pack 2 disc. I also read elsewhere that some installation discs provided by certain manufacturers won't work for this.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks!
 
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No, I believe it was a different one. Although the steps look essentially the same type of thing.

If anyone has any idea whether I'd be able to do this with a Windows XP CD supplied with a Compaq laptop, please let me know.

Thanks.
 
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Which versions of Windows XP work with Boot Camp?

I want to install Windows XP via Boot Camp, but at present only have the Windows XP disc that came with the Compaq laptop I bought a couple of years ago. Would this work if I managed to 'slipstream' it with SP2? Also, would I be able to install Windows with it, since I already have it installed on my Compaq laptop?

If I actually have to buy a copy of Windows XP, would I have to buy the Retail version or could I save myself some money by buying the OEM version? Would this work? I've read that it can be difficult to install via Boot Camp with the OEM - this makes me wonder if it's more than a case of just sticking the CD into the drive, but I have no idea how the Boot Camp process works and have never tried to use an OEM version of any operating system. If anyone could elaborate that'd be great!

Thanks.
 
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Sticky question.

OEM Window's licenses can only be used on the original hardware they were intended for, in the same way you shouldn't use your Tiger disc that came with your Mac to install on other Macs. There is a legal AND technical reason for this (OEM Windows discs often have a limited driver and configuration setup).

To install WinXP on a Mac legally, you need a full retail version of WinXP SP2.
 
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NOTE: Merged common/cross-posted threads
 

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Sticky question.

OEM Window's licenses can only be used on the original hardware they were intended for, in the same way you shouldn't use your Tiger disc that came with your Mac to install on other Macs. There is a legal AND technical reason for this (OEM Windows discs often have a limited driver and configuration setup).

To install WinXP on a Mac legally, you need a full retail version of WinXP SP2.

Aside from those valid reasons stated, be aware that any copy of Windows XP that is already installed on a machine is "activated", in other words, an algorithm generates a specific key based on the hardware configuration of your machine. Microsoft then transmits an activation code based on that key to enable your copy of XP. If you were to attempt to install that disc on another machine, when it goes to activate, it will check the product ID against it's previously generated key to see if it's being installed on the same machine. When it determines that is not the case, it will refuse to activate the new installation. This will happen regardless of whether you've slipsteamed the SP2 update.

End result - each copy of Windows XP, unless it is a "volume license" versin will only install on one machine at a time. Same goes for Office XP and newer.
 
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Thanks for your replies.

I understand about not being able to use one disc to install XP on more than one machine at a time, but as far as needing a full retail version is concerned.. does that mean that I would not be able to use something like this?:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/GENUINE-Micro...ryZ41887QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

There are sellers on eBay selling this kind of thing - which claims to be fully legal, brand new and never been used, installed or activated before - so it looks like it would work and be perfectly legal, but it mentions that it's 'OEM' software. Does anyone know if this would be likely to work, given that it's not actually tied to any particular manufacturer (ie. it's not like it's come out of an HP box). Thing is, I can't really afford to shell out for a retail version, and these OEM ones are only around £60.

Thanks again.
 

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Thanks for your replies.

I understand about not being able to use one disc to install XP on more than one machine at a time, but as far as needing a full retail version is concerned.. does that mean that I would not be able to use something like this?:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/GENUINE-Micro...ryZ41887QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

There are sellers on eBay selling this kind of thing - which claims to be fully legal, brand new and never been used, installed or activated before - so it looks like it would work and be perfectly legal, but it mentions that it's 'OEM' software. Does anyone know if this would be likely to work, given that it's not actually tied to any particular manufacturer (ie. it's not like it's come out of an HP box). Thing is, I can't really afford to shell out for a retail version, and these OEM ones are only around £60.

Thanks again.

On the surface, it looks like that will work. OEM just means that it's marketed toward a business that builds PCs for resale. It's not a "full retail" version, but for your purposes, it should be just fine. The interesting thing about OEM software is that legally (at least in the US), they have to sell you some hardware with it. I know a lot of companies that sell OEM software like this will throw in an old floppy drive or something like that just to meet the letter of the law.
 
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I'm in the same boat. I have a HP Notebook with XP Pro installed and also have an extra HP disk with XP Home on it that HP sent to me. I thought that maybe I could use the HP XP Home disk because it was never installed on anything but have heard that it would only work on an HP computer. I'd rather not go to the store and pay $199 for a full version of XP when there are cheaper alternatives being sold. I just don't know if spending around $100 for an OEM retail copy and then not having it work is the smart choice either.
 

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I'm in the same boat. I have a HP Notebook with XP Pro installed and also have an extra HP disk with XP Home on it that HP sent to me. I thought that maybe I could use the HP XP Home disk because it was never installed on anything but have heard that it would only work on an HP computer. I'd rather not go to the store and pay $199 for a full version of XP when there are cheaper alternatives being sold. I just don't know if spending around $100 for an OEM retail copy and then not having it work is the smart choice either.

It should work as long as it isn't tied to a specific vendor (as appears to be the case with stev-o m), it shouldn't be a problem. I have used OEM discs like this in the past with no trouble at all. The only thing missing is the fancy box. It even comes with the XP license sticker to stick on the outside of your case.
 
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I understand exactly what you mean, Mac Dude. I'm reluctant to spend money on something that might not work as well.. but I refuse to pay so much for the retail version - the prices are ridiculous. And since I won't even be using my old PC laptop anymore I should be able to use that copy of Windows for whatever else I like! Lol.

cwa107, thanks for all your help. Much appreciated. When you said, in your reply to Mac Dude, that in my case it appears that my disc is tied to a particular vendor, did you mean the CD that came with my Windows laptop? Or did you mean the product being sold on eBay which I linked to?

I actually contacted the seller on eBay a few days ago and he has only just replied. Unsurprisingly he said he had no experience with Boot Camp or with Apple at all for that matter, but that the OEM is essentially the same as the retail version, the only real difference being that there is no support offered by Microsoft - because they assume that whoever is using an OEM is familiar enough with building computers already. Still, I find it hard to believe that there would be such a huge difference in price between the two versions if this is really the only difference of note. Sorry to keep repeating myself, but with the OEM, just to settle my mind, should it really only be a case of inserting the disc and installing it onscreen as per usual?

Thanks again!
 

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I understand exactly what you mean, Mac Dude. I'm reluctant to spend money on something that might not work as well.. but I refuse to pay so much for the retail version - the prices are ridiculous. And since I won't even be using my old PC laptop anymore I should be able to use that copy of Windows for whatever else I like! Lol.

cwa107, thanks for all your help. Much appreciated. When you said, in your reply to Mac Dude, that in my case it appears that my disc is tied to a particular vendor, did you mean the CD that came with my Windows laptop? Or did you mean the product being sold on eBay which I linked to?

I actually contacted the seller on eBay a few days ago and he has only just replied. Unsurprisingly he said he had no experience with Boot Camp or with Apple at all for that matter, but that the OEM is essentially the same as the retail version, the only real difference being that there is no support offered by Microsoft - because they assume that whoever is using an OEM is familiar enough with building computers already. Still, I find it hard to believe that there would be such a huge difference in price between the two versions if this is really the only difference of note. Sorry to keep repeating myself, but with the OEM, just to settle my mind, should it really only be a case of inserting the disc and installing it onscreen as per usual?

Thanks again!

My apologies - now that I've re-read it, I realized that my wording was EXTREMELY poor. What I meant to say was that in your case, the OEM copy is NOT tied to a specific vendor. It is a plain, OEM copy of Windows XP and as far as I can tell, there is no reason it would not work for Bootcamp.
 
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LOL. That's okay. I'm just very easily confused when it comes to this particular topic.

I've just been doing some 'window' shopping around eBay and noticed that it actually appears to be cheaper to buy a copy of Vista than it is to buy XP. Is there support for Vista with Boot Camp yet, or will that have to wait until the final release?
 

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LOL. That's okay. I'm just very easily confused when it comes to this particular topic.

I've just been doing some 'window' shopping around eBay and noticed that it actually appears to be cheaper to buy a copy of Vista than it is to buy XP. Is there support for Vista with Boot Camp yet, or will that have to wait until the final release?

Support for Vista is sketchy at the moment, although several members have gotten it to run (haven't felt the need to try it yet myself). I would imagine the version of Bootcamp that ships with Leopard will have full support for Vista in all of its glory (?).
 

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