Buying XP pro for MAC VM

[webrehm]

I want to put XP pro on a Macbook pro using Parallels VM SW. I want to go with XP for the best performance under a Virtual Machine interface.
Do I need the retail version or can I use the OEM version?

I found these people but they say "full" not "retail" in their description
http://elecsurf.com/win-xp.html
I can't tell if they are selling a retail or OEM version of XP pro.
Any other suggestions on where to buy?
Should I buy a 32 or 64 bit version?

tks for any help

Dennis

 

[Harvey]

Hi, and welcome to the forums. The site smells like fraud.

1. I don't trust any company that registers their domain as an anonymous registration.

2. Searching Google for "elecsurf.com"+fraud finds a lot of people who think the same way for lots of reasons.

That said, you may want to check to see if your machine will run Windows 7 under a VM. If so, and you're a student with a .edu e-mail address, you can get a copy of Win 7 Professional for $30.

Unlike Vista, Win 7 is fast and isn't anywhere near as bad a resource hog.

Getting back to your other question, the retail and OEM versions are the same. The difference is that you get no free technical support for an OEM copy. That may be moot for XP since MS has discontinued selling and supporting it, except for continuing to update SP3.

Which reminds me, if you get a copy of XP, make sure it's SP3, or search the web for info on how to download the files to slipstream the updates to bring it up to SP3. Otherwise, you won't be able to update it at all from MS.

Hope that helps.

 

[RebateMonger]

Nothing on Resellerratings.com, but a Google search for "elecsurf scam" brought up a LOT of articles:
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source...KX8DwAAAKoEBU_Q9P1n&pbx=1&fp=ad526d12389e3c08

Some of the reviewers report they are selling invalid Keys for Microsoft products.

It makes no sense for a merchant to sell Microsoft operating systems for "bargain" prices. The only way they can make money doing that is if they aren't dealing with legitimate product.

They are selling a "digital download" of XP. Microsoft never offered a digitally downloaded version of XP.

Unfortunately, MS no longer sells XP to consumers. And it's really hard to sort out the legitimate stuff on places like eBay. Ideally, you'd like to purchase a sealed Retail Box or sealed OEM package, but they don't give those away. Basically, it's a bit late to be looking for XP.

As Harvey notes, Win7 makes a good replacement for XP. I've put it on several older (five-year-old computers that came with XP) and it's worked very well.

 

[webrehm]

I thought some OEM xp pro SW would have limited driver support and might not work. I have heard of differences in OEM versions such that some work instantly and others don't.
If there are differences in OEM versions, how does one tell a good one from a not so good one? And where might be a reputable place to buy OEM xp.

An experienced IT person told me that under VM, XP pro would run noticably faster than Win7, so that is why I want XP pro.

tks

Dennis

 

[Harvey]

I thought some OEM xp pro SW would have limited driver support and might not work. I have heard of differences in OEM versions such that some work instantly and others don't.

I've never encountered any differences or lack of driver support between OEM and retail versions.

If there are differences in OEM versions, how does one tell a good one from a not so good one? And where might be a reputable place to buy OEM xp.

Authorized resellers are no longer selling XP. You may find some with a left over copy. Your best bet may be to check our For Sale/Trade forum and others for a legitimate used copy.

An experienced IT person told me that under VM, XP pro would run noticably faster than Win7, so that is why I want XP pro.

Searching Google for running windows 7 on macbook pro finds lots of leads. The first link is to an article on ZD net entitled, "Windows 7 works great on the MacBook Pro"

Not that the person who gave you that advice is wrong, but because it may be difficult to find a legit copy of XP, it may be worth checking other sources to see if installing Win 7 isn't as hard as you currently think it is.

 

[sivart]

If the OEM is an "image" then it may have drivers for specific hardware. This is pretty rare.

Most OEM's are simply a "retail version" with some branding (I.e. Dell, HP, etc) and may come with links to the OEM's support site.

The main thing about OEM's is that they must stay with the hardware they were sold with (to follow the license agreement). So if you buy an OEM copy with a mobo/hard drive combo, it is suppose to be used only with that combo.

 

[ViRGE]

Unfortunately, MS no longer sells XP to consumers. And it's really hard to sort out the legitimate stuff on places like eBay. Ideally, you'd like to purchase a sealed Retail Box or sealed OEM package, but they don't give those away. Basically, it's a bit late to be looking for XP.

You can still get brand new OEM copies from Newegg.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-583-_-Product

 

[RebateMonger]

You can still get brand new OEM copies from Newegg.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-583-_-Product

I searched earlier and missed it on Newegg. I've seen XP go in and out of stock there.

 

[VinylxScratches]

I've installed Win XP OEM in plenty of VMs and it always worked.

 

[Steltek]

I've also bought from the following company before and never had a problem.

http://www.directdeals.com/software/microsoft/windows-xp-professional/

 

[webrehm]

Great input, thanks a bunch

I went to directdeals.com and found xp pro sp2 and 3 versions for
$120-$240,
The highest price ones were
E85-02665 sp2 243
E85-02874 sp2 243

The lowest price is
**J9A-00085 sp3 $119
E85-05103-OEM SP2C $139
E85-04793-OEM sp2B $139.95
**E85-05679-OEM SP3 $141

** Is there any reason not to buy these versions? Why such a large price range with the highest price being for SP2? Is there any significance to the E85 vs J9A?

tks

Dennis

 

[Harvey]

The pic for item J9A-00085 is labeled "For Refurbished PC's," whatever that means.

They have a toll free number, (866) 332-5711. Call them, and ask.

Maybe that means you have to unfurbish your machine before you install it.

 

[RebateMonger]

The pricier versions are Retail Full, that can be used on a PC with no other previous licenses. Retail versions can be resold and can be later moved to a new motherboard or PC if desired.

The cheaper are OEM versions. These are also full licenses, but come with no support and aren't supposed to be moved to a different motherboard once installed. OEM versions aren't supposed to be resold unless accompanied by the PC where they were originally installed. You aren't supposed to sell the software by itself once the software envelope is opened.

Once installed, they are all the same and can be installed on physical or virtual machines.

 

[RebateMonger]

The pic for item J9A-00085 is labeled "For Refurbished PC's," whatever that means.

I'd never seen that version before. Maybe it comes with some sort of limited Microsoft support? Normally the system builder must provide support for OEM versions of Windows.

A bit more info. These disks are intended for the "Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher" market. It was for refurbishers who did 5000 PCs a month and likely sold for less than a generic XP OEM package. Many old PCs don't come with a "legal" XP Install CD or other recovery media and this was a way to get one.

http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/11/microsoft-offers-up-new-windows-xp-license-for-refurbished-pcs/

http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/desktop/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202804475

 

[webrehm]

I did call them and a machine asked for a call back number. Let's see if I get a call back tomorrow.

Dennis

 

[IvanAndreevich]

I'm trying to reinstall Windows on a machine which came with one of those "J9A-00085" for refurbished PC stickers.

Any idea what disc I would use? It didn't come with a recovery partition and they key doesn't work on a regular XP OEM CD.

 

[universeis42]

http://www.mywot.com/en/scorecard/elecsurf.com
http://www.bbb.org/greater-san-fran...s-dealers/elecsurfcom-in-emeryville-ca-192369

Tells you all you need to know.

 

[gsaldivar]

I've installed Win XP OEM in plenty of VMs and it always worked.

This.

There is nothing wrong with using XP in a virtual environment. Yes, Win 7 is the latest and greatest blah blah blah... for 99% of tasks out there XP will run just fine. While XP is no longer available from MS, its easy to find it. Use Google product search and just make sure its from a well-rated seller (you can also check resellerratings.com to confirm if you are in doubt).

http://www.google.com/products/cata...log_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CEkQ8wIwAA

XP has been EOL'd but you can still expect to get updates from Microsoft at least through April 8, 2014. As much as MS would love to put XP in its grave, the simple fact is that XP is pretty damn reliable and many businesses out there frankly have no reason to update what isn't broken.

I run both Win 7 and XP virtualized for numerous tasks, and prefer XP for its simplicity and speed. Win 7 may be faster at selected tasks, but I've found it to be needlessly bloated and overly complex for simple occasional tasks that I need to perform virtualized.

Also - you only need 64bit if you need to use >3.2gb of RAM in the virtual environment.

Good luck!

 

[Nothinman]

XP has been EOL'd but you can still expect to get updates from Microsoft at least through April 8, 2014. As much as MS would love to put XP in its grave, the simple fact is that XP is pretty damn reliable and many businesses out there frankly have no reason to update what isn't broken.

I believe that only includes security updates, so while it might be ok for a dedicated task machine like a kiosk, not that I would use XP on a kiosk myself, it's almost dead now for desktops. IE9 won't work on it and I believe Office 2010 is the last release that will work on it. Sure, those are artificial restrictions placed by MS within those products, but that's what you get when you're at one company's mercy.

I run both Win 7 and XP virtualized for numerous tasks, and prefer XP for its simplicity and speed. Win 7 may be faster at selected tasks, but I've found it to be needlessly bloated and overly complex for simple occasional tasks that I need to perform virtualized.

If Win7 doesn't work well for you then you should look for better, supported alternatives instead of clinging to a dead environment.

Also - you only need 64bit if you need to use >3.2gb of RAM in the virtual environment.

The true limit imposed upon 32-bit Windows by MS is 4G, anything less than that is caused by hardware requirements.

 

[gsaldivar]

I believe that only includes security updates, so while it might be ok for a dedicated task machine like a kiosk, not that I would use XP on a kiosk myself, it's almost dead now for desktops. IE9 won't work on it and I believe Office 2010 is the last release that will work on it. Sure, those are artificial restrictions placed by MS within those products, but that's what you get when you're at one company's mercy.

The true limit imposed upon 32-bit Windows by MS is 4G, anything less than that is caused by hardware requirements.

All very good points, and well taken. Admittedly, one of the best arguments for migrating off XP that I've seen yet on AT. :thumbsup:

 

[Nothinman]

All very good points, and well taken. Admittedly, one of the best arguments for migrating off XP that I've seen yet on AT. :thumbsup:

In a year or so XP will be seen as Win2K is now, good for it's day but only used by people unwilling or unable to migrate away. And hopefully the former will realize how confused they are eventually.

 

[kmmatney]

For virtual machines, Windows XP is pretty nice - it runs fast, and can be made very small. My XP virtual machines take about 700MB of disk space, after being shrunk down by TinyXP, and about 1.5 GB fully loaded with software and development environments.

For some customer support, I actually use Window NT VMs. These take up about 150MB of disk space if placed in a compressed folder, and run lightning quick! I work with a company making scientific equipment, and have to support customers with different hardware/software, spanning a period of 20 years. Its easier for me to keep small NT VMs around with a customer's exact configuration than to spend 30 minutes setting things up on my main computer. At 150MB,m I can afford to keep several VMs around, which I maybe use once a year.

 

[gsaldivar]

For virtual machines, Windows XP is pretty nice - it runs fast, and can be made very small. My XP virtual machines take about 700MB of disk space, after being shrunk down by TinyXP, and about 1.5 GB fully loaded with software and development environments.

For some customer support, I actually use Window NT VMs. These take up about 150MB of disk space if placed in a compressed folder, and run lightning quick! I work with a company making scientific equipment, and have to support customers with different hardware/software, spanning a period of 20 years. Its easier for me to keep small NT VMs around with a customer's exact configuration than to spend 30 minutes setting things up on my main computer. At 150MB,m I can afford to keep several VMs around, which I maybe use once a year.

:thumbsup:

One of the temptations of IT is to make blanket assumptions, i.e. what works well for me, will work well for everyone. While this may be true for specific situations, we should keep an open mind and at least concede that there are some situations where the latest, newest OS may *NOT* be the best tool for the job...

 

[Emulex]

i thought you could buy windows 7 then run virtualbox on the VM of xp-mode with bios rom emulation and it was cool. Technically if its a full retail product that sounds cool. then again for the same price a used boxen can be had with win7 pro. just got a nice dc7900 quad core Q9400,4gb ram,320gb/ati 2400xt with win7 for $184. remote desktop is much improved in OSX now

 

[gsaldivar]

i thought you could buy windows 7 then run virtualbox on the VM of xp-mode with bios rom emulation and it was cool. Technically if its a full retail product that sounds cool. then again for the same price a used boxen can be had with win7 pro. just got a nice dc7900 quad core Q9400,4gb ram,320gb/ati 2400xt with win7 for $184. remote desktop is much improved in OSX now

Only with W7 Ultimate I believe.