[Heavy]

What are my options with my new Macbook? Bootcamp? I just read about, but don't know what Parallel is. Is there a good FAQ for this?

Most stuff I want to do is small Windows stuff. A few music notation programs which aren't available for Mac. I'd like to not have to boot up a lot and run everything osx if possible..

Does the Virtual PC program work with the Macbooks? What is Parallel? Is there anything else that I could use?

After I install Bootcamp, can I use the windows xp reinstall disc that came with my Dell?

I apologize for the newbie ?'s. It's my first Mac, and I gotta start somewhere.

[Heavy]

On Apple's FAQ, it says Windows XP service pack 2 is needed. Mine says service pack 1. Will this still work?

[icruise]

Virtual PC does not work with Intel Macs. Parallels is a program that allows you to run Windows XP in a window while in OS X. See http://www.parallels.com/en/products/desktop/
It's about the only solution available at the moment, but there will be others eventually, including possibly a new version of Virtual PC. It sounds like Parallels would be a good choice for you.

In order to use your Windows XP disc with Boot Camp, you have to slipstream it (apply the updated files from SP2 to your disc and burn a new one that is equivalent to SP2). Here is a thread in this forum about that:

http://forums.macnn.com/109/alternative-os-reference/292306/slipstreaming-xp-sp2/

Parallels should be able to use the disc as it is.

[ghporter]

I do not know whether you can get Boot Camp to work with XP SP1 or not, but as Icruise points out, it's pretty easy to roll SP2 into a full-blown installation disc and then use it.