[Foxdog175]

So I just bought my first intel machine and really customized it as a powerhouse (will be leaps and bounds over my previous PC for 3D rendering) and my question is...can I use the Windows XP that came with my PC for my new intel Mac? Or do I have to buy a new WinXP? I use my PC solely for work, so I don't know much about WinXP licensing. I don't even know how much it runs or if buying a copy off of Ebay would be wise. Can anyone help me out?

Edit: is Parallels a good purchase? I'll only be using 3ds max on Windows and would prefer not to have to reboot if I don't have to. Is performance better through bootcamp over parallels or is there really a difference?

Thanks!

[Cold Warrior]

It depends. Some PC makers lock down their XP discs so they won't work on another brand. Dell does this. You may also run into activation issues, as XP will have previously been activated for that PC. Some people have success calling Microsoft and telling them they no longer own that computer, that its drive is wiped and the OS off for good, etc. This section's Reference sub-forum has a couple good threads on activation.

I also edited your thread title to make it more descriptive.

[ghporter]

No matter what, you MUST completely remove the XP installation on your PC. Microsoft does not have any "group licenses" that "come with a PC." That means that any copy must be installed on at most ONE computer at any given time. That may mean a minor activation issue-including a call to MS-but it's a very important one.

[Foxdog175]

Ok, good enough. I'll just buy a new copy of XP then. Thanks so much for the information.