[dpicardi]

Hello,

I'm looking to get advice on the best way (ie easiest and best install for smoothest integration and running) to install XP on a Mac Pro.

I just bought Fusion and a new copy of XP Pro SP2.

Do I install XP through Bootcamp and then Fusion?

Do I install Fusion and then XP?

Any gotchas to be wary of? I'm thinking Bootcamp is better in case I ever want to run an app natively... but I wanted to solict advice. The app I would be using primarily is Photoshop CS2 and maybe a few games.

I assume I'll want to partition the boot drive. I have a 500GB boot drive. I don't plan to install a lot of PC software a few apps and maybe a few games. Is the speed of the applications impacted by the amount of space left in the partition? Or is that moot? I was thinking 30-40GBs because the average game these days is between 2-5GB.

Thoughts and comments appreciated.

Dave

[ibook_steve]

It all depends on what you want to do. For me, it seems silly to have the ability to run Windows natively in Boot Camp and then have to have another virtual installation of Windows to run in VMWare (or Parallels, which is what I use). Use the Boot Camp utility to partition and install Windows. Then select the BC partition in VMWare as your C drive.

The only disadvantages, as I see them, concern special features that VMWare and Parallels can perform with virtual disk images that they can't perform with BC partitions (such as the ability to take a "snapshot" of the disk or being able to quit the program without having to completely shut down Windows). Other than that BC is the way to go.

As for space, on my MBP, I have a 20 GB partition for BC and use the shared folders features of Parallels to access Mac stuff within Windows. When running in BC, I use MacDrive from Mediafour to access Mac stuff. With a 500 GB drive, you'd have no problems with a 30, 40, or larger partition for BC.

Steve

[dpicardi]

Steve,

Thanks for your swift reply. It is appreciated.

Anyone else with an opinion or is this the consensus way to go?

Dave

[64stang06]

What will you be doing with Windows? If nothing intensive, I suggest Fusion and no BootCamp.

[Cold Warrior]

Originally Posted by dpicardi 

Do I install XP through Bootcamp and then Fusion?

If you want to. This way you could run XP natively when you need to, yet still access the same XP system from Fusion while booted into OS X.

Do I install Fusion and then XP?

Doesn't matter.

Any gotchas to be wary of? I'm thinking Bootcamp is better in case I ever want to run an app natively... but I wanted to solict advice. The app I would be using primarily is Photoshop CS2 and maybe a few games.

No gotchas with that setup -- it's going to be your best option for the times when you want total CPU & GPU devoted to CS2 and those games.

I assume I'll want to partition the boot drive. I have a 500GB boot drive.

The Boot Camp utility will handle partitioning for Windows.

I don't plan to install a lot of PC software a few apps and maybe a few games. Is the speed of the applications impacted by the amount of space left in the partition? Or is that moot? I was thinking 30-40GBs because the average game these days is between 2-5GB.

App and system performance can indeed be adversely affected by too little free space. If you have too little, things will grind along much more slowly as the OS looks for hard drive swap space.