[fallstoclimb]

I need to be able to run SAS on my Macbook, so I have to get Windows on it. Through a series of events I have wound up with one full install disk for Windows XP Pro (no SP), and one upgrade disk for Windows XP Pro SP 2. From what I've seen online, it looks like I need to install XP Pro w/ SP 2 on my Mac, and that I need to slipstream to get the upgrade onto the install disk.

I'm not much of a computer person, so this has confused the hell out of me. I gather that you can't slipstream on a Mac - but can I just go pop my full install disk into a friend's PC, or will that mess up the slipstream/will we need to uninstall the Windows they have on their computer? If I mess up or complicate my friend's operating system in any way I'll be in big trouble.

The disks I've gotten through two separate sources - my full install is from a friend (he got his hands on an academic disk and says it does not have activation limitations or something), and my upgrade is from my university. I'm aware that this is not quite legal, but I'm really in a pinch, and my school's software office told me that my XP Pro SP2 upgrade was all I needed (obviously not true).

I'm okay with figuring this out through trial and error, but first I need to be reassured that 1) I won't ruin someone's PC and 2) I'm not going to somehow ruin/use up these installs and get nothing out of it. It would also be great if anyone knows of any walkthroughs on how to slipstream that are good for people who are dumb with computers. I know there are a lot of guides out there.

[ghporter]

No, you can't slipstream on a Mac, but it's no problem to "borrow" someone else's PC. Running a Windows install disc on a Windows computer won't hurt anything-it will offer to "upgrade" the computer it's running on, if it does anything at all.

The simplest way to go about this is to use the basic (no SP) install disc and download a copy of SP3. Now follow these instructions to slipstream the service pack into the basic disc's install disc image.[/url] This will create a complete bootable XP-SP3 install image, and the instructions walk you through burning the image onto a CD using Nero (though once you get the image file, we can help you burn the image other ways, including using your Mac).

So in summary, yes, you must use a PC to do the slipstreaming, but it won't hurt your friend's computer to do so. Once you have the image, you can burn it to CD or ask us for help to figure out how to do that. I hope that helps!

Oh, and welcome to our forums!!!

[fallstoclimb]

Thank you so much for the help! Between this and a friend's help, I successfully installed Windows XP on my Mac. Now I just need to connect to the internet on windows..... (I'll figure it out).

[ghporter]

Glad we could help! And connecting XP to the Internet is a lot simpler than it looks. DO get AVAST! or Clam AV though-they're free and an antivirus package is absolutely essential to running a Windows machine.

[Warhaven]

You may also want to consider nLite. It's a very easy all-in-one point 'n click slipstreaming manager. And it's free. Will also export to ISO or burn straight to disk without additional software.

[ghporter]

nLite is kind of complicated. I specifically recommended the built-in slipstream functionality of the SP3 package because it's not that involved. On the other hand, if you want to do ANYTHING at all beyond just slipstreaming, nLite is definitely the way to go.