So I have two copies of Windows XP Pro. It should be easy to install one in my MacBook so I can run Quicken and Photoshop. Do I want Bootcamp, Parallels, or both? It's not that easy. First, take a look at my XP versions. I have an English version, that I used to run with at work, and a Japanese version that I shared with my wife at home. Unfortunately they're both SP1 versions: I bought them 6 years ago when XP first came out. My first thought was to install the English version using
Bootcamp, but my English version is an upgrade which, according to Apple, just won't do. My only option with Bootcamp is to
slipstream my Japanese XP with SP2, use it for a Bootcamp installation, and then install Photoshop and Qucken.
- Pros: I'll get a clean install that I can keep minimal for occasional Windows dabbling. XP will run fast, which will be great for Photoshop. I can also use Parallels with the Bootcamp installation and use XP while in OSX.
- Cons: No immediate gratification--I have to find time to sit down and slipstream the XP installation CD. I'm stuck with a Japanese verson of XP; not a big problem, but I prefer the look and ease of English.
On to Parallels. I haven't used my English version of XP in over a year. It's in my limbo box of CDs I may or may not need in the indefinate future. Japanese XP is up and running in a fully functional Athlon box. Couldn't I just trot out the
Parallels Transporter and install XP into my MacBook? Unfortunately my bloated XP installation is installed across partitions C: to F: and contains numerous files and programs that I don't need on the Mac. The quick and dirty route is to do an express install of the C drive, reinstall Quicken and Photoshop, and clean up the resulting mess.
- Pros: Quick and dirty equals immediate gratification.
- Cons: Requires major housecleaning of the bastard XP install. Still stuck with a Japanese version of XP. Parallels will do fine with Quicken, but Bootcamp is probably a better option for running Photoshop CS.
Or I could install my English upgrade version of XP via Parallels, then upgrade to SP2 and install Quicken and Photoshop.
- Pros: I get a clean install and XP speaks English. Should require less time and beer than previous options.
- Cons: Parallels will slow Photoshop down, but does it matter?
There's one more option: Dump XP and do nothing at all. Windows has taught me that a computer is like a watercolor. Mess with it too much and all the delicacy and colors turn to mud: programs run slower, the PC develops nervous ticks and takes forever to boot up and shut down. Under this option I sell my XP box, sell my English versions of XP and Photoshop CS. I move on, buy a Mac version of the new Photoshop CS3, find a Quicken alternative, and live happily ever after.
