Safest place to get Windows XP Pro? 32 or 64 bit?
 

I have a mac with paralells 5.0 on it of which I would like to run windows on; I have some windows only programs.

the mac is an i7 2010 macbook pro with 4 gb of ram, & snowleopard.

which version of xp pro would be best? 32 bit or 64 bit?

& where online would be the safest & best deal to get it? I have read about all the fakware software out there, & I dont want to get ripped off.

Also, would OEM work? I think it does not come with microsoft support, I would rather have support. So I would probably prefer a full functional version to run as a virtual machine on my mac.

I am also a student, are there safe places to get student discounts?

What programs? Quite a few things work well natively in OS X using Wine -- no Windows required. I've been doing this. (I have many other Windows machines to fall back on, should I need them. But Wine works well.)

Few things work well on XP 64, so get the 32-bit normal version. Honestly, XP 64 was like a really bad beta version of Windows Vista.

You're still a student, correct? Many colleges have heavily discounted MS programs. See what versions of Windows they have available. I think most online academic-version stores long ago quick carrying XP, as it's already been end-of-life'd by Microsoft. (That mostly means they can't see it, not that there's anything wrong with XP -- there isn't.)

It should work.

MS no longer supports XP -- not that their support is worthwhile anyway. You generally get better and quicker help from user forums or the MS KB (online knowledge base at microsoft.com).

Ever see this?

Although its doubtful your school offers it if they aren't a polytech, check if they are members of Microsoft Academic Alliance. If they are, Microsoft basically gives away licenses to all recent versions of Windows and Office (including the Mac version) to students who attend the university.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/academic/default

Otherwise, consider Windows 7, its not the disaster Vista was and should run well under a VM on a modern machine.

I am running windows to run this; http://www.dbpoweramp.com/dmc-power-register.htm I have the dbpower am Registered reference.

So 32 bit windows will run ok on a modern i7 mac 64 bit?

I read online reviews about academic superstore & journey ed student stores, & they got bad reviews.

does amazon sell windows xp pro for students?

is wine any better than paralells?

This really depends on your usage. For me, Win7 has been a nuisance, as it wants to restrict the ability to write to root, and wanted to hide files in the virtual store. After a lot of Google time, I finally discovered the way to disabled not just UAC, but the other nuisance "safety" settings MS added to Win7.

Instead of all of the ridiculous versions of Windows, they should stick to two basic versions: (1) Home version with all the safety crap turned on, for people with limited computer skills, or (2) Pro version with no UAC/security/etc, for people who are experienced system admins and don't want any help being "safe".

Classic mode has also been raped in Win7, and the desktop misbehaves (icons move around on their own, inability to see icons while dragging them, etc).

I consider Vista a superior choice to Win7, if you like "XP style" computer use, and have historically been a person that disables all the "candy coatings" in Windows (Aero, styles, etc).

Or better yet, just use XP SP2.

I'm a task-based user, with a 15+ years of being accustomed to the same basic Win95-type interface. I have no desire to change my ways because MS thinks the new whiz-bang xyz method is better. I need to do photo work, video work, web design/dev, and print work -- and then I get off the computer again. All the nifty whiz-bang features built into the OS are just in my way. It's as bad as a girl putting pretty-pretty princess stickers and glitter on your hammer or screwdriver.

No.

I don't think I've ever read a valid complaint -- most of it just college kids whining about slow outbound shipping (procrastinators passing the buck), overseas telephone support (somewhat valid, but not really), and dislike of confirmations required (proof of current student/employee status).

Just use a credit card, and understand the dispute process (if needed). Then you'll be fine.

But I don't think either of them have Windows XP anyway. :(

The dBpoweramp Music Converter works in Wine: http://www.digitalFAQ.com/forum/show...esnt-2802.html
CD ripping/burning does not.

But for ripping/converting from CD, you can just as easily use the freeware tool "Max" from http://sbooth.org/Max/
Also attached here, for convenience.

Is there anything special about dBpoweramp that you need, not available in Max? If so, what is it?

Everyone complains when a new version of Windows comes out. You get used to it. I shunned XP for the same reason and kept on using 2000. By the time I replaced that machine, Vista was out, even then I held off until SP1 came out. I haven't had problems with UAC, and for the average end user its a good thing. Its easily disabled if you need it to be as well. I wasn't too happy with the killing of the classic start menu either, but for that and other shell annoyances, check this out: http://classicshell.sourceforge.net/ For everything else it doesn't cover, I spent a week de-Cleartype and de-Segoe UIing the themes on Vista/7 and setting up the classic style taskbar. 8pt Tahoma and MS Sans Serif rendered sharply live on here.

The other big reason for upgrading is 64-bit support. I have more then 3.25GB in my machine and XP x64 was never well supported by drivers (its basically Server 2003). Vista and 7 brought it mainstream.

Oh, I've not complained that much. I was hesitant about Windows 95, but not 98, ME or 2000. I was hesitant about XP (broke some video software), but not after SP1. Same for Vista, fine after SP1. I know Win7 better uses resources than Vista, but it changed things yet again for no good reason. What I don't like is significant change to workflows or breaking existing software and hardware.

I need to try Classic Shell on Vista, didn't realize it would add the up button there. I have it for Win7 already. Thanks for linking to it.

For me, the big issue that remains on Win7 is the classic mode desktop, which is essentially broken. You can't show icons while dragging, some icons move around on their own (i.e., Home Group), and MS has stated this is "by design". To repeat the reply to the official MS response: "This design (classic theme) is fundamentally broken. I can not imagine why it was considered desirable, except perhaps to make Classic Mode unpleasant so that people would use Aero."

Aside from Adobe photo/design software, CAD/3D modeling apps, and similar graphic-heavy apps, I can't say there's much need for 3GB+ of RAM. Most of my systems are at 2GB, with only one having 6GB.