Parallels > Bootcamp - using the same VM?

[blamb327]

Does anyone know if you can use an existing VM (Windows XP) from Parallels with Bootcamp. I’ve heard quite a bit of the opposite scenario (using a Bootcamp partition of Windows with Parallels), but not sure if this can be done. I’m also curious how this would affect my license for Windows. If I use the same copy of Windows XP for Bootcamp in addition to Parallels on the same computer, is Windows going to think I’ve installed it on a new system and therefore deactivate my key? I know it can detect a significant change in hardware and may prompt you to re “activate†your copy of Windows, but since the hardware isn’t changing I was thinking I may be in the clear here. I don’t want to mess with a good thing, but I’d like to use Bootcamp for some games and such instead of Parallels (which I literally only use for Poker Starz).

 

[PrinceZordar]

Based on what I know of Windows and emulation (a lot more experience with the former than the latter)...

1. An existing VM won't work for Bootcamp. Bootcamp modifies the boot process to load from either your OS X partition or your Windows partition. Parallels VM is either a file or a partition, whereas Bootcamp isn't going to know what to do with a VM file.

2. You very well may end up with issues running a VM of Windows and a Bootcamp version. On the Bootcamp partition, you're running Windows directly on the Mac hardware, but in a VM you're running on emulated hardware (i.e. my network card is Parellels Networking Adapter.) Windows will see this as a different hardware environment and may trigger a new key requirement. There were a lot of threads on this (which are now buried under all the Parallels 3.0 threads.) I installed a site-licensed version of XP on Bootcamp, and have not had an issue with requiring a new OS key running under Parallels because it didn't require one to begin with.

-Z