# Running XP under bootcamp on an mac. Need to wipe and reinstall XP! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 25, 2009, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-xp-under-bootcamp-on-an-mac-need-to-wipe-and-reinstall-xp/497557 "2009-05-25T12:39:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-xp-under-bootcamp-on-an-mac-need-to-wipe-and-reinstall-xp/497557/1 "2009-05-25T12:39:56Z")
Because the XP partition is loaded with viri and I have given up. I the XP install disk, code numbers, etc. Anybody done this? How should I proceed? I have googled the heck out of this and no joy. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tao_s_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-xp-under-bootcamp-on-an-mac-need-to-wipe-and-reinstall-xp/497557/2 "2009-05-25T13:30:02Z")
I wouldn’t touch “bootcamp” with a 10 foot pole personally. Standard x86 systems work fine and are at better price point thank you. If I did need to install OSX there’s perfectly functional hacks for that, and I’ve done so in the past. That said I found [this](http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20080213123408244). Basically you can just use your XP cd like normal on a normal computer if you have less than 4 OSX partitions. If you have more than 4 then you need to hide the OSX partitions and the article tells you how. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-xp-under-bootcamp-on-an-mac-need-to-wipe-and-reinstall-xp/497557/3 "2009-05-25T13:31:12Z")
Run “Boot Camp Assistant” and print the user guide. Follow the instructions on page 22 to remove Windows by deleting the Windows partition. Then create a new Windows partition from scratch, and reinstall XP. Make sure that your Boot Camp Assistant is the latest version. I believe that XP service pack 3 will only install through Boot Camp 2.1, not 2.0. Edit: although these days I’m running XP in a virtual machine instead of from a Boot Camp partition. Much more convenient. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2009, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-xp-under-bootcamp-on-an-mac-need-to-wipe-and-reinstall-xp/497557/4 "2009-05-26T15:59:32Z")
[QUOTE=Sunspace] Edit: although these days I’m running XP in a virtual machine instead of from a Boot Camp partition. Much more convenient. [/QUOTE] Same here. When you run Windows or any other “guest” OS, it exists as a big file on your disk, which makes it really easy to back up and restore. One minor caveat to this is that your user files (eg: “My Documents”) should be saved to another drive. Most VM systems let you set up a directory on the host computer’s drive that looks like a network share which serves the dual function of making them easy to back up independently from the virtual system and let them be accessed by the host computer. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-xp-under-bootcamp-on-an-mac-need-to-wipe-and-reinstall-xp/497557/5 "2009-05-27T04:26:30Z")
> [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](#): > > I wouldn’t touch “bootcamp” with a 10 foot pole personally. Standard x86 systems work fine and are at better price point thank you. If I did need to install OSX there’s perfectly functional hacks for that, and I’ve done so in the past. Uh, I doubt very much he can get a better price point than free, since he ALREADY OWNS THE MAC AND THE COPY OF WINDOWS. I know it’s fashionable to hate Macs and all, but let’s be reasonable, shall we? [QUOTE=Sunspace] Edit: although these days I’m running XP in a virtual machine instead of from a Boot Camp partition. Much more convenient. [/QUOTE] Alternatively, don’t choose. Install Boot Camp, then point either Parallels or VMWare Fusion at that partition. You can get the convenience of the virtual machine for day-to-day stuff, and still be able to boot to “real” windows if you want to play a high-end game. (And you definitely don’t want to go VM if the Mac is high-end: they’ll limit both the video card and the number of processors available to you).