Transfer Windows XP.pvm files to Boot Camp?

After upgrading from Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion, I discovered that Parallels 6 that I purchased for Lion will not run on Mountain Lion. I then uninstalled Parallels 6 from my MacBook Pro (Mistake?). I don’t intend to continue upgrading Parallels every time Apple has a new OS so I now wish to switch to Boot Camp.


Is there a way to transfer the data and applications from the Windows XP.pvm file to the Windows XP OS that I intend to install with Boot Camp?

MacBook Pro, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8), iPhone 3G

Posted on Sep 11, 2012 1:09 PM

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3 replies

Sep 17, 2012 5:39 PM in response to Ralphjh

You will have to reinstall the Windows applications from their installations disks while running Windows in Bootcamp. As for the data, you will have to transfer it to a intermediate medium, such as a flash drive and then move it to the new Windows Bootcamp partition.


HOWEVER: Mountain Lion's Bootcamp will NOT support Windows XP installation at all.


NOTE: I have the mid-2009 MacBook Pro and while it was still running Snow Leopard, I installed Windows XP into Bootcamp and then I installed Parallels 6 to also run Windows XP from the same Bootcamp partition (Parallels does not need to create a whole new Windows XP.pvm file with duplicates of the Windows XP files; saving quite a bit of hard drive space).


I note that after I upgraded to Lion, I am still able to both run: (1) Windows XP in Bootcamp and (2) Windows XP in Parallels, although I did upgrade to Parallels 7 during this transition, even though it may not have been necessary.


SO: If you can go back to Snow Leopard, you can create a Bootcamp partition that will survive the upgrade to Lion. I have NOT yet upgraded to Mountion Lion, so I cannot answer the question of whether it will continue to survive that upgrade as well (although I am both hopeful and expect that it will).


Also, my advice is to upgrade from Parallels 6 to 8: you will not only save the interim upgrade fee that you would have paid for Parallels 7, you also will have upgraded TWO levels of Mac OSX - from Snow Leopard 10.6 to Mountain Lion 10.8!


Lastly, with Parallels 8 you will also be able to create a Snow Leopard.pvm file (with Rosetta) and be able to run any old PowerPC software that you may have occassion to utilize. Full Snow Leopard installation instructions into Parallels here:


http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1365439

Sep 18, 2012 9:14 PM in response to MlchaelLAX

Hi Michael,


Thanks for the comprehensive explanation. I only use Windows infrequently for 2 or 3 applications so I don’t think it would be worth the trouble of reverting to Snow Leopard with my main computer (early 2009 MacBook Pro). Same goes for upgrading Parallels.


What I did in the meantime was to install Parallels 6 on a small bus-powered external drive that contains Snow Leopard. I then copied the pvm file to the external drive and after a few false starts, I was able to launch Windows XP successfully and confirmed that all of my data was present. That will take care of me for the foreseeable future.


I was not aware of the ability to use Parallels to run Windows in a Bootcamp Partition until I had this problem and researched a possible solution. I wish I had known about that earlier.


I would prefer using a Boot Camp Partition in the external Snow Leopard drive but I would probably have to re-install the Win applications and I’m not sure that I can find the original software CD for the most important one, thus the reason for my original question. Since that particular application appears to run OK (slowly but acceptable) from the external drive, I’ll probably just stay with that.


MlchaelLAX wrote:


Lastly, with Parallels 8 you will also be able to create a Snow Leopard.pvm file (with Rosetta) and be able to run any old PowerPC software that you may have occassion to utilize. Full Snow Leopard installation instructions into Parallels here:


http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1365439


Your final suggestion sounds very interesting. That may be the reason for upgrading Parallels.


Ralph

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Transfer Windows XP.pvm files to Boot Camp?

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