Finally!!! I got Windows XP installed on our Intel iMac at work. It only took 4 different WinXP SP2 install CDs until I found one that worked. And now I think the ntkrnlmp.exe error I had might have just been due to a bad CD, though I'm not sure. At any rate I think the biggest problem with most of the install CDs that I tried was with the keyboard. For some reason the keyboard (the standard Apple USB keyboard) just wasn't recognized. I don't know what was different in the final install CD I used, but the keyboard worked with it.

So now that I've got Boot Camp working with Windows XP installed along comes Parallels and introduces a beta of their virtualization application for Mac OS X. This is just like VirtualPC or VMWare in that it lets you run another operating system on top of your current OS. This is really the type of solution I think most people will want to use. I really don't want to be rebooting all the time when I need to test something on Windows. Having a virtual machine to just run Windows for a few minutes when I need it is the ideal solution. There's only one thing lacking right now with Parallels' VM - it doesn't support multiple CPUs. That is, the Intel iMac has two CPUs - a dual-core Intel Core Duo processor - Now that's a nice mouthful. Parallels' current application only virtualizes a single CPU, though they say that they have plans to support SMP in future versions. Now that would be juicy! As it is, it does run quite speedy and I look forward to using it more in the future.

I like John Gruber's description of the whole situation - Windows: The New Classic.

Ain't that the truth! As I installed Windows today a long with a bunch of other applications I must have restarted at least 6 or 7 times. It was almost like every single application was forcing me to restart. Plus I had to be sure to get an Anti-Virus program running, download Firefox, wrestle with the task bar, etc. Running Windows was a continual reminder as to how much I prefer Mac OS X over Windows.

I'm sure the novelty will wear off in a few days. After a week or so I'll probably forget that I ever installed Windows on the iMac. The memory will fade into a shadow of other nightmares such as those from June 6, 2005. That is until someone remembers that I can run Windows on my iMac and wants me to help track down some bugs.

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