Want to buy a windows xp pro edition for my virtual machine

[Stranger01]

I am currently having a mac operating system for my virtual machine. My virtual machine is from the parallels. So right now i am thinking of switching to the windows xp for a better functioning in the virtual platform. I am confused on what to select whether should i go with the OEM full version or should i go with the retail version. I have gone through the various websites where people are asking me to go with the full version and not the retail version. So whats your view on that, which version should i go? Also should i buy a 32 bit version or the 64 bit version. Please do help me on this topic.

[Bull50]

Well looking at your situation i would have definitely gone with the Windows 7 and not with the windows xp because it is too late to wait for the windows xp. However you wanted to know about the oem version and the retail version. Let me tell you both of them do not have much difference ,while the oem comes with the technical support it seems. Anyways it would be best to go with the oem version and also ensure that the service pack 3 is present while purchasing the xp pack. The service pack is very necessary for the updates of the windows. So hope i have cleared out your confusion.

[Stranger01]

Yes it has helped me but i still have several queries regarding the OEM version of the xp. What i needed to know is there any different versions of oem available of xp. I am asking this because i have heard a lot from the people saying that some of the oem works well while some don't in the virtual platform. Is there any hardware issue with such version. If it is there then please do let me know. Well talking about the windows xp i prefer it because i have heard many technicians claiming it to be much faster than the windows 7 while running in the virtual platform. Please do help me with the oem topic.

[DotNetUser]

Well talking about the oem version of the xp. The issue is that if the oem is purchased with a particular sets of the hardware, it will run only with that particular sets of the hardware and not any other devices. So the performance issue may be due to the different hardware's. This can be a possibility. However the oem can also be retail if it is sold by a particular manufacturer such as hp, dell. There are two types of the oem one is the retail one and the other is FULL OEM which is easily compatible in any of the IBM compatible machines.