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Rating:  - XP and Parallels, Quite a Team
Last year at this time I was a died in the wool Mac person who believed everything Microsoft came from the dark side. Then along came a program I needed to run and they didn't make a Mac version.
What to do? What to do?
Do I buy a new machine, maybe one of those inexpensive Dell laptops or do I try to run Windows in emulation on my new iMac. I decided to give the latter a try and ordered Parallels and Windows XP from Amazon. I installed Parallels without a hitch and when the program asked me to install my Windows' discs I did, followed instructions and I just cannot believe how easily everything went.
But an easy install does not necessarily make for a happy computing experience. It's been several months now and I can't praise XP and Parallels highly enough, because I've had no, none, zero, nada problems with either program on my iMac. They just work. XP has never crashed. Not once. And Parallels has never failed me either.
I've read some of the Parallels reviews and seen that several people are unhappy with their customer support. I've never had occasion to call `em, so I wouldn't know. Likewise with Microsoft, I've never had to pick up the phone, call `em up and ask for help.
I'll admit that most of my work is done in the Mac operating system, but I do use my Windows only database program quite a bit, plus I've also loaded WordPerfect, Corel Draw and Painter a few other Corel programs and they all work swimmingly.
So, three cheers from me for both XP and Parallels. They make quite a team as far as I'm concerned.
Reviewed by Vesta Irene
Rating:  - Poor
In order for me to install XP home edition I had to have internet access first. Second, I thought I ordered the professional version @ $125.00 but received the Home version. Third I had to pay $129.00 to the geek squad to load the software onto my new computer.
Software obviously are not made for easy loading; in the pass you purchase addition software and it was very easy to load onto your home computer. Had I know this I would have went ahead and purchased the full verion from Best Buy, Circuit City, ie., because I didn't save a penny.
Rating:  - Not up to par
Of all the MS Windows(R) versions, this is the one I have liked best. Yet, it still gets only 2 stars? The "bang-for-buck" ratio is too low. MS Windows versions are too expensive for what they provide. It is time to consider the better alternative, Ubuntu 8.04 DVD.
Rating:  - Solid.
I've owned XP for a couple of years, and its a great system. It doesnt crash, its easy to use, and its customization is much better then Vista and Mac OSX (but not better then Linux.) Its the most professional, its used by business people. Its also great to have if your a bit geekier. You can change the themes. Code and game if you want. Its just more flexible (Mac OSX/Vista isn't.)
Right now I'm running Vista (I hate it, and so do all my freinds) and on another computer (a shiny new Imac) I have apple. It comes down to this:
XP > Mac OSX > Vista. And Linux goes somewhere in there depending on who you are.
Overall XP is the best. There are a few exceptions, like being dumb/effortless, or being a professional photographer/video maker, but XP is better for normal stuff. And no one, and I mean NO ONE, should use vista.
Rating: - Windows XP purchase
The product was in good condition when it was delivered. The software was up to Microsoft's standards. The shipment arrived in a very timely manner.
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