Slimming down Windows for virtualization or Boot Camp

sooo... can someone apply this to the iPhone?? hmm?

There's a little known version of Windows XP, called "Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PC's" or WinFLP. It's ideal for virtualization, or to run that one Windows app that you must have. It was designed to provide XP class benefits on old Win 95 capable machines and uses very little resources, it runs in 64mb of memory. It does have some limitations but it's great for occasional use. I use it on a G4 Quicksilver and VirtualPC with no problems. Unfortunately it was only ever released to corporate customers, but it may be possible to pick a copy up from ebay or... somewhere.

More info on Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Fundamentals_for_Legacy_PCs

Search the torrent sites for "TinyXP". It's a Win install with a 200MB footprint. It's small and fast... perfect for parallels.

Quick Tip, as I just figured this out, and figured it may be of use to windows users new to mac that are using parallels:

Verizon Wireless aircards that don't have drivers built-in to mac (i'm using the USB727)

Install the VZAccess software for the mac(This installs the drivers and their crap)
Get connected with VZAccess and make sure it works on your mac.
You will notice that you can't share it with parallels and VZAcccess installs another "location". Get out of parallels. Physically Remove Modem
Drag the VZAccess app to the trash, and remove the Nationalaccess/Broadband Access location in OSX Network Preferences.
Insert Modem
Goto OSX Network Preferences
In the regular "Automatic" Location, hit the +
Select Novatel CDMA
Hit advanced once added
Select Novatel as the vendor, and click OK.
Create a configuration, and put in something for the username and password (I used my mobile # and 777 as the password, which is completely wrong, but it didn't seem to matter)
Click connect.
Once connected, you can now use parallels as well and it will share it.

Only problem with this is it doesn't report signal strength of anything to OSX and you don't get nice menus for it in the menu bar.

Alternatively you could leave all the VZAccess stuff as installed and I guess just figure out how to add Parallels NAT and Parallels Guest to the NationalAccess/BroadbandAccess location (but I didn't get that far in reading on the net, and I just did it my way)

ive got vista on vmware on my mbp... dont really use it, i just use it to run doubleTwist. whats really crappy is that you cant remove the applications that come with windows like the movie editor or windows media player. i will never edit a video in vista, so why should it take up 4 gigs of space on my computer?

I recently tried installing XP on my iMac via Bootcamp. The initial windows install worked, but the reboot froze and my aluminum keyboard would not allow restart with option. I had to take it to Apple genius who fixed it. So, no more windows or bootcamp for me.

There is also a great little app called nlite that I have used a few times in the past. It works very well, is free and automates the whole slim down process:)

For Vista there is Vlite:
http://www.vlite.net/
And for XP (XP is much better!) there is nlite:
http://www.nliteos.com/

have fun

Here at The Mac Newb Tube, we also needed Windows to be available, but didn't want to go full partition/bootcamping. We did a Fusion with XP and Vista. Turned out great!

http://macnewbtube.wordpress.com/2008/03/21/vimac-aka-vista-on-the-imac/

The best experience (stability, lack of crashes) of Windows in years, and all in a Mac! That couldn't be said two years ago, right?

Hrm. When running nLite on my XP SP2 disc Avast Anti-Virus picks up on a virus :S

Perhaps better would be a post about how exactly you can minimize it specifically for Macs. Something akin to this: http://deepcalm.com/writing/tiny-macxp-for-web-developers-2-configuration/