Here's a question... I purchased a full retail version of XP Pro SP2 which I will be installing on a MacBook either with BootCamp or Parallels.

Later I will be trading up my iMac G5 to the intel version and "retiring" the Virtual PC w/XP Pro on that computer.

Since I have a legit XP Pro install CD - will I be able to use my VPC XP registration number to install / activate XP with it?

Seems like it should be legit and work - anyone tried this?

I don't know if it would work, but it is not "legit." There are two kinds of Wndows licenses, OEM licenses that are tied to a specific computer and "retail" licenses that can legally be moved from one computer to another. There is a significant price difference between the two types.

Unfortunately, the Windows XP that comes with VPC 7 has an OEM license that is tied to VPC itself. You didn't pay for a retail license, so you don't have a legal right to move your OEM license from VPC to another computer (or Parallels).

There may be some moral grey area, since you and I bought this copy of Win XP with the intent of legally being able to move it from one Macintosh computer to another, and that's all we are doing here. But it is not legal, and anyone doing any of the hints presented in this thread should be aware of that.