Once installed, Virtual PC for Mac provides a fully functioning version of Windows XP within Mac OS X.

Find tips for networking Mac systems in a Windows environment in the TechProGuild article The fundamentals of Macintosh networking on a Windows network.

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Once installed on the Macintosh, Windows XP is quick to announce its security vulnerabilities.

For help configuring Windows XP security after installing Service Pack 2, and for a thorough walk-through of XP’s Security Center, check out this free TechRepublic download.

Using Virtual PC for Mac, Windows XP’s Device Manager appears within the Mac OS X operating environment just as it does when run on a PC.

For tips on working with Windows XP’s Device Manager, read TechProGuild’s Get the most from Windows XP’s Device Manager.

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When run virtually within Mac OS X, Windows XP reports the computer (actually a Mac mini in this case) as a Virtual PC running a 686 processor at 663MHz.

Using Virtual PC for Mac, Windows XP’s navigational structure appears within Mac OS X just as it does when run on a PC.

When running a virtual instance of Windows XP on a Mac, TCP/IP settings are configured for the XP system just as they are on a PC: using Network Connections.

Brush up on TCP/IP fundamentals with a free sample from TechRepublic’s Quick Reference: TCP/IP Pak.

Windows XP’s Computer Management console is used to administer drives, even when run within Mac OS X.

Read TechProGuild’s Three utilities in XP’s Computer Management console to learn more about using the Shared Folders, Services and Disk Management utilities.

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The Windows XP Event Viewer runs within Mac OS X just as it does when installed on a PC. Here Windows XP System events are displayed.

Using Mac OS X and a virtual instance of Windows XP provides a choice of using either the Unix or Windows command line. Here the Windows command line is run on Mac OS X to issue the common ipconfig /all command.

Interested in reading up on the history of the command line? If so, check out Jack Wallen, Jr.’s Making metaphor with Neal Stephenson.