By George Norman
Added on 02 Nov 2009(1565 Views)



When Microsoft rolled out Windows Vista, most users found that moving from XP to Vista was quite troublesome because the operating system did not provide support for their old(er) applications. This is something that the Redmond-based software giant wants to avoid with Windows 7. Microsoft has already announced that if a software application worked with XP or Vista, it will definitely work with Windows 7. And in the off chance it does not, Windows 7 comes with XP Mode, a virtual XP environment that runs under Windows Virtual PC.

Here is what you have to do to use XP Mode in Windows 7:

Step 1. Download XP Mode components – click here, select the Windows 7 edition and language, hit the download button.

Step 2. Install XP Mode on your Windows 7-powered machine. Follow the instructions provided by the Setup Wizard.

Step 3. Download Windows Virtual PC – click here, select the Windows 7 edition and language, hit the download button.

Step 4. Install Windows Virtual PC.

Step 5. Configure the XP Virtual Machine. In this regard you must follow this path: Start -> All Programs -> Windows Virtual PC -> Windows XP Mode -> follow the instructions provided by the wizard.

Step 6. Install applications in XP Mode just like you’ve always installed applications in Windows.

Tips and warnings
  • XP Mode is provided free of charge for Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate customers.
  • Windows Virtual PC requires hardware-assisted virtualization technology (VT) support. This means some processors will not be able to run Windows Virtual PC and XP Mode. Use this tool to see if your processor can run XP Mode.
  • XP Mode marks the first time Microsoft relies on virtualization to provide backward compatibility.
  • Please do not confuse XP Mode with MED-V (Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization). A detailed article on the differences between XP Mode and MED-V is available here.
  • Microsoft announced that XP Mode needs protection, just like the Windows operating system. Windows Communications Manager on the Windows Client Communications Team, Brandon LeBlanc: “I also strongly recommend that customers install anti-malware and anti-virus software in Windows XP Mode so that Windows XP Mode environment is well protected."




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Tags: Microsoft, Windows 7, XP Mode, Windows Virtual PC

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