Windows Virtual PC Beta with XP Mode in Windows 7 Release Candidate
One of the cool new features that Windows 7 will have is an XP Mode powered by Windows Virtual PC (but not all processors will be able to handle it). At the same time Windows 7 Release Candidate was made available for download to users all over the world, Microsoft released Windows Virtual PC Beta – free to download just like Win7 RC.
Windows Virtual PC comes with several features that should make it easier for the end user to run XP applications in the brand new Windows 7 OS. These features include an easy setup mode, one click launch of Windows XP Mode, and support for USB devices. Thanks to Windows XP Mode the user has the option of running older productivity apps on a Windows 7 powered PC by simply installing them in XP Mode, a virtual Windows XP environment running under Windows Virtual PC.
Here are the main features you can expect to get with Windows Virtual PC:
- The option to launch the apps you installed on a virtual machine directly from the Windows 7 desktop. To the regular user it will feel as if these apps are installed on the Windows 7 host.
- Easy to use UI (user interface). The UI has been enhanced so that the user will not have a hard time figuring out how it works. The Windows Virtual PC UI is integrated in Windows 7 Explorer.
- Clipboard sharing, drive sharing, printer redirection between Windows 7 and the virtual machine integrated in Windows Virtual PC.
- Plug in an USB device into your Windows 7 powered machine and you will be able to access it from the virtual machine. In this category we mention: printers, scanners, flash memory sticks, external HDDs, digital cameras.
“Windows Virtual PC is the latest Microsoft virtualization technology for Windows 7. It is the runtime engine for Windows XP Mode to provide a virtual Windows environment for Windows 7. Windows XP Mode for Windows 7 makes it easy to install and run your applications for Windows XP directly from your Windows 7-based PC. It utilizes virtualization technology such as Windows Virtual PC to provide a Virtual Windows XP environment for Windows 7,” explains Microsoft.
If you would like to get Windows Virtual PC Beta, a download location is available here.
Windows Virtual PC comes with several features that should make it easier for the end user to run XP applications in the brand new Windows 7 OS. These features include an easy setup mode, one click launch of Windows XP Mode, and support for USB devices. Thanks to Windows XP Mode the user has the option of running older productivity apps on a Windows 7 powered PC by simply installing them in XP Mode, a virtual Windows XP environment running under Windows Virtual PC.
Here are the main features you can expect to get with Windows Virtual PC:
- The option to launch the apps you installed on a virtual machine directly from the Windows 7 desktop. To the regular user it will feel as if these apps are installed on the Windows 7 host.
- Easy to use UI (user interface). The UI has been enhanced so that the user will not have a hard time figuring out how it works. The Windows Virtual PC UI is integrated in Windows 7 Explorer.
- Clipboard sharing, drive sharing, printer redirection between Windows 7 and the virtual machine integrated in Windows Virtual PC.
- Plug in an USB device into your Windows 7 powered machine and you will be able to access it from the virtual machine. In this category we mention: printers, scanners, flash memory sticks, external HDDs, digital cameras.
“Windows Virtual PC is the latest Microsoft virtualization technology for Windows 7. It is the runtime engine for Windows XP Mode to provide a virtual Windows environment for Windows 7. Windows XP Mode for Windows 7 makes it easy to install and run your applications for Windows XP directly from your Windows 7-based PC. It utilizes virtualization technology such as Windows Virtual PC to provide a Virtual Windows XP environment for Windows 7,” explains Microsoft.
If you would like to get Windows Virtual PC Beta, a download location is available here.
