Some Windows 7 versions allow virtualized XP

Posted by Vic Laurie
April 27, 2009

Microsoft has revealed that Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate versions will come with the ability to run Windows XP in a virtual mode:

Windows XP Mode is specifically designed to help small businesses move to Windows 7. Windows XP Mode provides you with the flexibility to run many older productivity applications on a Windows 7 based PC.

All you need to do is to install suitable applications directly in Windows XP Mode which is a virtual Windows XP environment running under Windows Virtual PC. The applications will be published to the Windows 7 desktop and then you can run them directly from Windows 7.

Note that users of “Home Premium”, the version which most home PCs will have, will not have access to this feature.

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Windows 7, Windows XP

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Comments

That sounds like a huge warning sign for PC users. Unless you buy the premium version your old programs will not work? I can smell the law suits from here. They had this issue with Windows 2000 and fixed it in Windows XP. Now they are up to their old tricks.

Comment by Steve on April 29, 2009 @ 12:18 pm

I have no direct knowledge but I think most XP programs will work in Windows 7 without virtualization. If they work in Vista, they will very likely work in 7. I think it is the software and the hardware that won’t work in Vista that also won’t work in 7. I suspect that the virtualization feature is aimed at hardware that has no drivers for Vista or 7.

Comment by Vic Laurie on April 29, 2009 @ 12:44 pm

Also, I forgot to add that many businesses have special application software that was written for XP.

Comment by Vic Laurie on April 29, 2009 @ 12:48 pm

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