Windows 7: What You Should Know About XP Mode

Windows 7 is doing much better out of the gate than Windows Vista did. As good as the OS roll out is going, there are still legacy devices out there that don't have drivers and software updates to work with Windows 7. The vast masses of users who have held on to Windows XP are particularly vulnerable to this issue which is why Microsoft created XP Mode virtualization to ease the pain of transition.

By Tony Bradley
Tue, November 03, 2009

PC World — Windows 7 is doing much better out of the gate than Windows Vista did. As good as the OS roll out is going, there are still legacy devices out there that don't have drivers and software updates to work with Windows 7. The vast masses of users who have held on to Windows XP are particularly vulnerable to this issue which is why Microsoft created XP Mode virtualization to ease the pain of transition.

[ For complete coverage on Microsoft's new Windows 7 operating system -- including hands-on reviews, video tutorials and advice on enterprise rollouts-- see CIO.com's Windows 7 Bible. ]

XP Mode is a complete, licensed copy of Windows XP with Service Pack 3 contained in a virtual hard disk (VHD) that runs under Windows Virtual PC. XP-mode enables you to run Windows XP from within Windows 7. You can add USB devices and seamlessly access the drives on the host Windows 7 system. Most importantly, Windows XP-mode lets you use Windows 7, while still providing a platform for you to use legacy hardware that is not compatible with Windows 7.

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There is a catch though. Windows XP Mode is only available for the Professional, Ultimate, and Enterprise editions of Windows 7. The millions of consumers who are still using Windows XP and are considering whether or not to switch to Windows 7 Home Premium do not have the benefit of leveraging XP Mode to connect older hardware or incompatible software.

The core components required for Windows XP Mode are built in to the operating system, but you have to download Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode separately. Even though Windows Home Premium users can not use Windows XP Mode, you can still use Windows Virtual PC to create your own virtual computer environments.

There is another catch as well. The computer hardware that you install Windows 7 and Windows XP Mode on must support hardware-assisted virtualization. What makes this a particularly sticky catch is that it sort of contradicts the purpose of Windows XP Mode. If you are still running Windows XP and using legacy hardware devices, odds are fair that you are also using older computer hardware that won't have the required technology to use Windows XP Mode. If that is the case, you will have to buy a new system rather than simply upgrading, but you can still use Windows XP Mode to connect older peripherals.

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