2.7.3 Windows XP mode By Val Bakh Today, Windows Vista is not much talked about. It wasn’t a very popular operating system and was quickly replaced by Windows 7. Windows Vista was the first operating system of the new Microsoft generation. The transition from Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 was perhaps more significant than the long-forgotten Windows NT departure in favor of Windows 2000. Windows 2000 brought us Active Directory. But from the perspective of regular users, the change was not that significant. While it had a better graphical user interface (GUI), there was no difference in the number of applications that could be run. Windows XP introduced a few new features, but it did not affect our ability to use most of our favorite legacy apps.
Windows Vista brought an end to the “golden days.” Many legacy programs can’t run on the new operating system. While there are many new programs flooding the market, some people still use legacy applications. This is despite the fact that many new programs are available and it may seem like a nostalgic whim.
There is a tab called Compatibility in the properties sheet for any executable file. This tab allows you to enable compatibility mode for the file and can be used to select an older operating system to emulate the current system. This is only a theoretical option. Most legacy programs will not work on Windows 7, regardless of the compatibility mode. In many cases, you won’t be able choose any compatibility mode because the installer for an older program is just as incompatible as the program itself. You can’t even install the program.
Is this really the end of the road? Are we really forced to give up everything we have gotten used too and move on to better products? No. Microsoft wants everyone to move to their new operating system as soon as possible. However, Microsoft offers ways to ease the transition and make it smoother and more manageable. You can switch to Windows 7 while keeping most of your legacy content on the same computer. It’s like eating a cake, and then keeping it too. Windows XP Mode (XPM) is the name of the solution.
Windows Virtual PC (VPC) can be installed on Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate or Enterprise computers. Anyone with a validly activated copy of Windows 7 can download it from Microsoft Download Center. Windows VPC allows you to create virtual machines (VMs) that can run 32-bit client operating system. It is client-based and standalone virtualization. A virtual machine (VM) is a software-based emulation or simulation of a computer. A single computer running Windows 7 can be used to emulate multiple computers running different operating system.
You can now switch to Windows 7 without any problems. First, you need to install Windows 7 on a brand new computer. If your computer meets the system requirements, you can backup all data, reformat the hard drive, and then install Windows 7 on the computer. You should then install XPM which is available as an update package to Windows 7. XPM is a preconfigured VM that runs Windows XP x86 with SP3 (SP3). Final steps are to install Windows VPC, and then initialize XPM. There are two versions of VPC available for Windows 7: 32-bit and 64 bit.
XPM behaves and feels almost exactly as a Windows XP computer. You can install any updates or other software that normally runs under Win.
