Windows XP Mode FAQ

What is Windows XP Mode?

Windows XP Mode is a new benefit of Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate and provides additional application compatibility.  It allows you to install and run many of your productivity  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.

 

What is Windows Virtual PC?

Windows Virtual PC is the latest Microsoft virtualization technology designed for Windows 7. It is the runtime engine for Windows XP Mode to provide a virtual Windows environment for Windows 7. With Windows Virtual PC, Windows XP Mode applications can be seen and accessed from a Windows 7-based PC.

 

How is Windows Virtual PC different than previous versions of Virtual PC?

Windows Virtual PC is specially designed for small and medium business users. It is integrated with Windows 7 shell and Windows XP Mode setup. It also provides support to many USB devices and allows users to run many applications for Windows XP directly from a Windows 7 desktop with a single click. For a more detailed comparison, go to http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/features/compare.aspx.

 

How does Windows Virtual PC work with Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V)?

Windows Virtual PC provides the runtime virtualization engine for MED-V, a product of Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack for SA. Built on Windows Virtual PC, MED-V is specially designed to provide  IT Pros the capability to centrally manage and deploy virtual Windows environments to reduce complexity, maintain control, and keep costs low.

 

What is AMD-V and Intel VT technology?

AMD-V and Intel VT are CPU-specific hardware virtualization features that must be enabled to utilize Windows Virtual PC.

 

Is AMD-V or Intel VT a must-have to run Windows Virtual PC?

Yes. To determine if your CPU includes AMD-V or Intel VT features, check with your PC’s manufacturer.

 

Can I run Windows Virtual PC on a PC running Windows Vista or Windows XP?

Windows Virtual PC is an optional component of Windows 7 and is not currently available for Windows Vista or Windows XP-based PCs.

 

Can I use Windows Virtual PC to run Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows XP in a virtual machine?

Yes, Windows Virtual PC can run properly-licensed versions of these operating systems in a virtual environment. For requirement details, go to http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/support/requirements.aspx.

 

I can’t seem to find Windows Virtual PC on my computer. Where is it located?

If Windows Virtual PC is not located in All Programs on your Windows 7 Start Menu, you can download it free of charge from http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/default.aspx.

 

Does Windows XP Mode VM come with Windows Virtual PC?

No. Windows XP Mode VM, a single virtual copy of Windows XP SP3, is available for download free of charge from http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/default.aspx for PCs running Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Ultimate and Windows 7 Enterprise.

 

Why is Windows XP Mode  not available in Windows 7 Home Premium? 

Windows XP Mode is best suited for older business and productivity applications such as accounting, inventory and similar applications.  Windows XP Mode is not aimed at consumers because many consumer applications require extensive use of hardware interfaces such as 3-D graphics, audio, and TV tuners that do not work well under virtualization today.

 

Does Windows XP Mode offer any benefits for larger businesses?

Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC as stand-alone features are specifically designed for small businesses and provide an unmanaged IT experience.  For larger businesses looking to reduce the cost of ownership of deploying Windows Virtual PCs across hundreds of users, Microsoft provides Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V).  MED-V is the management tool for Windows Virtual PC; it builds on top of Windows Virtual PC to run two operating systems on one device.  Basically, by adding virtual image delivery and policy-based provisioning, it facilitates centralized management.  This is a great tool for IT pros who want to reduce the cost of managing and deploying Windows Virtual PC.

 

How do small businesses handle these management tasks?

An important consideration of working with virtualization technology is the fact that the user has both the physical and the virtual PC to maintain. Every PC requires a degree of maintenance including but not limited to keeping the operating system and applications up to date with patches, virus and malware protection, and backup. Windows XP Mode is pre-configured with the Windows XP firewall and to apply updates automatically from Windows Update. It is not pre-configured with anti-virus or anti-malware software, which is recommended. Because of the need to maintain the virtual machine, we recommend everyone make best efforts to upgrade applications to run natively in Windows 7 and use Windows XP Mode only when necessary.