Windows 7 has Virtual XP Mode

It looks like Windows 7 will have a Virtual XP machine directly embedded in
it.
http://msmvps.com/blogs/xperts64/arc...irtual-pc.aspx.
It's too early to have all the details yet, but as soon as we can see/talk
about them, I'll have more to post. But this validates what I've been
suggesting for quite a while - use virtualization and a legacy OS instead of
setting up a dual boot, which has all kinds of problems. Of course, the
devil will be in the details, but stay tuned.

Certainly good news!
Is it available in build 7100 (release candidate)?
Carlos

Why create a complicated dual-boot system, if you can run XP 32-bit inside a window on your XP 64-bit ?

I do use Sun Virtual Box to run 32-bit and 64-bit Windows concurrently, which supports USB devices too.
It is much easier to open a Window instead of having to reboot.

what part of "Haupauge Wintv on pci" have you missed?
:-)

The reports I have seen say it will be a separate download, but
available only to Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Ultimate.

The screenshots suggest it has
useful USB ability.

If it is not available to Home Premium, consumers with legacy printers
and scanners will need a dual boot or non-Microsoft virtualisation
solution or have to buy new peripherals.

I honestly am not permitted to answer that question, Carlos. But usually
when we see a bunch of releases to the media like this, just before the
release of a major milestone build, it's something that will be available
for, or in, the milestone build. But, of course, that's purely speculation.
;)

Yes, I still use DOS applications in emulated DOS, but XP Pro x64 appears not to
support DOS apps.

What I would like to know is what happens if you happen to be running the
64-bit version of Windows 7 - does it use the Windows XP 32-bit or Windows XP
64-bit virtual machine. To run legacy applications, it would be imperative
that it is the Windows XP (32-bit) machine.

As you point out, for legacy application support, it would need to run
Windows XP 32-bit. And given the difficulty Microsoft has had getting 64-bit
guest support into their virtualization solutions (so far, only Hyper-V
supports 64-bit guests), I would expect this to support XP 32-bit for the
guest. Given the terse nature of the public post, I can't go beyond that
speculation.

Thanks Charlie - I realise that you would probably be breaking your NDA if
you went further, but what you have said is reassuring. Do you have any idea
(or are able to say) will it be part of the RC version (7100) which is due
for public appraisal around 9th May?? Or will it be released as a separate
entity later on during the beta phase??

I am continually annoyed and angered that some sites are allowed to talk WAY
before anyone else is. My NDA won't let me say anything, but they can
completely ignore an embargo on information with impunity. I won't go to his
site, and I won't send anyone there.

I have no idea other than what has been publicly said. At least one site
that apparently doesn't have the same NDA I do says that it will be a
separate download but available on or about the same time as the RC public
download. I have no idea how accurate that information is, and if I did, I
couldn't say

If I remember correctly, this fact has been hashed out many times
before. That's when you use a Virtual Machine.

You are correct. NO 64-bit version of Windows supports DOS applications. The
easy solution is to create a virtual DOS machine or other VM that supports
DOS and run the DOS application in that. What XP Mode will apparently do is
expose applications to the host machine using something that looks
remarkably like TS RemoteApps (TS RAIL). This will certainly simplify the
whole solution, but not provide anything that we haven't been able to do for
quite some time, though without the TS RAIL part. All in all, I'm looking
forward to seeing this in the RC.

On my x64 system I have xp x64 on C: and xp on D:
The main system is x64, I keep the xp partition "just in case" for example
when I have no x64 drivers for some new usb device, in fact it's months I
have no use for it.

I wish to have a try at win7, as I am an msdn subscriber, how would you
suggest to proceed?
I thought about two choices:

1) upgrade existing xp on D: to W7 x64, and do some testing, but this will
be resistricted in time as I will have to work mostly in the xp x64 C:
environment

2) install W7 x64 as the main system and migrate all settings to it,
migrating to the virtual XP things that will not work, and keeping the XP on
D: for other things that will not work (Haupauge Wintv on pci)

Yup, it is. And yes, I have been using the new Windows Virtual PC 7 for a
while now, and I like it a lot. I wish it did 64-bit guests, but I
completely understand that this was not a design requirement. The whole
point was to provide a compatibility solution that was as transparent as
possible, and this does a very good job of that. The inclusion or RAIL
technology really helps. And the USB access in the VM is a welcome addition.

I'm running both a virtual Windows Vista, and the Virtual XP machine. One
change I made was to up the RAM for the virtual XP machine to 512, and I
think it is a good deal faster as a result.

Overall, I've got some issues, but none that are deal breakers. And who
knows, those may well get fixed by ship. I will definitely be using this on
my main workstation.

Personally, I'd rebuild the XP x64 partition as a Win7 one, and load the
Virtual XP machine in that for anything that has problems. (No it won't
solve your Haupauge problem, I'm afraid. But there are cards that work with
64-bit now, and it's time for an upgrade. <g>)

Run Windows Easy Transfer from the Win7 DVD before you blow away the XP x64,
and then run again when you install. I'm not sure how much it will save from
XP x64, but every little bit helps. (From Vista to Win7 or build to build in
Win7 WET does a great job. Just not sure about XP x64.)

The other change I'd make is to create a "data" partition, and put all your
Documents, Music, Pictures and Videos on that partition. This makes upgrade
or recovery scenarios MUCH easier and safer.

How do you increase the RAM in Virtual XP? The download has no help
file and I have been trying to figure out how to do this.

My WinTv DOES work with XP x64, I just don't know if it will work under
Win7, this, plus other possible problems, tells me to keep a multiboot
system, as I have now.

Don't know if it will be enough, btw seems reasonable.

This is what I have now, C: is system with XP x64 and D: is data, where I
installed normal xp too, and where I booted from very few times.

it's peculiar as the last version is "WinTv 7"

The Hauppauge WinTV viewing software does not (yet) work with Windows 7.

If there are Hauppauge x64 Vista drivers for your card it should work
fine with Windows Media Center in Windows 7.

Increasing RAM is always a good idea.

The RAM is set in the configuration of the virtual machine.
You need the virtual machine to be turned off to be able to change this.


You're correct on that point. The problem was finding out just exactly
how to do that and to then change the RAM. Without the "Help" file it
wasn't intuitive.

To change the amount of RAM I:

1. clicked on 'Start'
2. clicked on 'All Programs'
3. clicked on 'Windows Virtual PC' to open the folder
4. clicked on 'Virtual Machines' which opens a window showing 2 files;
'desktop.ini' & 'Virtual Windows XP.vmcx'
5. right clicked on 'Virtual Windows XP.vmcx' and selected the
'Settings' option

The 'Virtual Windows XP. vmcx' file is in c:\Users\(Username)\Virtual
Machines

I have increased the RAM to 1024MB and it runs much better.

It takes a bit of poking around to find things in this version, but after a
while it sort of makes sense. Glad you've got it now.

Great. That's exactly the sort of scenario it was designed for. And I like
it a lot, with the RAIL technology.

Hi Charlie,

I have now had the opportunity to try it and it works beautifully. My
problem with both Win XP x64 and Vista (both 32-bit and 64 bit version) was
that my accounts package would not run on these platforms (wouldn't even
install on Win XP x64).

Using the Windows Virtual PC in Windows 7 has finally enabled me to install
and run the accounts software so I will finally be able to retire on very old
Windows XP machine which I had to keep running, just to let me do my accounts.

So thank you Microsoft, you have made me one very happy person.