Microsoft Releases “Windows XP Mode” Release Candidate

One of the more touted features of Windows 7 has got to be the “Windows XP Mode”, which aims to tackle an issue that some found themselves with when moving to Windows Vista… incompatibility. With Windows XP, compatibilities existed, but they usually weren’t a major issue. Vista was the stark opposite though, with many peripherals simply not working, and applications as well. While XP Mode could only be considered an unbelievable workaround, it should do well to please anyone who’ll need to use it.

Last week, we posted an article taking an introductory look at virtualization, and how it works. Windows XP Mode uses the same technology, through Microsoft’s Windows Virtual PC application. With Windows 7 (and any current version of Windows for that matter), anyone can go and download the application for free. But if you want to use “Windows XP Mode” as Microsoft calls it, you’ll need to be using either the Professional or Ultimate version of 7. If you’re on Home Basic or Home Premium, you’ll have to provide your own copy of XP.

For those with Professional or Ultimate installations, you’re now able to download the RC version of Windows XP Mode and get to work right away. If all goes well, it should be simple, and everything should work as hoped. The RC features some updates worth noting, such as USB sharing. This means that your XP installation can utilize your USB devices such as printers and flash drives without issue.

To make use of the Windows XP Mode, you need a processor that supports either AMD’s “AMD-V” or Intel’s “Intel VT”. Most recent CPUs support these, but to make sure, you should look up your respective CPU model on the vendor’s website. To read more about Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode, check out Microsoft’s site here. If you happen to take this for a spin, post in our forums and let us know how you made out!

Windows XP Mode provides what we like to call that “last mile” compatibility technology for those cases when a Windows XP productivity application isn’t compatible with Windows 7. Users can run and launch Windows XP productivity applications in Windows XP Mode directly from a Windows 7 desktop. I also strongly recommend that customers install anti-malware and anti-virus software in Windows XP Mode so that Windows XP Mode environment is well protected.