Okay I feel forced into writing this article because I hopped on ZDNET and read through the usual paranoia about Microsoft and how they are giving it a failing grade.. I just have two things to say about this, they misunderstand what it is and what it’s for..
Let me just say the best way to run any Windows application including old ones is natively using the regular Windows 7 operating mode. They have added a bunch more compatibility options to it and running an application natively gives you several speed and environmental advantages. Plus they have upped the compatibility layer tremendously with a few new options (none of which requires you to install the optional Virtual XP add-on Mode)..
The compatibility layer options exist in the properties of every application you can run in Windows.. Notice they have added Vista compatibility through Service Pack 2 as well as Windows XP Service Pack 3..
Yet still there are some really old applications (including old “Win16” 16-bit applications) that are no longer supported under Windows, they were discontinued support wise when 64-bit Windows XP was introduced which left 16-bit compatibility behind to only work with applications like Virtual PC.
There was a huge outcry from a number of small business folks (folks with less than 15 employees) who said they wouldn’t upgrade beyond XP to Vista or Windows 7 unless Microsoft made a number of Line of Business Applications compatible with the operating system. Some of these situations have put their IT support people in bad spots because of a number of reasons..
- The application is now unsupported and doesn’t work with anything above Windows 9x.. This has to do with bad programming practices or the software company is now out of business. Yet still these are irreplaceable with other software. I have seen this first hand in the accounting field.
- The company doesn’t have the budget to buy the upgraded licenses. Again something I have seen first hand, and that matters especially in this downturn where resources aren’t what they used to be.
- The software depends on a driver or some arcane feature that’s been made obsolete in later versions.
- The application in question doesn’t play well with others..
- The company only made an XP driver. I have seen this first hand with both Xerox and Konica-Minolta large volume copiers and printers who didn’t have an updated printer/scanner/copier available for two years after their first Windows Vista release and told people who were still buying these things on an expensive long term lease that they were discontinued and therefore unsupportable on the new OS. Sorry folks you bought an obsolete product last year, you can always mortgage your business to buy another one.. (Editors Question: If you were in this situation would you ever buy from these folks again?? ) With Virtual XP you can share devices and install an XP driver to some of these and have it work with applications still..
Virtual XP is an answer to all of those problems causing people roadblocks in upgrading their businesses to the latest versions of Windows..
What would I use it for? Well it does a great job with certain older programs that I love that were done in the transition days between Windows 3.1 and Windows 95 (win16/win32s/Win32) to make them compatible..
For instance, a program that wouldn’t still run before that I totally love, Autodesk Animator Studio now runs flawlessly without dropping a frame even in Virtual Applications Mode..
Note I have two virtual applications running.. Illustrator and Animator Studio and Windows Media Center for Windows 7 running MSN Internet TV in the background.. It depends on your usage whether virtual applications are for you. If you can run something natively under Windows 7 that’s always the BETTER option and the most speedy…
Virtual XP mode is based on a new version of Microsoft Virtual PC technology, that allows the desktop integration or to run XP in a standalone mode (sandboxed) on it’s own Windows XP desktop. You can choose to share drives and resources or disconnect them..
Note: I am running all of this on my new HP Pavilion dv7-1285dx laptop on a 17 inch screen. The machine comes equipped with a P8x00 series intel core 2 processor with built in hardware virtualization. The new Virtual XP mode (at least in the current release candidate) requires a CPU with hardware assisted virtualization present. Since Virtual XP is based on virtual PC technology that even up through the last version, which is called Virtual PC 2007 (which is still a Free Download at Microsoft’s site and will work with Windows Vista today!), there is hope that Microsoft will see fit to loosen the requirement of having hardware virtualization for the software to work in a future release product. Because in the previous 2007 version of virtual PC works with or without a cpu capable of hardware virtualization. It runs best however with hardware virtualization (the 2007 version).
Right now if you try to install the old version (Virtual PC 2007) in the Windows 7 RC1 build, the compatibility assistant pops up saying there is problems. I know people who have gotten around this by turning off the compatibility assistant service and installing anyway who don’t have a CPU that’s capable of Virtualization. The suggested “problems” that make it unsupported or unsupportable with the old version seem to be an “artifical” barrier and they are using it anyway. I would advice against this however because yes it *IS* unsupported and there maybe unknown issues with doing this..
So which CPU’s work? Which don’t?? On Intel a short guide..
The following modern Intel processors include support for VT-x
Neither Intel Celeron, Pentium Dual-Core nor Pentium M processors have VT technology.
For AMD CPUs (using AMD-V) checkout this page for a chart..
http://www.amd.com/us-en/0,,3715_15781_15785,00.html
If you want this feature you will have to be careful of which CPUs you are buying or have in service. It’s best to check if the CPU you are using now is on this list..
Now will this solve the problem for people not on modern CPUs who still refuse to upgrade? Probably not, but you have to ask yourself why people are still using computers with obviously insecure OSes that while popular have now been replaced 2x over..
There is another benefit here too, you can install other virtual “guest” OSes to run alongside.. Like AROS and Linux
And of course Ubuntu a popular Linux Distro:
We won’t go further with Linux, it’s just safe to know it runs in Vesa mode. This is extremely helpful if you are doing Mono/Moonlight development as well and need a guest OS.. I haven’t heard of anyone booting Mac OSX on it yet, but I suppose it’s possible but probably highly illegal to Apple’s terms of use..
Working around non-working drives and learning how to completely shutdown a virtual machine..
You have several options, for Virtual modes, you can use a suspend resume like mode you can tell the guest OS to Shutdown or Hit the off button on it (losing your current work and state of work). It can switch between full screen or windows virtual pc mode and standalone virtual applications mode (which run on the Win 7 desktop alongside everything else)..
Settings Options for your virtual machine
Default Closing Virtual XP Applications Options
You can choose between Turn Off (like power down on a real machine, loose everything), hibernate (saves state, like a laptop’s suspend/resume instant on ) option.. I usually select Prompt the User as the default close action.. Because sometimes you just want to reboot..
Notice you can also set memory, more than one virtual hard drive file. It does support differencing so you can back up the file(it’s a VHD file) or save it at a certain state (though not a snapshot). It can access your Networking adapters including sharing the host OS’s network. It does take an extra IP address up. You can also directly map an ISO file (disk image as a drive). You can also unmap drives and sandbox the whole thing if you don’t want to share resources as well.
It comes with a licensed image for XP Pro with it, so you don’t have to try to buy XP.. Remember this is not a solution for you to play your Direct X 9 or 10 3D games though some obviously work okay with it..
on a 4 or 6 gig laptop you will hardly miss any of the ram in it’s default 256MB configuration or know it’s running.
Because Virtual PC emulates everything, you don’t need to install any extra device drivers and it will use Windows 7 Host OS for all of these things. Every Virtual XP will work with everyone else. There is provisions for installing printer drivers such as network printers should you need it (because you don’t have one for Vista or Win 7 available. In that case you can tell settings to pass the information over the network or com ports transparently.
Virus and Malware Protection
If you are using XP it will require you to have appropriate Malware and Virus Protection. Here are a few of my recommendations..
Virus protection: If you are a home user get and install the free Avast Home Edition Free Anti-Virus. It’s on-par with the rest of them.
It’s lightweight doesn’t use CPU time up..
Malware: Windows Defender is a free download for XP at Microsoft.com
Third Party: I use this every week to clean up the browser.. Lavasoft Ad-Aware Free Anniversary Edition
If you are intent on paying for the big name anti-virus programs both McAfee and Norton have 3 packs, so you have license to install on 3 products (one could be your virtual XP box)… Both of which offer a 3 pack which costs the same as what one license used to cost for a year. The companies realize you have and use more than one computer at home and work these days..
Security Concerns
Remember XP is not the most secure OS if you decide to use it. Microsoft is on their 2nd attempt to replace it with a new OS offering. The hardware companies have announced Windows 7 will be available for sale on their machines the Week of October 23rd. So when those Mac and Linux fan boys start their rant remember that if you were concerned about security in a way more than what Microsoft can support with updates you shouldn’t be using the XP OS anyway.. Windows 7 alone and sticking with modern current versions of applications is a better solution.
Memory and Performance
On a machine with virtualization hardware you shouldn’t notice any significant slow-down of applications, well at least any more than they used to run on the older hardware XP was designed for in the first place. Who’d miss 256MB or even a Gig of RAM these days.. Most people have 4 to 8 gigs of RAM..
If you are considering this a problem, don’t try to run this stuff, your computer belongs in a recycle facility or a Museum.. You can get a nice machine that is new that does all of this for around $300-500 anyway these days. In an era where people don’t like to throw out and are forced to do more with less due to economic factors you should find performance in Win 7 very acceptable even in as little as a gig of ram. Just don’t try to do Win 7 stuff and WinXP stuff at the same time during those conditions and keep Virtual XP at 256MB of RAM.
You could consider plugging in a cheap $20 USB drive (1 gig or greater) and moving your virtual memory swap file (if you use one with Virtual XP you may not need one as the OS gives you memory virtually anyway) to it..
Designer Considerations
If you are a designer this is a good way to test multiple web browsers with your web designs and run software designed for other platform configurations or to test out beta software in a production environment without messing up your production environment.
Expression Studio runs great and while in Virtual XP, there isn’t hardware acceleration of rendering this is a good opportunity to test how your app will run on a non-accelerated Windows Box. Please don’t try to test out KEYFRAME accuracy of animation on this unless you have a quad core CPU or something either. The reason I can use Autodesk Animator Studio above is that older video for windows applications really can’t achieve 24 or 30 fps anyway, it’s more like 12 to 15, even if you set it at a higher rate and it’s technically unaccelerated video (hardware wise). Just the same my older Adobe Premiere Elements for XP works great on it too..
Printers and Faxes and Imaging Devices
Printer drivers and USB devices are supported on Virtual PC using the regular XP method.. Using integration features..
On Windows 7 they have added virtualization drivers to the USB Stack.. As seen in the Device Manager in Win 7..
Anyway that’s the story on Virtual XP… Hope this explains it better for you… If you have questions or comments feel free to ask.. If you need assistance with set up you may ask any questions below..