Use Windows XP after upgrading to Windows 7

If you think you'll have to say goodbye to Windows XP if you upgrade to Windows 7, that's a mistake. Microsoft has released a feature that users of Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate and Enterprise versions can download named Windows XP Mode. This is a feature that allows you to access the entire XP desktop and environment within Windows 7. You can use it to run legacy or everyday applications.

Windows XP Mode and virtualization?

Windows XP Mode is basically a pre-configured virtual machine with a full Windows XP version (Professional Service Pack 3). It uses Microsoft's new virtualization program, Windows Virtual PC, and runs only in Windows 7. Windows XP Mode is an upgraded version and has been renamed from Microsoft Virtual PC 2007.

There are also other virtualization programs, such as some Microsoft programs like VMware Player and VirtualBox. However, they all provide the same solution. They are all applications that provide a simple interface within Windows (or other operating systems), on this interface you can set up and access virtual drives.

Figure 1

You can download whatever you want on drives: Windows 3.1, XP, Windows 7, or even another operating system like Ubuntu Linux. Can put as much RAM as you want for the virtual machine. Many physical ports of computers and devices are commonly used for virtualization environments, such as CD / DVD drives, COM ports and USB ports.

Another feature that makes Windows XP Mode different from other virtualization programs is its built-in Windows 7 capabilities. In addition to being able to access a complete Windows XP computer in a full-screen or minimized mode (see Figure 1), you can launch programs that have been named XP computers directly from Start menu in Windows 7 (see Figure 2).

Figure 2

Install Virtual PC and XP Mode on Windows 7

To test Windows XP Mode, you must have the Premium version of Windows 7. Plus, your computer must be able to support virtualization. To test this capability on your system, you can use Microsoft's virtualization detection tool with a link here. When ready, download and install Windows Virtual PC and XP Mode. When the installation is complete, you will see two programs appear in the Start menu.

To get started with XP Mode, click the shortcut from the Start menu. The first time you run the program, you will have to perform a simple configuration. You will then be asked to accept the Windows XP license agreement, create an administrator password, receive or not to receive automatic updates for Windows. Windows will then be launched for you.

Use XP and install the application

When in Windows XP mode, you can download and install the software as usual. If your software is on a CD or DVD, simply insert the disc into the CD or DVD drive and the virtual machine will read it. If you have an image file (.ISO), you can select it and it will work like a regular disk in a virtual machine. To load an image file, open the Windows Virtual PC window, select the virtual machine and click the Settings button. Then select the drive, click Open an ISO Image and browse to the original file, then select the file you need to find.

When you install programs in XP, shortcuts appear automatically in Windows 7's Start menu inside the Windows XP Mode Applications folder. When you use these shortcuts, XP will not boot completely, the application will open directly in Windows 7. However, the application window will appear as in Windows XP, as shown in Figure 2.

When you have finished using a program in Windows XP, you can close the Virtual PC window in hibernation mode. Then, when reopening XP Mode, it will resume in the previous state. You can also choose Log Off, Shut Down, or Restart modes from Windows XP. The direct Log Off shortcut is located on the Start Menu. With power options, click the Windows Security shortcut.

Change VM settings

Like other Windows Virtual PC virtual machines, you can change the Windows XP Mode system settings, as shown in Figure 3. You can increase the amount of memory, create more virtual drives, configure Figure COM ports and change other settings. To change settings, the virtual machine must be turned off completely, not hibernate.

Figure 3

If you find it useful, you can use the Undo Disks feature. When enabled, virtual drives will be read-only. Any changes in Windows XP will be checked and the related data will be kept in the cache until you use these changes or undo them and return to their original state when this feature is enabled. activated or when the cache file is launched. To enable this feature, select it from the menu and select the appropriate checkbox. You can then go back to apply or remove the changes.

If you don't want certain drives or devices, or all, from the physical computer accessible in the virtual machine, you can change the Integration Feature settings.

To make the XP virtual machine more secure, you can delete the saved password from the Logon Credentials settings.

If you don't want the application in the virtual machine to be directly accessible in Windows 7, you can change the Auto Publish settings.

Last but not least is the Close settings, which you can really want to change. You can change it from automatically hibernating to something that suits you when closing the virtual machine window. Can create reminders for you to perform an action.

Maintain virtual machines

It should be noted that, although they are virtual machines, they run real operating systems and these operating systems can be infected by most virus or malware software from the Internet. Therefore you need to keep up with the components needed for both real and virtual operating systems. Install Windows updates and upgrade the program in XP Mode and other virtual machines. In addition, you should also install software to prevent viruses and spyware.

If you use XP Mode daily or feel this is a very useful mode for you, you can research more about using third-party tools to create a copy for your XP system. My current and import it into Windows 7.