Microsoft Virtualization/XP Mode system requirements

johnbentley · Post by **johnbentley** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 9:35 pm

Could you verify that the following system requirements for Microsoft Virtualisation/XP mode are correct?
* Windows 7, 64 Bit.
* A 64 bit processor with Virtualization Support (Eg an Intel 64 bit processor with "Intel VT").
* Change some setting in the BIOS.

Could you confirm that I do not need an XP license to invoke XP mode in Windows 7?

danimal · Post by **danimal** » Thu Oct 29, 2009 9:28 am

you should be able to easily google that info at the microsoft website, but i think that everything you posted is correct.

i believe that win7 pro and ultimate already come with the virtual pc mode software included, but you might have to download and install it for the lower versions of win7.

danimal · Post by **danimal** » Thu Oct 29, 2009 2:39 pm

more info:

http://blogs.technet.com/windows_vpc/

bonestonne · Post by **bonestonne** » Thu Oct 29, 2009 5:05 pm

I ran Microsoft Virtual PC on a Pentium 3 computer with 384mb of RAM.

XP is a compatibility mode, it's built into the Operating System, you don't need an XP License to use it, because it's part of the OS.

I can't confirm whether or not it comes with 7 though, I have little experience with 7 at this point, and I never really worked with Vista a whole lot (but I know it well enough to fix it if I need to).

You do mean virtualization and not compatibility modes right?

If you're going to be running XP in a Virtual machine, you will need an XP License.

Could you be any more precise with what you mean?

johnbentley · Post by **johnbentley** » Fri Oct 30, 2009 8:21 am

Thanks for the replies.

I'm not clear on differences between "virtualization and compatibility modes".

The basic information from Microsoft Windows (7) Virtual PC ...

Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC, available on Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Ultimate, allow you to run multiple Windows environments, such as Windows XP Mode, from your Windows 7 desktop.

It seems that XP Mode is simulating an XP environment through Windows Virtual PC. Presumably Windows Virtual PC can simulate, at least in theory, other operating systems as well. From Microsoft Windows (7) Virtual PC downloads it seems you need to download both "Windows XP Mode" and "Windows Virtual PC".

Windows XP Mode for Windows 7 brochure(pdf) List the requirements as

* Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Ultimate or Windows 7 Enterprise
* Additional 1GB of RAM
* Additional 15GB of available disk space
* Processor capable of hardware virtualization with AMD-V or Intel VT turned on

System requirements for Windows Virtual PC show that Virtual PC (as opposed to Virual PC with XP mode) are available in (Edit:) the lower Windows 7 Editions.

I have learnt that one also needs to check whether your motherboard supports virtualization. For example my MSI X48C Platinum does support virtualization but only in the latest beta versioned BIOS.

It seems that you could have Windows Virtual PC and XP mode on windows 7 (pro, ultimate, or enterprise) on a 32 bit OS version and CPU. I'm not clear on this.

Anyway now I've have all the information I was after.

Shamgar · Post by **Shamgar** » Fri Oct 30, 2009 10:18 am

I'm not up to date on all the Win7 going ons but I've gathered a bit from what I've read in several print and web tech media. XP Mode in Win7 is not the same as compatibility mode that you run in File Properties. It is a fully working virtual OS housed within the main OS of Win7. It was a late inclusion in Microsoft's scheme of things for Windows 7, intended to appease companies who rely on legacy apps designed for XP and earlier, so as not to replicate the "negative experiences" of Vista which put a lot of companies off from upgrading due to fear of incompatibilities, high system requirements etc. Since Win7 is really an updated Vista, programs that don't run well in Vista will probably not run well in 7 either. But they should run well in a virtual XP... so Microsoft is hoping.

XP Mode is only available in the Professional versions and above (Pro., Enterprise, Ultimate) and will run via an updated version of Virtual PC. From what I have gathered, the XP included in these versions will be a fully licensed OS and come with Service Pack 3 (the final SP for XP). You should not require a separate license. XP Mode will not run as fast in the virtual machine than if XP proper were installed on its own system partition but it should hopefully suffice for those users who still run many legacy apps.

XP Mode can be accessible from the Win7 startmenu or taskbar. From there you can install the legacy apps you wish to use and they in turn are accessible from the Win7 desktop.

hmsrolst · Post by **hmsrolst** » Fri Oct 30, 2009 1:28 pm

johnbentley wrote:It seems that you could have Windows Virtual PC and XP mode on windows 7 (pro, ultimate, or enterprise) on a 32 bit OS version and CPU. I'm not clear on this.

That is correct. I'm currently running XP Mode on 32-bit Windows 7 Professional. In my case, I need it to access my firm's intranet, and email systems. If I try to connect directly in Windows 7 using IE8, I can't get in.

As others have said, you need a CPU and motherboard that support virtualization.

johnbentley · Post by **johnbentley** » Fri Oct 30, 2009 2:24 pm

hmsrolst, thanks for the 32 bit confirmation. I hadn't thought of your use: You run IE 7 (or IE 6) under win XP and IE 8 under win 7. That'll be very handy for web developers.

Edit: Could you confirm that you do not need a seperate XP license to run XP Mode in Windows 7?

hmsrolst · Post by **hmsrolst** » Fri Oct 30, 2009 2:47 pm

johnbentley wrote:Edit: Could you confirm that you do not need a seperate XP license to run XP Mode in Windows 7?

That's correct. You just go to the site you linked in your earlier post and download and install Virtual PC and XP Mode. In my case, everything went very smoothly, including when I tried it earlier on another PC using RC1.