Microsoft developed Windows XP Mode so that businesses using Windows XP productivity applications can upgrade to Windows 7 easily without loosing productivity. Windows XP Mode makes it very easy to install and run many Windows XP productivity applications directly from within Windows 7-based PC. But one of the main requirements to run Windows XP Mode was that the PC’s should have Hardware Assisted Virtualization (HAV) technology enabled.

This was a great set back for many small and mid-sized businesses who were not having any HAV enabled hardware. In the past we have covered an article about VMLite XP Mode, an Alternative to Microsoft Windows XP Mode for Windows 7 to help people who are not having HAV enabled hardware.

Microsoft has recently made an announced through a blog post about an update to Windows XP Mode. This update will make Windows XP Mode technology available to PCs even without any HAV support. This is a great news for small and mid-sized businesses as well as home users who were till now deprived of Windows XP Mode even after having the supported Windows 7 edition. An excerpt from the announcement is as follows:

We’re announcing an update to Windows XP Mode today that will make it a more accessible to PCs in small and midsize businesses who want to migrate to Windows 7 Professional but have applications that still require Windows XP. Windows XP Mode will no longer require hardware virtualization technology to run. This change makes it extremely easy for businesses to use Windows XP Mode to address any application incompatibility roadblocks they might have in migrating to Windows 7. Windows XP Mode will of course continue to use hardware virtualization technology such as Intel VT (Intel Virtualization Technology) or AMD-V if available.

From the announcement, it is also clear that Windows XP Mode will continue to take the advantage of hardware virtualization technology such as Intel VT (Intel Virtualization Technology) or AMD-V if available.

How to download Windows XP Mode without Hardware Assisted Virtualization Technology?

• When you visit the download page for Windows XP Mode, you need to first choose your Windows 7 version (Please do note that Windows XP Mode is available only on Windows 7 Professional or higher Windows 7 edition) and language.

• You will see three download buttons to files you need to download including a “Windows XP Mode Update” as shown in the screenshot below.

  

• Download and install “Windows XP Mode update” after installing the first two files. This update will remove the hardware virtualization technology need from Windows XP Mode.

You may miss the Aero Glass look, if you are using Windows 7 on virtual machine as you can utmost achieve the Aero Basic look. But if you are running Windows 7 virtual machines on Windows Virtual PC, then there is a simple way to activate the Aero Glass experience. Follow these simple steps to activate Aero Glass in Windows 7 virtual machines running on Windows Virtual PC.

First, install Windows 7 in your virtual machine, or if you have already done installing, click on the Tools menu and select Install Integration Components.

Complete the install of the Integration Components on your virtual machine and reboot it. After reboot, again click on the Tools menu and select Enable Integration Features.

Now login into the virtual machine with your username and password. You should find the Aero Glass interface activated. If for some reason you cannot see Aero Glass effects, right-click on the Desktop, select Personalize and choose one of the Aero Glass theme.

Enjoy the Aero Glass effect even virtually

One notable feature of Windows 7 is the Windows XP Mode and Microsoft provides this for free. XP Mode lets users run Windows XP virtually inside Windows 7. However the catch is, to run Windows XP Mode you must have Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise or Ultimate version installed and your computer must have hardware‐assisted virtualization support.

Not everyone is lucky enough to run the pricey edition of Windows 7 that supports XP Mode or their hardware supports hardware‐assisted virtualization. Most of the general users who opted for Windows 7 Home Premium edition or lower will not be able to install Windows XP Mode. But they still will need the functionality that Windows XP Mode offers. So, what these users should do?  Here is something that is made keeping mind about everyone who wants to run Windows XP inside Windows 7. So that their old programs can still work, even if they upgrade to Windows 7.

VMLite XP Mode an alternative to Microsoft’s Windows XP Mode offers similar functions. But the difference is it doesn’t require hardware-assisted virtualization and can run on any PC with Windows XP and above as host operating system. Even though VMLite XP Mode takes advantage of Intel Virtualization Technology or AMD‐V feature if it is available.

VMLite XP Mode Features

• Provides similar functions as Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode from Microsoft
• No requirement for hardware-assisted virtualization, namely, it runs without VT-x or AMD-V
• Provides seamless integration with host desktop to run applications from Windows XP virtual machine
• Host files can be accessed from within the XP Mode virtual machine easily
• Support 3rd party virtual machine images
• Runs on any PC with Windows XP and above as host operating system
• Highly performed, XP Mode boots in 15 seconds

Note: You will need to create a free account first at VMLite’s website to download VMLite XP Mode.

[ Download VMLite XP Mode ]

I also found out that Parallels is working on a similar project. At this moment known as Parallels Solution for Windows 7 Migration.

Parallels is offering a new product that will enables users to run their existing Windows XP programs side-by-side with Windows 7. Users will have complete access to all of their favorite Windows XP programs, including programs that are not supported by Windows 7, without having to reinstall or upgrade those programs in Windows 7′s XP Mode. Users will even be able to migrate their existing Windows XP programs and data straight to their new Windows 7 computer.

So, if you are interested in Parallels product than you can get yourself registered for the Extended Beta that they are offering now.

What do you feel about this free Microsoft Windows XP Mode alternative? Share us about your experiences using any XP Mode that you are using now by commenting.

Windows XP Mode is freely available for Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate and Enterprise users. It allows you to run legacy applications inside a Windows XP virtual machine running in the background. Windows XP Mode was primarily designed to help businesses move from Windows XP to Windows 7. Almost all programs that are compatible with Windows Vista and a majority of Windows XP programs, run well in Windows 7. But, if a program doesn’t run properly even after trying the Program Compatibility troubleshooter, you can run the program in Windows XP Mode.

Windows XP Mode runs in a separate window on the Windows 7 desktop, much like a program, except it’s a fully functional version of Windows XP. When you install a program in Windows XP Mode, the program appears in both the Windows XP Mode list of programs and in the Windows 7 list of programs, so you can open the program directly from Windows 7. Do note that it isn’t optimized for graphic-intensive programs such as 3D games or for programs with hardware requirements such as TV tuners.

The most important hardware requirement for using XP mode is a computer with a processor that supports hardware-assisted virtualization such as AMD-V, Intel-VT or VIA VT.  Microsoft has a helpful tool that will detect if your hardware is compatible called the HAV Detection Tool. On some computers the feature may be turned off in the BIOS, click here for instructions on how to turn it on. The other requirements are as follows:

Setting up and Using Windows XP Mode

First, visit the Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC website, and click Get Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC now.

In the Windows 7 system type drop-down list, select 32-bit or 64-bit depending on what Windows 7 version that you are using currently running. Next, in the Windows XP Mode language drop-down list, select the language you want to use for Windows XP Mode.

To find out whether you have a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows 7, click on the Start button, then right-click on Computer, and then click on Properties. The information about the version that you are using appears under System, next to the System type.

After selecting the options, download both Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC.

After installing the Windows Virtual PC component you will need to reboot your computer.

After the reboot, click on the Start Menu and navigate through All Programs, Windows Virtual PC and select Windows XP Mode to begin configuring XP Mode.

Accept the license terms and then click on Next.

Next, you will need to specify the password for the local account XPMuser that runs in the XP virtual machine. Type in a password in both boxes and click Next.

Windows XP Mode runs a fully functional Windows XP virtual machine in the background so it must be patched every month as new security updates are released to keep applications running in the VM protected.  The best way to do this is by turning on Automatic Updates.  Check Help protect my computer by turning on Automatic Updates now and click Next.

Now click on Start Setup. Setup will now run and configure the Windows XP virtual machine.  This will take a few minutes.

After the setup is completed, Windows XP virtual machine will be displayed. At this point install any applications in the XP Virtual Machine like you normally install applications.

After the program’s setup is completed, you will see the programs icons in the Windows 7 Start Menu under All Programs, Windows Virtual PC and finally Windows XP Mode applications.

Just click on one of the shortcuts and the application will load in just like a locally installed app.

If you ever want to service or install more application in the XP Virtual Machine just click on the Start Menu and navigate through All Programs, Windows Virtual PC and select Windows XP Mode. That will start the XP virtual machine in desktop mode.

Windows 7 users may have already heard about the Windows XP Mode in Windows 7. For late comers, it basically allows Windows 7 users (supported versions are Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Enterprise and Windows 7 Ultimate) to run Windows XP in a virtual environment. Windows XP Mode is freely available for Windows 7 users.

Running an application using Windows XP Mode under Windows Virtual PC can be beneficial if the application is not compatible with Windows 7. Those users who wants to run Windows XP Mode can download the required software to launch applications in the virtual environment with just one click in Windows 7.

But other than the software requirements, the important requirement is that your PC’s hardware should be capable of running this virtual environment. To be more specific, your PC’s hardware should support Hardware-Assisted Virtualization (HAV) and the option needs to be first enabled in the computer’s BIOS.

To easily check this, Microsoft has released the Hardware-Assisted Virtualization Detection Tool to give the user exact information if Hardware-Assisted Virtualization is supported by the computer and if it is enabled in the BIOS or not.

This utility is compatible with all versions of Windows 7, Windows Vista SP1 or SP2 and Windows XP SP3. The Hardware-Assisted Virtualization Detection Tool is a portable software program. When you run this tool, it displays all the relevant information upon startup.

[ Download HAV Detection Tool ]

Microsoft has released a pre-built, pre-configured Windows 7 VHD (Virtual Hard Disk) for Hyper-V Server which allows user to instantly mount and run the virtual machine. The VHD is of Windows 7 Enterprise version and is for a user to test it free of cost for 90 days. Windows 7 Enterprise edition is almost equal to Windows 7 Ultimate edition except that it’s targeted at corporate and business users, and requires activation via KMS or MAK, both available through volume licensing distribution channels.

“Guidelines on usage: You have 10 days to activate the product. If not activated within 10 days, the system will shut down once every hour until activated. The 90-day Trial is the full working version of the Windows 7 Enterprise, the version most of you will be working with in your corporate environment. It will not require a product key (it is embedded with the download). The 90-day Trial will shut down once every hour when you have reached the end of the 90-day evaluation period. The 90-day Trial is offered for a limited time and in limited quantity. The OS activation will be available through March 31, 2010, while supplies last,” Microsoft noted.

The free Windows 7 90-Day Evaluation VHD is available from Microsoft Download Center (Genuine Windows Validation is required to download). You can also download the 3 complete parts of the VHD images using the following direct download links:

• Windows7Fullx86Ent90Days.part1.exe
• Windows7Fullx86Ent90Days.part2.rar
• Windows7Fullx86Ent90Days.part3.rar

Direct download link also available from Softpedia.

After downloading, run the executable to extract the VHD image to a folder named Windows7Fullx86Ent90Days. This folder will contain all the files necessary to install the evaluation image. You can now add the VHD package as a new virtual machine to your Hyper-V installation using Hyper-V Manager. You can also configure the virtual networks to allow LAN and WAN access.

Since, the free Windows 7 copy has been packaged as a VHD Virtual Hard Disk file, it will run in all of the virtualization products from Microsoft, including client-side solutions such as Windows Virtual PC. However, users will not be able to get the full Windows 7 experience on client-side virtualization solutions from Microsoft. The reason for this is Windows Virtual PC disables Aero and doesn’t support 64-bit (x64) host platforms. Microsoft recommends testing the Windows 7 VHD on Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008, or Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V R2, Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 R2.

The 90-day Windows 7 trial is offered for a limited time and in limited quantity. The OS activation will be available through March 31, 2010 or while supplies last.

Microsoft has released an updated Release Candidate (RC) of Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode for Windows 7. Windows Virtual PC is a new virtualization runtime engine for Windows 7 which requires hardware-assisted virtualization (Use SecurAble to easily determine if your processor supports virtualization).

You can download Windows Virtual PC RC and Windows XP Mode RC for free at Windows Virtual PC homepage. You may also download the both setups using the following direct download links:

• Download Windows Virtual PC RC version 6.1.7234.0

• For 32-bit (x86) Systems: Windows6.1-KB958559-x86.msu
• For 64-bit (x64) Systems: Windows6.1-KB958559-x64.msu

• Download Windows XP Mode RC version 1.2.7235.0

• English: WindowsXPMode_en-us.exe
• Arabic: WindowsXPMode_ar-sa.exe
• Chinese (Simplified): WindowsXPMode_zh-cn.exe
• Chinese (Traditional): WindowsXPMode_zh-tw.exe
• French: WindowsXPMode_fr-fr.exe
• German: WindowsXPMode_de-en.exe
• Japanese: WindowsXPMode_ja-jp.exe
• Korean: WindowsXPMode_ko-kr.exe
• Spanish: WindowsXPMode_es-es.exe

Note: Uninstall Windows Virtual PC Beta and Windows XP Mode Beta before you install the RC release.