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Windows XP Mode Goes RTM – Ready For Download On October 22nd

Justin Kerr — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 22:29:49 -0500

Microsoft announced today via its Windows Blog that it has released the final version Windows XP Mode to manufacturing, and it should be available for download on October 22nd, the day of the Windows 7 launch. Presumably the new version of Virtual PC is included in this RTM, curiously however, no mention of this was made. Microsoft has also not indicated if this would be available early for MSDN or TechNet subscribers, but let’s face it, October 22nd isn’t as far away as it used to be.

For those who haven’t yet hard about Windows XP mode, it’s a way for Windows 7 users to run applications within a virtualized Windows XP shell for compatibility reasons. Windows 7 RC users who want to give the beta version a test drive can still download the technical preview at the Microsoft Download Center up until the new version is released on launch day.

Want to learn more about Windows XP Mode? Check out our feature focus series which helps you make sense of all the new features.

Windows 7 Feature Focus: Virtual Windows XP (AKA XP Mode)

Mark Edward Soper — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:30:00 -0500

Although Windows has included the Program Compatibility Wizard and Compatibility tab to help older programs to run properly under the current version of Windows since Windows XP, these features are not always able to help older applications to run. While Windows 7 continues to offer these features, some editions can also use a better way to run older Windows applications: XP Mode.

XP Mode at a Glance

XP Mode (also known as Virtual Windows XP) enables some editions of Windows 7 to run Windows XP in a virtualized window, and to run individual Windows XP-compatible apps in a virtualized environment directly from the Windows 7 Start menu.

XP Mode is supported by the following Windows 7 editions: Professional, Ultimate, and Enterprise. The System properties sheet tells you what version you have:

By providing an actual Windows XP environment, as opposed to an emulation of Windows XP as provided by the Program Compatibility Wizard and Compatibility tab in a program's properties sheet, XP Mode enables business programs that require 100% Windows XP compatibility to run within Windows 7. Unlike Microsoft's previous virtualization environment, Virtual PC 2007, XP Mode enables Windows XP-compatible programs to be launched directly from the Windows 7 Start menu. You can also pin XP Mode programs to the Taskbar or Start menu in Windows 7.

XP Mode also enables you to use peripherals (such as older scanners and multifunction devices) that are not supported by Windows 7; you can run them in XP Mode and save the output to locations accessible to both XP Mode and Windows 7

To use older versions of Windows utilities such as Internet Explorer 6 supplied with Windows XP, launch a windowed or full-screen XP Mode virtual machine and run programs within it.

The FAQs About XP Mode

Since XP Mode was announced as an optional feature for Windows 7 Professional, a lot of erroneous information has been published about XP Mode. Here are the FAQs:

Q. What do I need to run XP Mode?

A. There are three requirements:

You must be running Windows 7 Ultimate, Professional, or Enterprise editions.

You must have a processor capable of supporting hardware virtualization (Intel refers to this feature as Intel Virtualization Technology; AMD refers to this feature as AMD-V).

3. Hardware virtualization must be enabled in the system BIOS.

Q. Do I need a copy of Windows XP to use XP Mode?

A. No. Microsoft provides Windows XP SP3 as a VHD file for use with XP Mode.

Q. What are the benefits of using XP Mode instead of running Virtual PC 2007 and installing Windows XP as a virtual machine?

A. There are several advantages to XP Mode over VPC 2007+Windows XP, including:

When you install programs into XP Mode, they are automatically published to the Windows 7 Start menu, so you can run them in separate windows on the Windows 7 desktop, or in full-screen, or within the Windows XP VM desktop. Virtual PC 2007 must run Windows XP programs within the Windows XP VM desktop.

You must manually configure Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows XP - this is not necessary with XP Mode.

You can move your mouse freely between XP Mode and the Windows 7 desktop - with Virtual PC 2007, you must click within the window to capture the mouse cursor, then press the right alt key to release your mouse to return to the Windows 7 desktop

VPC 2007 cannot use USB mass storage devices – XP Mode can use USB mass storage devices.

VPC 2007 runs Windows XP as a VM very poorly (slow CD-ROM access, etc.) unless you install VPC 2007 extensions. XP Mode does not require you to install extensions.

XP Mode automatically integrates the Windows clipboard, printers, drives and smartcards at startup, and you can also also selectively disable and select whether to enable at start up (default).

Q. Is XP Mode designed for 3D gaming?

A. No. XP Mode does not support 3D graphics APIs such as DirectX. If you need to play 3D games that will not run in Windows 7, set up a dual-boot environment.

Q. Can I run Virtual PC 2007 and XP Mode on the same PC?

A. No. You must uninstall Virtual PC 2007 before you can use Windows Virtual PC and XP Mode.

Q. How do I get XP Mode?

A. There are two files you need to make XP Mode a reality:

First, download the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows Virtual PC (choose the same version as your edition of Windows 7 supports). Second, download Windows XP Mode.

Both are available from the Microsoft Virtual PC website.

Installing Windows Virtual PC and XP Mode

To get started with XP Mode, download Windows Virtual PC (WVPC). Then download Windows XP Mode (XPM). After installing WVPC, you must restart your computer before you install XPM.

During installation of XPM, you must configure Windows Update to provide automatic or manual updates, and you must enter a password. To save yourself frustration, click the checkbox to Remember Credentials, and you won't need to remember the password to start XPM.

During installation, you must also select the location for the VHD file used by XPM. By default, the location is C:\Program Files\Virtual Windows XP\, but you can browse to other locations as desired. The target drive must have about 1.6GB of free disk space.

Using XPM in Desktop Mode

XPM supports two modes. These modes, as described in Microsoft's "Running Windows XP Mode with Windows Virtual PC: A How-to Guide for Small Businesses" (PDF link) are Desktop Mode and Seamless Mode.

In Desktop mode, you start XPM from the Windows 7 Start menu:

In Desktop mode, all programs that use XPM run from within the Windows XP VM:

In Desktop Mode, XPM works about the way you'd expect a standard Windows XP installation to run. After you start XPM in Desktop mode, wait a few seconds after the desktop appears before the desktop fully initializes. During the startup process, progress bars inform you of what's going on:

Once XPM starts, you'll note that, because of its support for hardware virtualization, it's fairly peppy on a system with 4GB of RAM or more, even with the default XPM virtual machine (VM) memory size of 256MB.

However, there are some significant differences between XPM and a standard non-virtualized Windows XP installation. These include:

Autorun on CDs doesn't work - you must manually run the program referred to in Autorun.

AutoPlay on CDs, DVDs, and USB devices doesn't work. You can manually run the program you prefer to use with the media's contents, or open the media with Windows Explorer

Accessing drives connected to the host PC. XPM uses Remote Desktop Connection to work with these drives, which is why they're listed as network drives by XPM's My Computer.

Adjusting XPM's VM Memory Size and Other Settings

As with Windows Virtual PC's ancestor (Virtual PC 2007), you must shut down a VM before you can adjust its settings. However, closing the XPM window does not shut down the Virtual Windows XP VM. Instead, it hibernates the VM. To close the VM, click the Ctrl-Alt-Del button at the top of the XPM desktop window (1) and select Shut Down from the Windows Security dialog (2):

Note that XPM does not use Fast User Switching because Offline Files is enabled by default.

To adjust the settings used by XPM after closing it down:

1. Open the Virtual Machines folder in the Windows Virtual PC folder in Windows 7's Start menu:

2. Right-click the Virtual Windows XP VM and select Settings:

3. Select the setting you want to adjust (in this example, memory size assigned to the VM) and select or enter the appropriate option:

4. Repeat as needed with other settings, then click OK when finished to close the dialog and save changes.

Note: The settings you use for the XPM VM affect not only XPM in Desktop mode but also in Seamless mode.

Using XPM in Seamless Mode

Although XPM in Desktop mode is easier than working with Virtual PC 2007 + Windows XP, the real benefit for users comes in XPM's Seamless mode. In Seamless mode, you can launch one or more programs installed in XPM directly from the Windows 7 Start menu. Each program runs within its own XPM VM, and you can resize each window and drag it to a different display.

When you install programs in XPM's Desktop mode, start menu shortcuts are automatically added to both the Windows XP Start menu in XPM and to the Start menu for the Windows 7 host PC.

To start a program from Seamless mode, open the Virtual Windows XP Applications folder beneath the Windows Virtual PC folder on the Windows 7 host system and click the program you want to run:

To pin XPM or an XPM application to the Windows 7 Start menu, right-click the shortcut in Windows 7's Start menu and select Pin to Start Menu. To pin XPM or an or an XPM application to the Windows 7 Taskbar, right-click the shortcut and select Pin To Taskbar:

Networking in XPM

Normally, if your Windows 7 host PC is able to connect to the Internet, so can your XPM VM. However, if you want XPM to use the resources of other physical PCs on your network, you might need to tweak the normal network settings. If you are unable to view other network PCs from XPM's My Network Places menu, check the following:

1. Make sure the workgroup name in XPM matches the name of your existing workgroup. To see the current setting, right-click My Computer from the XPM Start menu, select Properties, and click Computer Name. If the workgroup name needs to be changed, click Change, click Workgroup, and enter the correct workgroup name. Click OK, and restart XPM to finish the process.

2. If you are still unable to "see" other PCs on the network from within XPM, click the Tools button at the top of the XPM window, click Settings, and look at the Networking setting. The default setting is Shared Networking (NAT). If this setting does not permit you to see workgroup computers, select the physical network adapter in your system:

You can still access the network and the Internet from the physical PC hosting Virtual Windows XP as well as from within XPM.

Working with USB Devices

XPM is way ahead of Virtual PC 2007 in its handling of USB devices such as printers, scanners, and mass storage devices (VPC 2007 didn't support USB mass storage at all). However, using USB devices in either XPM mode requires that you understand how to attach and release them as needed.

Open the USB menu to see the USB devices available to Virtual Windows XP. The devices are listed in two categories: Attach and Shared. Devices listed in the Shared category are supposed to be available automatically to both the Windows 7 host and XPM. However, in my tests, I found that both types of devices needed to be attached to XPM to make them available to XPM in either Desktop or Seamless modes.

Reminder: when a device is attached to XPM, it cannot be used by your host Windows 7 operating system.

Attaching/Releasing a Device

To attach a device, open XPM's USB menu and click a device with the status of Attach or Shared (if the device status is listed as Release, it is already attached to XPM):

XPM detects the device, and if you are attaching it for the first time, XPM will prompt you to search for drivers with the Found New Hardware Wizard, or you can install drivers manually. If the wizard is unable to install drivers automatically, download the latest Windows XP-compatible driver for your device within XPM and install it. You might be prompted to reboot XPM to complete driver installation.

Tip: if you are installing a multifunction device, do not reboot XPM until you have finished installing all of the drivers and utilities necessary.

After drivers are installed, you might need to open the USB menu again and attach the device before you can use it. In this example, we're using the Epson Scan feature of the Epson WorkForce 600:

When you are finished with the device, open the USB menu again and click the device to release it. The device can then be used by the host Windows 7 session.

Reminder: You must attach devices with XPM Desktop mode before they can be used by applications running in XPM Seamless mode.

So, is XP Mode for you?

If you're trying to run 3D games that don't get along with Windows 7, the answer is 'No'.

But, if you need to get more life out of peripherals or applications that don't run under Windows 7, or you need to run Windows XP without rebooting your Windows 7 PC, the answer might be 'Yes.'

XP Mode is free to try right now with Windows 7 RC, and if you want to use its final version after Windows 7 goes live, be sure to upgrade to Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate, or Enterprise editions (it will be free for those editions, but will not work with Home Premium).

Tell us how you're doing with XP Mode - click Comment to get started.

Is Windows 7 Ultimate Really Necessary?

Paul Lilly — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:21:04 -0500

Microsoft's reduced pre-order pricing for upgrade versions of Windows 7 Home Premium and Professional remains in effect until July 11th, but you might be wondering, 'Am I better off picking up a copy of Ultimate?' At $219 for the upgrade disc and $319 for the full version, compared to as little as $50 for Premium (pre-order Upgrade), that becomes a big (or at least costly) decision. We won't tell you which copy to get, but while Microsoft peddles Windows 7 Ultimate to enthusiasts, let's look at what the extra Benjamin(s)+ buys you.

Windows 7 Ultimate brings to the table several features not found in the Premium and Professional versions, at least eight of them that we know about. Three of them include BranchCache, Enterprise Search, and DirectAccess, all of which are of much more interest to Enterprise environments than for a typical home user. For the latter group, the full language pack, Bitlocker, and AppLocker might hold a bit more appeal.

That leaves Virtual Desktop Interface and Virtual Hard Drive Booting as the two remaining known features that only Ultimate users will have access to, plus whatever "Unspecified Features" Microsoft has on tap.

"There is a small set of customers who want everything Windows 7 has to offer. So, we will continue to have Windows 7 Ultimate Edition to meet that specialized need," Windows General Manager Mike Ybarra stated in a Microsoft PressPass interview describing Ultimate as the OS for "enthusiasts."

Image Credit: Microsoft

Windows 7 Buyer's Guide: Which Edition is Right for You?

Mark Edward Soper — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:30:05 -0500

If you were frustrated by trying to figure out which edition of Windows Vista was the right choice ("hmm...If I use Vista Business, I don't get Windows Media Center, but if I use Vista Home Premium, I don't get image backup..."), Microsoft has done us all a favor by rethinking the feature sets for Windows 7.

Yes, there are still multiple SKUs to consider, but this time, you no longer need to worry about what's left out if you move up from one edition to another. To find out how the different US editions of Windows 7 compare in features, what Microsoft is doing to satisfy EU regulators, and what it will cost you to pre-order a Windows 7 upgrade now compared to waiting until it ships, keep reading.

Check out our Windows 7 Upgrade Guide here!

This Time, Windows 7 Editions Build On Each Other

There are three Windows 7 editions that will be sold at retail in the US market:

Home Premium
Professional
Ultimate

If you tried out Windows 7 in its public Beta or RC versions, you used a pre-release of the Ultimate edition, although it's possible to tweak the installation process to install other editions. So, what are the major "core" features of these editions of Windows 7?

According to Microsoft's "Which One Is Right for You?" page, here are the common features (many of which we will cover in current or upcoming Feature Focus articles):

Improved GUI and desktop navigation
Windows Search
Internet Explorer 8
Windows Media Center
HomeGroup (Windows 7-specific networking)

Microsoft's list leaves out some significant core features, though, including:

32-bit and 64-bit editions provided in retail/upgrade versions
Windows Aero desktop (with supported graphics cards and drivers)
Improved wireless networking
Improved network management for mixed Windows 7/Vista/XP networks
Improved audio and video codec support
Improved digital TV support
Windows Backup for both files and system image
Devices and Printers management interface
Device Stage enhanced driver support for multifunction devices

Why Home Premium?

By making image backup a core feature of Home Premium as well as higher SKUs, Microsoft makes it much easier to make Home Premium a "no second thoughts" choice for home or small office-home office users uncomfortable with Windows Vista Home Premium's omission of image backup but not needing the extra features of Professional or Ultimate editions.

Moving On Up - Windows 7 Professional

Microsoft has dropped the "Business" moniker for its small-business edition of Windows 7 and reverted to the "Professional" label it used in previous generations. And, unlike Windows Vista Business, which forced potential upgraders from Windows Home Premium to trade away Windows Media Center to get support for business networking and image backup, there are no tradeoffs if you decide to try Windows 7 Professional over Windows 7 Home Premium: every Home Premium feature is also included in Windows 7 Professional. So, what else is in there?

The major upgrades to Windows 7 Professional from Home Premium include:

Windows XP Mode
Automatic backup supports network shares as well as local hard disks
Domain network support

Why Go Pro?

If you...

...routinely move between domain and workgroup networks (such as a home or branch office network)
...need support for Windows XP-compatible applications that just don't run under Windows 7
...prefer to back up to a network share without using third-party backup programs

...Windows 7 Professional's a no-brainer choice.

Next: But what about Ultimate?

Windows 7 Ultimate - The Top, But Not So "Ultimate" Choice

Windows 7 Ultimate, like its Windows Vista ancestor, combines all the features of Windows 7 retail editions with features from Windows 7 Enterprise. However, unlike its predecessor, there will be no Windows 7 Ultimate Extras. So ends what many regard as a program that offered much more sizzle than steak.

According to Microsoft, the chief benefits of Windows 7 Ultimate over other editions include:

Support for BitLocker full-disk encryption
The ability to switch between languages on the fly

Why Move Up to Ultimate?

At first glance, unless you need to work with multiple languages on the same PC, Windows 7 Ultimate might look completely skippable. However, if you work with sensitive information, the improvements in BitLocker may persuade you to make the jump.

Windows 7's version of BitLocker can now encrypt external drives (including USB keys) so you can transport data between home and office without worrying about being mugged and winding up in the next data breach headline. If you don't want to upgrade both ends of a data-transport chain with Windows 7 Ultimate, BitLocker also includes a secure BitLocker to Go feature that enables Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP users with the proper credentials to access BitLocker-secure media in read-only mode.

Buy Vista or a Vista PC Now, Get Windows 7 Free Later

Buy a PC running Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, or Ultimate between June 26th, 2009 and January 31st, 2010 from sponsoring manufacturers and vendors, or buy these editions of Vista separately, and you qualify for a free upgrade to the equivalent Windows 7 edition.

Getting Windows 7 Very Cheap - If You're Fast on the Click

However, if you're not in the market for a new PC, and don't want to buy Vista now to qualify for a free Windows 7 upgrade, you can still get a cool upgrade deal if you use Windows XP or Vista - if you hurry. If you pre-order Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional upgrade editions right now, you can cash in on significant savings:

Home Premium upgrade $49.99 (down from $119.99)
Professional upgrade $99.99 (down from $199.99)

If you're currently running Windows Vista Ultimate (like I am) and decide you don't need BitLocker or multilanguage support, you can "upgrade" from Vista Ultimate to Windows 7 Professional. Note that these savings expire July 11th in the US, and are available from many retailers as well as from Microsoft's online store.

Waiting Will Cost You

What happens if you skip these offers? Buy Windows 7 at retail or non-promotional upgrade pricing and you'll have a hole in your wallet. See our own Paul Lilly's original article for details. As you might expect, upgrade pricing is for licensed users of Windows Vista or Windows XP.

Other Windows 7 Editions

Windows 7 Starter replaces Windows XP on netbooks, and will also be sold in developing countries. It omits image backup, Windows Aero, Windows Media Center, and 64-bit support.

As with Windows Vista, Microsoft will ship Windows 7 editions that do not include Internet Explorer into the EU to satisfy regulatory requirements.

If you're ready for Windows 7, now is a great time to upgrade your software or your systems. Hit Comment and tell us your tips for scoring a Windows 7 upgrade or vote for your favorite edition.

Mark is the author of the forthcoming book Easy Microsoft Windows 7, and is inspiring digital photographers everywhere with his new book The Shot Doctor: The Amateur's Guide to Taking Great Digital Photos.

No "Ultimate Extras" in Windows 7 Ultimate

Andy Salisbury — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 15:07:08 -0600

Microsoft’s Windows Vista Ultimate was supposed to be a fun-filled version packed full of extras, but as anyone with the OS knows, this is a promise that Microsoft didn’t exactly make good on. So, on that note, Microsoft has decided to announce that Windows 7 Ultimate will feature absolutely no extras whatsoever.

“Our new approach to planning and building Windows doesn't have the capacity to continue to deliver features outside the regular release cycle. While our core development team is focused on building the next release, our sustained engineering team is focused on updates to existing features. As a result we don't plan to create Ultimate Extras,” Microsoft stated in a recent bit of Windows 7 SKU news.

Windows 7 Ultimate won’t be available on a retail level, but instead will be offered during promotional periods. It has been speculated that it will be $80 cheaper than Vista’s Ultimate, making it $320.

Image Credit: Ars Technica

SKUs Galore for Windows 7 - Leaked Screenshot Reveals Multi-Edition Design (again!)

Mark Edward Soper — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 16:33:52 -0600

"5" may be good for bargain lunch hunters or fans of loaded chili mac, but most Windows users would agree that "5" is way too many editions of Windows. Unfortunately, a leaked screenshot of Windows 7 Build 7025 suggests that Redmond is again going to offer five versions of Windows 7 when it ships: Starter (developing computer markets only), Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, and Ultimate editions, just as with Windows Vista.

Depending on who you ask, that's probably two or three versions too many. Unfortunately, unless Redmond changes its mind between now and Windows 7 release, it looks likely that the same "too many versions" problem that haunted Windows Vista will be back for Windows 7. There's one bit of good news, though. It looks as if an easy-to-use version of Windows Anytime Upgrade will be included in non-Ultimate releases so you can move up.

Which Windows editions should live on in Windows 7, and which ones deserve to be nailed to their perches? Hit Comment and sound off.

Photoshop by Mark Edward Soper.

August 2008: PC Notebooks vs. the MacBook

The Maximum PC Staff — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 19:04:16 -0500

In the PDF archive of the August 2008 issue, you can find:

PC vs. MacBook Notebook Battle!
Ultimate Guide to Firefox 3
Nvidia's Next-Gen GTX 280 GPU Unveiled!
How To: Create your own Internet TV Show!
Awesome Product Reviews, including MSI's new P35 Combo Platinum mobo!
Ask the Doctor
Rig of the Month
The Watchdog
And a whole lot more!

Click the big giant cover image to the right to download the PDF archive today!

Das Keyboard Attacks High End Keyboard Market with Two New Models

Paul Lilly — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 22:23:30 -0500

There's never been a better time to be in the market for a keyboard. On the lower end of the pricing spectrum, OCZ recently announced its Elixir, an über affordable keyboard as part of the company's Alchemy line aimed at gamers on a budget. And for those running out of Swish bank accounts to store obscene amounts of of cash, Art Lebedev Studios' OLED Optimus Maximus has finally emerged from the depths of vaporware to become a shipping product.

In between both extremes, many still consider Metadot Corporation's Das Keyboard the tour de force of keyboard construction, which Maximum PC awarded a 9/Kick Ass verdict back in 2005. The original plank broke the mold by blanking out the keys rather than saddling them with peksy labels, and now three years later, Metadot looks to jump back in the peripheral market with a pair of updated models.

Das Keyboard Professional

Not without controversy, astute readers were quick to point out a striking resemblance between the original Das Keyboard and a much less expensive Keytronics model. This time around, Metadot promises the Professional "has been totally redesigned, inside and out." Key clicks come courtesy of mechanical gold-plated key switches said to offer tactile and audible feedback, along with a "modern glossy look." An n-key rollover function allows up to 12 keys to be pressed simultaneously, and a generous 6.6ft USB cable should ensure you'll have room to practice your cabling kung-fu. A USB hub, blue LEDs, and labeled keys round out the list of features included with the $129 plank.

Das Keyboard Ultimate

No, the Ultimate version doesn't bring Windows Media Center, BitLocker, Remote Desktop, and other Vista-centric features to the table, but it does throw away labeled keys just like the original. In every other respect, the Ultimate is identical to the Professional, right down to the price tag.

Does either model offer enough to win enthusiasts over from the competition, including Logitech's highly popular G15?

Image Credit: Metadot Corporation