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Windows XP Mode for Windows 7 RC available now

win7Windows XP Mode for Windows 7 is designed for better compatibility of apps running in Windows XP to run on Windows 7. In Windows XP Mode a full copy of Windows XP is installed as a virtual PC in Windows 7. This is primarily aimed at small and medium sized businesses to make a transition from Windows XP to Windows 7 with out running in to compatibility issues.

Three months before Microsoft released the Win XP mode for Win7 beta and today they released the same for Windows 7 RC. The updates Windows XP Mode now works with RC and RTM versions of the Windows 7 professional, Ultimate and Enterprise.

For running Windows XP mode you need a CPU that supports virtualization technology like Intel Virtualization Technology or AMD-V. Download Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC

Microsoft reminds that in most use cases Windows XP mode in not necessary and most of the applications should be able to run natively on Windows 7. “Windows XP Mode provides what we like to call that “last mile” compatibility technology for those cases when a Windows XP productivity application isn’t compatible with Windows 7. Users can run and launch Windows XP productivity applications in Windows XP Mode directly from a Windows 7 desktop.”, Microsoft says.

New Features in Windows XP Mode RC

  • You can now attach USB devices to Windows XP Mode applications directly from the Windows 7 task-bar. This means your USB devices, such as printers and flash drives, are available to applications running in Windows XP Mode, without the need to go into full screen mode.
  • You can now access Windows XP Mode applications with a “jump-list”. Right click on the Windows XP Mode applications from the Windows 7 task bar to select and open most recently used files.
  • You now have the flexibility of customizing where Windows XP Mode differencing disk files are stored.
  • You can now disable drive sharing between Windows XP Mode and Windows 7 if you do not need that feature.
  • The initial setup now includes a new user tutorial about how to use Windows XP Mode.

Via Windows Blog