Close-Up: Windows 7 XP Mode

[Guest]

We delve into the nitty-gritty of Windows 7's XP Mode. Getting it set up can be a bit glitchy, but after that—ah, sweet familiarity.

Close-Up: Windows 7 XP Mode : Read more

 

[royalcrown]

Wow..get a copy of virtual PC 2007, xp "mode" = zzzzz...

 

[razor512]

1 copy of windows is slow enough, try running 2, the business users will love that.

most businesses don't need anything other than xp because it does what they need, upgrading to vista or windows 7 will just reduce their performance, the article also failed to mention that you need at least 2GB memory to use the feature

it also has little to no hardware acceleration

if a business has no app that needs windows 7, but they have apps that need xp, then why would they upgrade to windows 7 just to downgrade back to an even slower windows xp by running it in a virtual machine.

windows 7 benchmarks lower than windows xp, running windows xp inside of windows 7 will be much slower

in the business world, time is money, why would they want to waste time on a slower OS

if microsoft wants businesses to upgrade then they need the system requirements for windows 7, just as low as the requirements of windows xp. businesses don't like having to upgrade computers as it is expensive to do.

also would you upgrade to something slower.

a upgrade has to offer more speed and performance, compared to windows XP, both vista and 7 fail to do this

 

[joedoe]

Here is a better idea:

Run linux and VMware with XP home on top
(VirtualBox would also do).
That's what I do for 2+ years now,
and I am happy.

Linux is free and more flexible and secure.
XP is there only for my girlfriend's Word needs...

 

[DarkMantle]

Not a bad article, but not a great articles either. I'm always telling you how much i enjoy reading your articles. This times i'm just sad that you too wrote another one of the 20+ Windows 7 Articles (or propaganda) for this week. I'm realling getting sick of them and i was expecting something more from you.
I'm hoping to see some of your usual combination of great topics and entertaining writing style for your next article.

 

[razor512]

I wonder how companies and other business users will feel about this,

many of your programs work with XP but not with vista or windows 7, but now with the virtual xp, and your xp app that takes 1MB of ram can now run in windows 7 using 1GB of ram because the app needs it's own OS just to run.

microsoft should have just went back to the XP code and just added the option enable the glass effect and then just add a few of the new features but keep them from running in the background, make it so users have to enable them

many companies also hate virtual environments for many reasons other than performance

many programs especially ones that log your hardware id's, to keep track and also allow you to get a hardware ban if you do stupid stuff, will not run in a virtual environment.

theres also a higher failure risk because now you have the instability of windows 7 combined with the instability of xp, so you can be working on a important task and be screwed if either windows xp or 7 decided to crap out

 

[DarkMantle]

Damn where is my edit button tom's?

* change realling for really.

 

[ossie]

No real incentive for businesses to downgrade to vi$hta2 and pay through their teeth (HW and SW alike) for the "honor" of running the latest m$ junk. Maybe a little bit less bloating (than vi$hta), but the same DRM infestation, and Aero $hit, beside the usual generational incompatibilities - both useless for a business.
BTW, wine is getting better and better.

 

[dreamphantom_1977]

You know, I was all hyped up about switching to windows 7, because I'm a gamer, and I thought they would work in xp like compatibility mode works in vista and xp. But now your saying it's a virtual environment???!!! I hope all my games work, and work fast as xp. That is the only way I will switch. Where is the "GAMERS edition" OS? It's funny how microsoft, linux, apple, ect.ect. forget about the gamers. We sink all our money into these systems. And everytime they make a new OS, this happens. WHAT ABOUT THE GAMERS??!!

I'm so sick of the hype. Promise, promise, promise. And then as soon as it gets released. Oh, it won't do that. Just like vista you were supposed to run games in multiple display setups, it was supposed to be faster, and games for windows was supposed to support "cross platform gaming". What happened microsoft? Now look, now windows 7 is coming out, and for months it was supposed to be able to run anything that xp can run, and now we find out gaming is gonna be crippled. Thanks....

Can someone please get nvidia on the horn? They need to make a gaming os for gamers. I'm starting to think that nvidia is the only light at the end of the tunnel.

If nvidia makes an os, i'll switch to it without even thinking about it...

Microsoft would screw up making toast..

 

[zodiacfml]

i thought xp mode was for enabling old devices?
anyways, i've seen many apps that works with vista and win7.

i don't know what a virtualized xp mode will provide enterprises since it is easier and less complicated to dual boot a system if win7 and xp is necessary at the same time.

 

[ThisIsMe]

Well, this article is focused mainly toward businesses and business users not “GAMERS??!!”. I don’t really see how it’s hard to notice this point, but since it’s been mentioned I do have a few thing to say. Now, I’m not smack talking against people who like to play games. I like to play games. I have been doing so on a PC since 1984. I remember the thrill of trying to make it safely to Oregon with my wife, kids, oxen, covered wagon, a couple of boxes of bullets, and some other guy who was along for the ride. I remember the sense of awe and wonder I got when playing “Wolfenstein 3D” and then “DOOM”. Then there was Raven Software’s “Heretic”. Then id released “DOOM 2” which paved the way for one of the greatest games ever created, Raven’s “Hexen”. This was pretty much the first “3D” shooter to introduce some functional RPG style elements to a game by allowing the player to choose between different character classes. Now I know that there was no real meaningful character development, but it was a great step in the right direction, and you could play multiplayer with your friends who were different characters/classes with different uses/abilities. Later there was a game that did this very well, albeit single player only. It would become known as “Dagger Fall”, a great game by any standards. Look what’s happened. I got caught up in the nostalgia and started babbling. Now, let’s get back to the important stuff.

What is this myth that games don’t work with Windows Vista? I have a large book shelf that I’m looking at right now that has over 130 games on it (there’s a lot more I just got tired of counting). All of the games that worked on XP that I’ve tried on Vista (about 55+) worked (except for 3) without needing anything more than a simple update patch file if they needed one at all. I even tried some of the games that wouldn’t even work on XP and some of them did work on Vista, a few did not. All of the successfully tried games also worked with Vista 64-bit, except for 2, which were old enough for me not to remember how old they were without reading the copyright info on the box. Now that that’s been said, I’ll repeat what I’ve said many times before. Now, some of you are too young to remember what the OS scene was like almost 8 years ago, I guess that counts for something, so you get an “uninformed consumer” pass. For you, most (if not all) of your entire “PC GAMING LIFE” was consumed by Windows XP. All you know is XP. You feel safe and secure in the bosom of your comfort zone, which is XP. You would have shit all over yourselves if you were to deal with the original gaming OS, DOS, although most of you WERE still shitting yourselves when DOS was in its heyday, heheheh. No “GUI”, no “icons”, no “plugNplay”, no “pointNclick”, little to no “mouse user interface”, very little “mouse controls support”. What would you do?

Most of the people that call themselves “GAMERS” these days have barely installed more than “World of Warcraft” in the past few years. Even those who mainly stick to FPS titles have barely completed a “plugNplay” install of a graphics card using the default OS drivers or the ones that came with the supplied CD, much less a complete and PROPER install of any OS. Imagine if “plugNplay” was still just a pipe dream?

I know the differences between Windows XP and windows Vista/ 7 do not really seem all that apparent because the frontend GUI is still familiar looking. But that is where the similarities end. What’s under the hood is completely different. You may have some good old games that may not work. That’s the natural order of progression. You cannot keep looking back to move forward. It’s good to have memories. That’s what allows us to make better decisions as we move forward. It’s ok to want to relive exciting experiences. Remember, just because we keep looking forward does not necessarily mean we are forgetting anything. Don’t feel bad about not wanting change, it must be natural. After all, it happens every time something new is released. Picture this, or remember if you’re old enough; “8-tracks” become “cassette tapes”, “cassette tapes” become “CD’s”, “CD’s” becomes “MP3’s”. Here’s another; “reel-to-reel” becomes “VHS”, “VHS” becomes “DVD’s”, “DVD’s” become “BluRay”, “BluRay” becomes “Video-On-Demand”. And just in case you still don’t get it, one more; “walking/running” becomes “a horse”, “a horse” becomes “horse carriage”, “horse carriage” becomes “sailboats”, “sailboats” become “train/steam boats”, “train/steam boats” become “cars/trucks/diesel trains/ airplanes”, etc. Now, hypothetically speaking, you may have some tires/wheels left over from the old Ford Model-T days, but you wouldn’t get upset if they didn’t fit your shiny new ’09 Mustang. Even if you had good tread left on your 1974 Camaro, somehow I don’t think Bumblebee would have looked or performed the same if he hadn’t updated his tires along with the rest of himself in Transformers the Movie.

The long winded point to this is that we all have trouble leaving some things behind. But it is a necessary step toward improving anything. Those that do not except this will get left behind.

 

[Guest]

I don't think many people should pay attention to what "business" people think is a good choice. If you own a business and think the computers you bought back in 1999 should work forever with whatever future you might load then you are a troll.

As Razor512 said:

"in the business world, time is money, why would they want to waste time on a slower OS"

It surely will run slow on those 1999 computers. Invest back in the company or suck eggs.

 

[evlmomo23]

Ok people really need to get off the linux bandwagon... As much as I've loved having Ubuntu on my second machine, I also realize that it's not going to be making it's way to the client side of my business. As for Win7 with XPM... Its decent, but as was said above why would you upgrade to something slower when XP (for the businesses atleast) already does what they need it to.

 

[nukemaster]

[citation][nom]joedoe[/nom]Here is a better idea:Run linux and VMware with XP home on top(VirtualBox would also do).That's what I do for 2+ years now,and I am happy.Linux is free and more flexible and secure.XP is there only for my girlfriend's Word needs...[/citation]
Why not use Open Office then?

 

[kato128]

I don't see what all the fuss is. Every XP app I've tried in win7 works. The only issue is running old win98 apps and 16bit (i run x64) and most of those work with compatibility mode. If you're still running a 16bit or win9x era program then it's time to upgrade if only for security reasons. I've never seen so much complaining about not being able to use apps from 15 years ago.

 

[quantumrand]

I have to admit, this article was a bit pre-emptive in that it really wasn't very informative. It's really more of a quick look at running XPM rather than a "Close Up."

Some of the most important things aren't even mentioned. Such as How does it run with the minimum system requirements of Win7? Or what sort of impact does it have on your system recouses? Was it too hard to open task manager and check?

 

[quantumrand]

[citation][nom]thisisme[/nom]Well, this article is focused mainly toward businesses and business users not “GAMERS??!!”...[/citation]

I completely and utterly agree with you man, and my gaming life started with XP. Sure, Vista hit a few speed bumps when it was first coming out, but so did XP. The real cause of the problem is in two places...

1: These WoW losers who think they're because they spend hours on WoW and only WoW...

2: Ridiculous ads like those from Apple taking those initial speed bumps and spinning the hell out of them.

After the first year, Vista was essentially every bit as capable as XP. For those who remember, XP was the exact same way with its predecessor.

 

[hannibal]

most businesses don't need anything other than xp because it does what they need, upgrading to vista or windows 7 will just reduce their performance

Well the busines needs to move to new os some day because the support for XP will end one day... They don't do it hastily, but they do it eventually.

i don't know what a virtualized xp mode will provide enterprises since it is easier and less complicated to dual boot a system if win7 and xp is necessary at the same time.

Not exactly true. In corporate system you need keep two systems secure instead of one. Guite expensive. Another thing is that if you only need some aplications to run in XP more it is easier to do it in the same environment than your normal dayly use aplications. Virtual envirinment also work in protected mode, so it does not affect the main os, so it is allso safer. In our environment we are trying to check out how we can use some aplications via this technicue. As it has been said in the article this is not make for the games. (It is easier to have double boot system for that), but to intergrate some old busines aplications to new environment without compromasing security and stability. It does reguire more power, but even corporate machines has to be replased from time to time, so the new machines are more that 3-5 times faster than those we use to run XP aplications at this moment. So 20% of normal speed is enough for us to run those old aplications in the same level than we do at this moment. Ofcourse this is not right solution to everyone, but it seems to be somewhat promising to our needs.

 

[Guest]

The problem with Windows 7 and Vista is that XP is/was the holy grail.
Ever try to network Win98?(issues)
Ever try to use Win2000 pro as a workstation?(issues)
Ever try to use Win2003 as a workstation?(issues)
Ever try to use WinME?
Remember when you would get a BSOD at least once a week and say 'oh well, time for a coffee break anyway'.
Remember having to reboot Windows because it developed quirks if left running too long?(8hrs) Now I use hibernate and only reboot my XP box maybe once every 6mo. I reboot my router more than that.

WinXP-Sp3 saved me from all those problems. Vista came along and hasn't really shown us WHY we need to update. Same with Windows7. The key is WHAT can Win7 do that I CANNOT do with XP? Also why would I buy Office 2010 when Office 2000 does the same stuff cheaper?

(granted some of my joys of XP may be due to increasingly better hardware or drivers not related to XP itself. But what can XP *not* do?)

 

[kato128]

The problem these days is interfaces are so good that there's no big new change you can tout that is "better". Aside from minor interface tweaks (which are awesome and make it a lot easier to use) the major changes are under the hood and are transparent to the average user. Its things like it wont grab quite as many viruses off the net and it wont do as many bad things by itself without a prompt. Also things like only having to grab the video and audio drivers for your computer on a reinstall. So it's hard to provide a compelling reason to get people to switch but after you've given it a go for a few months Vista and XP will be very clunky in comparison. It's kinda like the kb mouse debate back in wolf 3d days, mouse was harder to learn but it was better by a long shot.