Microsoft opens Windows 7 XP mode to systems without hardware virtualization

Filed under: OS Updates, Utilities, Windows

One gripe against XP Mode for Windows 7 is that it required hardware-assisted virtualization support. In many cases, it was difficult to tell whether or not a system's hardware was up to snuff -- so Microsoft offered up a free download to help administrators and find out (called HAV detection tool).

Now, however, the Windows Team has announced that hardware virtualization is no longer an issue. The new version of XP Mode will run on just about any PC, though HAV will still be utilized if supported.

This should be welcome news for administrators, since it could help reduce upgrade costs -- and headaches.

Several retailers I support use older point-of-sale systems that don't play nice with Vista or Windows 7. With XP mode now able to run on their older Pentium 4 computers, they can transition to a newer OS without worrying about breaking the apps that run their businesses.

Microsoft opens Windows 7 XP mode to systems without hardware virtualization originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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