How to Setup and Get XP Mode on Windows 7 Home Premium and Basic « My Digital Life

Table of Content

• Create an XP Mode for Windows 7 Home Versions & Vista
• Run XP Mode on Windows 7 Machines Without Hardware Virtualization
• How To Run Xp On Windows 7 Home Premium
• Response to "How To Run Xp On Windows 7 Home Premium"
• Windows 7: What You Should Know About XP Mode
• How to Setup and Get XP Mode on Windows 7 Home Premium and Basic

You can actually run Windows Virtual PC on any Windows 7 computer, even ones running Home Premium that aren’t eligible for XP Mode. You could install XP in it, then install Virtual PC’s integration components, and it will work exactly like the default XP Mode. However, we’ve found VMware’s solution easier to use and much faster to setup. You can easily access any program or file in XP mode through a dedicated XP Mode Start Menu. When you hover over your Windows 7 Start button, a new button called “Windows XP Mode” will above it. Click there to access a full start menu from XP Mode right in Windows 7.

The tools will automatically download and install, though you may have to approve an UAC prompt. You can review and make changes here, or simply press Finish to start installing XP. Here VMware will automatically enter your operating system’s name and the default location to save the files. Simply press next to accept the defaults, or change them if you wish. Last week we showed you how VMware Player could help you run XP Mode without hardware virtualization.

Create an XP Mode for Windows 7 Home Versions & Vista

Windows 7 is doing much better out of the gate than Windows Vista did. As good as the OS roll out is going, there are still legacy devices out there that don’t have drivers and software updates to work with Windows 7. The vast masses of users who have held on to Windows XP are particularly vulnerable to this issue which is why Microsoft created XP Mode virtualization to ease the pain of transition. In this article however, we will walk you through the steps needed to install Windows XP Mode, regardless of Windows 7 version.

When you purchase through our links we may earn a commission. Not to beat a dead horse, but it is very unfortunate that Microsoft did not include Windows XP Mode as an option for Windows Home Premium. Millions of consumers still rely on Windows XP and Microsoft is banking on them making the switch to Windows 7. It is bad enough that there is no seamless upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7. The least Microsoft could have done was to provide consumers with Windows XP Mode to make the transition smoother. Simply press cancel, as VMware Tools will contain everything we need.

Run XP Mode on Windows 7 Machines Without Hardware Virtualization

Almost all the same features are there; the only thing you’re missing is the Start Menu integration, but VMware’s menu is the next best thing. In our tests using VMware worked as good or better as actual XP Mode on a machine that supports hardware virtualization. If you’re frustrated that the Windows 7 machine you have don’t support XP Mode, using our VMware method works, and allows you to use it on whatever machine you want. I recommend VM ware for playing games in virtual PC, but windows xp mode for business applications work fine; I use windows xp to run freescale code warrior and works great. If you receive the error "Unable to stat Windows Virtual PC because hardware-assissted virtualization is disabled", you can ignore that error for now since the Windows XP Mode update will resolve that issue. The real advantage of the default XP Mode in Windows 7 is that the XP programs are fully integrated with their Windows 7 counterparts.

If y'all select Windows Domicile Premium edition, the site volition not let you lot to download the required files. The core components required for Windows XP Mode are built in to the operating system, but you have to download Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode separately. Even though Windows Home Premium users can not use Windows XP Mode, you can still use Windows Virtual PC to create your own virtual computer environments. Now, whenever you go to save a file in XP Mode, it will automatically save in your My Documents folder on Windows 7.

How To Run Xp On Windows 7 Home Premium

Whenever you connect a new device to your computer, VMware will remind you that you can add it to XP Mode. Now, simply run the Tools installer with the Typical setup type, and reboot the XP Mode when it’s finished. When this is done, you should see a new virtual machine in VMware Player called XP Mode! VMware Player will simply start importing your XP Mode. Converting XP mode to VMware format may take a couple minutes depending on your hardware, so just be patient.

Take ownership and grant full control permissions to the Windows XP Mode base.vhd file. Get instant access to breaking news, in-depth reviews and helpful tips. You now have a fully functioning copy of XP running right inside your 7 or Vista computer. Almost everything works the same as XP Mode in 7 Professional or Ultimate.

You can add USB devices and seamlessly access the drives on the host Windows 7 system. Most importantly, Windows XP-mode lets you use Windows 7, while still providing a platform for you to use legacy hardware that is not compatible with Windows 7. While there are a slew of clever ways to bypass this activation problem, the easiest and most recommended way to truly avoid all these issues is to simply upgrade from Windows Home Premium to Windows Professional. Upgrading also entitles you to other added features, such as host-side Remote Desktop and increased maximum RAM support. Windows XP Mode is a premium feature which is been offered only to Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Enterprise and Windows 7 Ultimate system. That’s all … now you have your full XP Mode running on your computer without hardware virtualization.

Tony Bradley is an information security and unified communications expert with more than a decade of enterprise IT experience. He tweets as @PCSecurityNewsand provides tips, advice and reviews on information security and unified communications technologies on his site at tonybradley.com. I found installing and working with the Windows XP Mode to be significantly easier and more satisfying than any other virtual computing environment I have used. If you have legacy peripherals that won’t work natively in Windows 7, don’t let that stop you from taking advantage of the many improvements in Windows 7.

Response to "How To Run Xp On Windows 7 Home Premium"

You might also want to check out our look at XP Mode in Windows 7 if your machine is capable of running it. To find out if your machine can run XP Mode the best tool we have used is Securable which is linked below. Now VMWare is setup and we’re ready to start integrating it with Windows 7.

His work has appeared on Zapier's blog, AppStorm, Envato Tuts+, and his own blog, Techinch. Now, whenever you go to save a file in XP, it will automatically save in your My Documents folder on Windows 7 or Vista, depending on your circumstance. Find the folder we just shared from Windows 7 or Vista by clicking My Computer, then the drive that says “Shared Folders on ‘vmware-host’” or something similar.

Make sure the box is checked that says “Enable this share” and then click Finish. Windows XP Mode is only available for the Professional, Ultimate, and Enterprise editions of Windows 7. Name the new virtual machine as Windows XP Mode or any other preferred name. The hack to install Windows XP Mode works in any editions or versions of Windows 7. In fact, the trick can be used to install and setup more than one copy of Windows XP Mode on supported Windows 7 flavors. You can even use removable devices, such as flash drives, in XP Mode in VMware Player.