Windows 7 solves Windows XP Compatibility Issue … for the most part
Wow! Windows 7 takes a really smart approach to solving the Windows XP compatibility issue.
Some Context: Basically Windows 7 was thought to be only backwards compatible with Vista.
Which would have meant -
- If you’re running Vista everything will work like it’s supposed to. Something that I can attest to with the Beta – it really does work.
- The problem was that people moving from XP to Windows 7 would have problems.
Now, with one masterstroke, the Windows 7 team have solved 95%+ of compatibility issues.
The Solution: Have a ‘Windows XP Mode’ in W7 which is actually a virtual machine running Windows XP. Now nearly all XP applications will work like they’re supposed to.
A little on Windows XP mode:
The add-on, called “Windows XP Mode” creates an XP virtual environment running under Virtual PC within Windows 7. “All you need to do is to install suitable applications directly in Windows XP Mode,” said Scott Woodgate, the director of Windows enterprise and virtualization strategy. “The applications will be published to the Windows 7 desktop and then you can run them directly from Windows 7.”
Paul Thurrot has an extensive review of Windows XP Mode in the W7 RC, and also some deep dives. He writes -
XP Mode consists of the Virtual PC-based virtual environment and a fully licensed copy of Windows XP with Service Pack 3 (SP3). It will be made available, for free, to users of Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions via a download from the Microsoft web site.
My Thoughts: The ‘Windows XP Mode’ virtual XP machine in W7 -
- Is really smart.
- Should not be something to be downloaded separately.
- Should be available for all editions of Windows 7 – it’s just too fundamental of a feature.
Overall, its great news – now Windows 7 is compatible with Vista and XP. Its not 100% compatibility. However, to be honest, there never is 100% compatibility.
This is a move by Microsoft mostly to make Enterprise customers and IT departments happy and kudos for pulling off an elegant workaround. Very smart move by the W7 Team.
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Filed under: windows 7 features