Windows 7 Release Candidate, although virtually at an apparent standstill in evolution since the release of interim Builds 7048 and 7057, does manage to take it up a notch with the secret features Microsoft confirmed to have tucked away since the public Beta Build 7000 in January 2009. Initially released on April 30 to MSDN and TechNet subscribers, the Beta development milestones for Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC are now available for the public to download and test drive. Users will need, first of all, the Build 7100 Release Candidate of Windows 7. Make sure to install only the Professional, Enterprise or Ultimate editions; in fact, go with the high-end SKU, as it is the simplest choice, and the default installation option via the default RC configured packages.

“Windows XP Mode, an optional feature of Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate editions, helps small businesses upgrade to Windows 7 by providing a virtual Windows XP environment capable of running many Windows XP-compatible business and productivity applications. Customers can run many older Windows XP business and productivity applications within Windows XP Mode and launch them from the Windows 7 desktop with just a single click. A beta of Windows XP Mode will be made available on April 30,” revealed Scott Woodgate, director of Desktop Virtualization and Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) at Microsoft, ahead of the Beta launch of the two features at the end of the past month.

While it might appear that Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC are a standalone virtualized environment and a virtualization solution, the intimate level of integration with the Windows 7 client proves otherwise. Once installed, Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode seem to have always been an integral part of the operating system. This is why Microsoft's description of the two offerings as Windows 7 optional features is right on the money. With the combination of the two, Microsoft is essentially offering a preconfigured, licensed and activated, free copy of Windows XP Service Pack 3 that will act as a virtualized environment for Windows 7.

System requirements

I already said Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate or Enterprise. In addition, Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC will only work with a CPU of at least 1 GHz 32bit or 64bit; the processor must feature CPU w/ AMD-VTM or Intel VT features, and the CPU virtualization technologies must be enabled in the BIOS. It is recommended that XP Mode be run on machines with at least 2 GB of system memory, and on top of the RAM, each virtual machine needs at least 15GB of hard disk space. And that's it. You are ready to go.

Well... wait a minute. How do you know that you processor supports XP Mode? There are lists of supported CPUs on the Internet, you could try and hunt them down and then see whether you processor will play well with Windows XP Mode and Virtual PC. Is there an easier way? Of course! There are a couple of tools that will scan your hardware and tell you whether the processor supports hardware virtualization or not.

If your CPU is made by Intel, then you need the Intel Processor Identification Utility. Download it, install it and run it. In the CPU Technologies tab, if the value of the "Intel Virtualization Technology" field is Yes, then you can run Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC. If it's NO, then you probably guess what's happening. For AMD processors, you will need to do the same with the AMD Virtualization Compatibility Check Utility. This tool will tell you straight forward whether you can or cannot run virtualization solutions from Microsoft. But fear not, chances are that you are running a modern processor, with hardware virtualization and with the BIOS setting already enabled. If it is disabled in the BIOS, you will have to comb the options available and enable it manually.

Installing Windows Virtual PC Beta

First off, make sure to download Windows Virtual PC Beta. Choose either the 32-bit or the 64-bit flavors, depending on the Windows 7 RC variant you are running, and the language. Installation could not be simpler - download the Windows6.1-KB958559-x86.msu (32-bit) or Windows6.1-KB958559-x64.msu (64-bit) updates and then run the one better suited to your system. After a reboot, you are ready for XP Mode.



Installing Windows XP Mode Beta

Chances are that you will need the bits. Download them, again choosing between x86 or x64, and then run VirtualWindowsXP_32_en-US or VirtualWindowsXP_64_en-US. Accept the End User License Agreement, and you will be presented with a configuration dialog window for a user account. All you have to do is choose a password for the default User account; it cannot be modified at this stage in the installation process. After you choose to have Automatic Updates delivered or not to the operating system, Windows Virtual PC will configure the Virtual Windows XP virtual machine. That's it! Give yourselves a pat on the back!

Word of advice. The Virtual Windows XP machine is set up from the get go with a default 256 RAM. You might want to bump the volume of system memory a bit. I gave it a full 1 GB, and I'm extremely pleased with the performance. In order to modify system setting, including RAM, you will need to shut down the operating system, not hibernate, shut down. Prior to doing this, make sure to open the Settings dialog box under Tools in the menu.

Alternatively, you can also open Virtual Machines under Windows Virtual PC in the Start Menu, Installed Programs. This will launch a Windows Explorer window containing the virtual machines available. Just select the VM you want to configure and click settings in the menu bar.



What can you do with it?

What can't (!) you do with it? Just abuse it as you do with your desktop. Here are the features touted by Microsoft:

“• Integration with Windows XP Mode setup (Windows XP Mode is a feature of Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate and Enterprise);
• A new approach that intuitively incorporates Windows Virtual PC user interface (UI) into that of your Windows 7 desktop;
• The ability to use many of your USB devices from within a virtual Windows environment, such as Windows XP Mode;
• Seamless launching of Windows XP applications from your Windows 7 desktop, Start Menu, or Taskbar;
• Clipboard sharing, which enables you to cut, copy, and paste data between the host Windows 7 desktop and the virtual machine;
• Printer sharing between the Windows 7 desktop and the virtual Windows environment;
• Drive sharing, which provides easy access to all host data from within the virtual machine;
• Folder integration between operating environments.”

And yes, you can install various applications in XP SP3 in Windows XP Mode, then close the virtual machine and launch them from the Windows 7 Start Menu. Just make sure to place shortcuts of installed applications in the C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu in Windows XP SP3. Once you do this, Windows Virtual PC will share the shortcuts with Windows 7, and the apps will appear under Windows Virtual PC – Virtual Windows XP Applications.

By only setting up Windows XP Mode a single time, or configuring it multiple times if necessary, flexibility is inherent with having a full XP virtualized platform available, users can subsequently access all applications and programs in XP SP3 (from the Virtual Windows XP VM) right from their Windows 7 desktop. The best part is that the apps will have in Windows 7 the same look and feel that they do in Windows XP SP3. And when Microsoft says that Windows XP Mode is not for gaming, believe it!



Am I stuck to running Windows XP Mode/Virtual Windows XP?

Well, no! Absolutely not! Windows Virtual PC can be used in the same manner as Virtual PC 2007. You can create virtual machines building VHDs from scratch, or you can add existing virtual hard disks. Supported guest operating systems are: Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) Professional, Windows Vista Enterprise Service Pack 1 (SP1), Windows Vista Ultimate Service Pack 1 (SP1), Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Ultimate, and Windows 7 Enterprise.

The best part? You can configure some Windows Virtual PC virtual machines to act the same as Windows XP Mode. This can be done by installing RAIL QFE Beta Windows XP SP3 in XP SP3 VMs and RAIL QFE Beta for Vista SP1 in Vista SP1 VMs. Make sure to deploy the Integration Components in the virtual machines in order to be able to move seamlessly between the virtualized copies of Windows and the Windows 7 Release Candidate host.

32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7 (Release Candidate) RC Build 7100.0.090421-1700 is available for download here.

Windows XP Mode Beta, Windows Virtual PC Beta, RAIL QFE Beta Windows XP SP3 and RAIL QFE Beta for Vista SP1 are all available for download via this link.