Windows 7/Vista XP Mode: Enable Compatibility

Creating an XP Environment for Windows 7 & Vista

A notable feature of Windows 7 is XP Mode, however, its availability is limited to Windows 7 Professional and subsequent editions, excluding Home Edition and Vista users. This article details how to establish your own XP Mode environment for use on Vista or Windows 7 Home Premium.

How is this achieved? Windows 7 Home Premium and Windows Vista are not authorized to utilize the complimentary XP Mode download provided by Microsoft. Selecting Home Premium on the XP Mode download page will display a corresponding message. Previously, we explored how VMware Player could facilitate running XP Mode without hardware virtualization, but even VMware Player lacks a direct import link for computers running 7 Home Premium or Vista.

Recreating XP Mode with VMware Player

If you possess a legitimate copy of Windows XP, recreating XP Mode is easily accomplished using the free VMware Player. This guide will demonstrate the simplicity and speed of establishing a virtual XP copy on any computer, even those running 7 Home Premium or Windows Vista.

Getting Started Begin by downloading and installing VMware Player (link provided below). Registration is required for this free download.

You may encounter prompts regarding driver installation; approve these as they appear. While not consistently observed in recent tests, they have occurred in the past. Upon completing the VMware Player installation, a system restart will be necessary.

Setting Up Your Virtual Machine

Create your own XP Mode After your computer restarts, launch VMware Player and insert your Windows XP CD into the drive. A copy of Windows XP Professional was used in this example, but any XP edition will function identically.

Within VMware Player, click the "Create a New Virtual Machine" link at the top. VMware will automatically detect your Windows XP CD and propose installation with Easy Install. This streamlines the XP installation process to just five clicks. Click Next to proceed.

Enter your Windows XP product key, along with your desired username and password. We recommend naming it "XP Mode" for easy identification.

VMware will automatically populate the operating system name and the default file save location. Accept these defaults by pressing Next, or modify them as needed.

Specify the desired size for your virtual hard drive; the default is 40Gb, but you can adjust this according to your needs. Note that the entire 40Gb will not be consumed on your physical hard drive. A clean install utilized only 1.4Gb in our testing.

Review the settings or proceed directly by pressing Finish to initiate the XP installation.

XP Installation Process

From this point forward, VMware will manage the installation process automatically. No further interaction is required until XP is fully installed. The process includes automatically running the installer, formatting the virtual hard drive, and copying XP files to the virtual hard drive.

The installation will conclude automatically. In our tests, the entire process took approximately 20 minutes. Upon completion, you will be presented with the Windows XP desktop, ready for use.

VMware Player will automatically initiate the VMware Tools installer to integrate your virtual XP with your host computer. If prompted, download or update the tools by clicking "Update Tools" or "Install Tools" in the yellow banner at the bottom of the window.

The tools will install automatically, potentially requiring User Account Control (UAC) approval. If the tools do not launch automatically, navigate to Start, then My Computer, and double-click the CD drive labeled "VMware Tools."

Run the Tools installer using the "Typical" setup type and reboot XP when the installation is complete.

Integrating XP Mode

Integrate XP Mode in VMware Player with Windows 7 or Vista A key benefit of the native XP Mode in Windows 7 is the seamless integration of XP programs with their Windows 7 counterparts. This allows for running programs concurrently, copying files between environments, and sharing the same folders. Let's configure this within VMware.

Copying and pasting between Windows 7 or Vista and XP in VMware is enabled by default. To use your XP programs seamlessly with Windows 7, click VM on the top of the VMware window, and click "Enter Unity."

Access XP programs and files through a dedicated "Windows XP Mode" Start Menu. Hovering over your Windows 7 Start button will reveal a new button labeled "Windows XP Mode." Clicking this button opens a full Start Menu from XP Mode directly within Windows 7.

The same functionality is available in Windows Vista.

This setup allows you to run applications like Internet Explorer 6 from XP alongside Internet Explorer 8 in Windows 7, thanks to VMware Player.

By default, virtualized windows will display a border and the VMware logo. To remove these visual elements, click VM in the VMware player window, then Settings. Select the Options tab, and choose Unity on the left. Uncheck the boxes labeled "Show borders" and "Show badges."

Removing the VMware borders and badges creates a more authentic XP Mode appearance.

Utilizing Removable Devices

VMware Player also supports the use of removable devices, such as flash drives, within XP. When connecting a new device to your computer, VMware will prompt you to add it to XP.

Click VM, then Removable Devices. Select your device name, and click Connect.

Saving Files to My Documents

By default, files created in XP within VMware Player are saved inside the virtual machine. To save them directly to the My Documents folder in Windows 7 (or the Documents folder in Vista), modify the settings. Click VM, then Settings. Select the Options tab, and then choose Shared Folders on the left. Check the box for "Always enabled" and "Map as a network drive in Windows guests."

Click Add to add a shared folder.

Select your My Documents folder (or Documents folder in Vista) by clicking Browse. Click Ok, and then click Next.

Ensure the box is checked that says "Enable this share" and then click Finish. Close the settings window.

Within XP, click Start, then right-click on My Documents, and select Properties. Click Move to locate the new My Documents folder.

Navigate to the shared folder from Windows 7 or Vista by clicking My Computer, then the drive labeled "Shared Folders on 'vmware-host'" or similar. Select the Documents folder and click Ok.

Click Ok in the main properties window. You may be prompted to copy files from the old My Documents folder to the new one; choose Yes to ensure all your documents are transferred.

Now, files saved in XP will automatically be saved in your My Documents folder on Windows 7 or Vista. This process can be repeated for other folders like My Pictures and My Music.

Conclusion

You now have a fully functional XP environment running within your Windows 7 or Vista computer. The functionality closely mirrors the native XP Mode in Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate. Utilizing your existing XP copy eliminates additional costs. VMware Player provides excellent integration, often surpassing the performance of the default XP Mode.

Alternatively, you could install XP in Windows Virtual PC, then install its integration components for similar functionality. However, VMware's solution is generally easier to use and faster to set up.

Links

• Download VMware Player 3
• Download Windows Virtual PC