Windows XP Mode Released to OEMs

  • By Kurt Mackie
  • 10/06/09

Microsoft announced that the final version of Windows XP Mode was released to PC manufacturers Thursday.

Microsoft essentially hit its "release to manufacturing" (RTM) milestone for Windows XP Mode, signifying the time in which original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) can begin adding the bits to their Windows 7 RTM distribution packages.

Alternatively, Windows XP Mode will be available as a separate download for the general public Oct. 22, which is the general release date for new Windows 7-based PCs. Currently, the general public can only get its hands on the release candidate version of Windows XP Mode, although Microsoft's TechNet and MSDN subscribers already have access to the RTM version.

Windows XP Mode is a desktop virtualization supplement that works with Microsoft Virtual PC in Windows 7. It lets users run a complete copy of Windows XP Service Pack 3, along with associated XP-based applications, right on the Windows 7 desktop. Windows XP Mode only works with certain editions of Windows 7, namely Professional, Ultimate, and Enterprise.

Microsoft designed Windows XP Mode for small-to-medium organizations, particularly for those that want to maintain a legacy XP-based application while still migrating to Windows 7. For larger organizations that centralize the management of multiple PCs, Microsoft recommends using Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V). MEV-V is available to Microsoft Volume Licensing customers with Software Assurance and is part of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack.

Windows XP Mode comes with some maintenance issues to consider. For instance, IT pros will have to ensure security separately from Windows 7. The virtualized Windows XP operating system can't be centrally managed through group policies. In addition, the PC that runs Windows XP Mode must have hardware virtualization capabilities, such as Intel VT or AMD-V technologies.

Fortunately, Microsoft has indicated that Windows Security Essentials, Microsoft's new free antimalware solution, will work with Windows XP Mode.

About the Author

Kurt Mackie is online news editor, Enterprise Group, at 1105 Media Inc.

Featured

  • SXSW EDU

    Explore the Future of AI in Higher Ed at SXSW EDU 2025

    This March 3-6 in Austin, TX, the SXSW EDU Conference & Festival celebrates its 15th year of exploring education's most critical issues and providing a forum for creativity, innovation, and expression.

  • white clouds in the sky overlaid with glowing network nodes, circuits, and AI symbols

    AWS, Microsoft, Google, Others Make DeepSeek-R1 AI Model Available on Their Platforms

    Leading cloud service providers are now making the open source DeepSeek-R1 reasoning model available on their platforms, including Amazon, Microsoft, and Google.

  • glowing futuristic laptop with a holographic screen displaying digital text

    New Turnitin Product Brings AI-Powered Tools to Students with Instructor Guardrails

    Academic integrity solution provider Turnitin has introduced Turnitin Clarity, a paid add-on for Turnitin Feedback Studio that provides a composition workspace for students with educator-guided AI assistance, AI-generated writing feedback, visibility into integrity insights, and more.

  • From Fire TV to Signage Stick: University of Utah's Digital Signage Evolution

    Jake Sorensen, who oversees sponsorship and advertising and Student Media in Auxiliary Business Development at the University of Utah, has navigated the digital signage landscape for nearly 15 years. He was managing hundreds of devices on campus that were incompatible with digital signage requirements and needed a solution that was reliable and lowered labor costs. The Amazon Signage Stick, specifically engineered for digital signage applications, gave him the stability and design functionality the University of Utah needed, along with the assurance of long-term support.