Windows Virtual PC
Windows Virtual PC running Windows XP on a Windows 7 host | |
Developer(s) | Microsoft |
---|---|
Initial release | September 19, 2009[1] |
Stable release |
6.1.7600.16393
/ February 14, 2011[1] |
Operating system | Windows 7 (all editions except Starter)[2] |
Size |
32-bit: 9.1 MB 64-bit: 16.3 MB[1] |
Type | Virtual machine |
License | Freeware[1] |
Website |
www |
Windows Virtual PC (successor to Microsoft Virtual PC 2007, Microsoft Virtual PC 2004, and Connectix Virtual PC) is a virtualization program for Microsoft Windows. In July 2006 Microsoft released the Windows version as a free product.[3] In August 2006, Microsoft announced the Macintosh version would not be ported to Intel-based Macintosh computers, effectively discontinuing the product as PowerPC-based Macintosh computers are no longer manufactured. The newest release, Windows Virtual PC, does not run on versions of Windows earlier than Windows 7, and does not officially support MS-DOS or operating systems earlier than Windows XP Professional SP3 as guests.[2] The older versions, which support a wider range of host and guest operating systems, remain available. Starting with Windows 8, Hyper-V supersedes Windows Virtual PC.
Virtual PC virtualizes a standard IBM PC compatible device and its associated hardware. Supported Windows operating systems can run inside Virtual PC. Other operating systems such as Linux may run, but are not officially supported, and Microsoft does not provide the necessary "Virtual Machine Additions" (which include essential drivers) for Linux.[4]
History
Connectix Virtual PC, Microsoft Virtual PC 2004, Microsoft Virtual PC 2007, and Windows Virtual PC are successive versions of the same software. Windows Virtual PC runs only on Windows 7 and only supports running Windows XP Professional and later. The earlier Microsoft versions which run on older versions of Windows are still available and support operating systems older than Windows XP. Microsoft then replaced this with Hyper-V.
Virtual PC by Connectix
Virtual PC was originally developed as a Macintosh application for System 7.5 and released by Connectix in June 1997.[5] The first version of Virtual PC designed for Windows-based systems, version 4.0, was released in June 2001. Connectix sold versions of Virtual PC bundled with a variety of guest operating systems, including Windows, OS/2, and Red Hat Linux. As virtualization's importance to enterprise users became clear, Microsoft took interest in the sector and acquired Virtual PC and Virtual Server (unreleased at the time) from Connectix in February 2003.
Virtual PC 4 requires Mac OS 8.5 or later on a G3 or G4 processor, but running Windows ME, Windows 2000 or Red Hat Linux requires Mac OS 9.0 or later. Virtual PC 4 was the first version with expandable drive images.
Virtual PC 5 requires Mac OS 9.1 or newer or Mac OS X 10.1 or later. For USB support, Mac OS X is recommended. To run Virtual PC 5 in Mac OS X, a 400 MHz or faster processor is required.
Earlier versions of Virtual PC supported the following features: (now removed in Microsoft Virtual PC 2004, 2007, and Windows Virtual PC):
- Older versions of Virtual PC (v5.0 or earlier) may have the hard disk formatted after creating the Virtual Hard Disk file. Newer versions must partition and format the Virtual Hard Disk file manually.
- A Virtual Switch available in Virtual PC version 4.1 or earlier allows adding multiple network adapters.
- Older operating systems are supported with Virtual Machine additions.
- Older versions of Virtual PC for Macintosh can run on Mac OS 9.2.2 or earlier. Support of Apple System 7.5 are dropped in version 3.
Under agreement with Connectix, Innotek GmbH (makers of VirtualBox, now part of Oracle) ported version 5.0 to run on an OS/2 host.[6] This version also included guest extensions (VM additions) for OS/2 guests, which could run on Windows, OS/2 or Mac OS X hosts using Virtual PC versions 5, 6 or 7. A new version of the guest extensions was later included with Microsoft's Virtual PC 2004.
Microsoft Virtual PC
On July 12, 2006, Microsoft released Virtual PC 2004 SP1 for Windows free of charge, but the Mac version was not made free. The equivalent version for Mac, version 7, was the final version of Virtual PC for Mac. It ran on Mac OS X 10.2.8 or later for PowerPC and was a proprietary commercial software product.[7]
Virtual PC 2007 was released only for the Windows platform, with public beta testing beginning October 11, 2006, and production release on February 19, 2007. It added support for hardware virtualization, viewing virtual machines on multiple monitors and support for Windows Vista as both host and guest. (The Windows Aero interface is disabled on Windows Vista guests due to limitations of the emulated video hardware; however, Aero effects can be rendered by connecting to the guest via Remote Desktop Services from an Aero-enabled Windows Vista host, provided that the guest is running Windows Vista Business or a higher edition.)[8]
On May 15, 2008, Microsoft released Virtual PC 2007 Service Pack 1, which added support for both Windows XP SP3 and Windows Vista SP1 as guest and host OSes, as well as Windows Server 2008 Standard as a guest OS.[9][10] A hotfix rollup for Virtual PC 2007 SP1, released February 20, 2009, solved networking issues and enhanced the maximum screen resolution to 2048×1920 (32-bit),[11] enabling 16:9 resolutions such as 1920×1080. A security update was released on July 14, 2009 to address an elevation of privilege vulnerability in guest operating systems.[12]
Date | Version | Description |
---|---|---|
2006-10-11 | 6.0.122 | Beta |
2007-01-02 | 6.0.142 | Release Candidate 1 |
2007-02-22 | 6.0.156 | Release to Manufacturing |
2008-05-15 | 6.0.192 | Service Pack 1[13] |
2009-02-20 | 6.0.210 | Update[14] |
2009-07-14 | N/A | Security Update MS09-33[15] |
Windows Virtual PC
Windows Virtual PC entered public beta testing on April 30, 2009,[16] and was released alongside Windows 7.[17] Unlike its predecessors, this version supports only Windows 7 host operating systems.[2] It originally required hardware virtualization support but on March 19, 2010, Microsoft released an update to Microsoft Virtual PC which allows it to run on PCs without hardware support.[1]
Windows Virtual PC is available free of charge for certain editions of Windows 7,[2] either pre-installed by OEMs or via download from the Microsoft website.[1]
New features
New features include:[18]
- USB support and redirection – connect peripherals such as flash drives and digital cameras, and print from the guest to host OS printers. However, USB isochronous transfer mode is not supported[19] Other methods involve simply just treating an active drive letter from a USB flash drive as a virtual hard drive.
- Seamless application publishing and launching – run Windows XP Mode applications directly from the Windows 7 desktop
- Support for multithreading – run multiple virtual machines concurrently, each in its own thread for improved stability and performance
- Smart card redirection – use smart cards connected to the host
- Integration with Windows Explorer – manage all VMs from a single Explorer folder (%USERPROFILE%\Virtual Machines)
Removed features
- The Virtual Machine console is replaced by an integrated Virtual Machines shell folder. Several options from the console have been removed such as Restore at start, CPU time performance settings, muting sound in inactive virtual machines, full-screen resolution related options, configuring the host key, mouse capture options and settings for requiring administrator permissions.[20]
- Official guest support for operating systems earlier than Windows XP Professional
- Drag-and-drop file sharing between the guest and the host[21]
- Direct sharing of folders between host and guest operating system (Only volumes may be shared between operating systems)[22]
- Ability to commit changes in undo disks upon turning off virtual machines (Doing so is now only possible through virtual machine Settings dialog box)[23]
- Ability to use physical and virtual Parallel ports[24]
- User interface controls for using virtual floppy disks (Virtual floppy disk functionality, however, is still supported and may be accessed using a script)[25]
- Virtual PC additions for guest operating systems no longer supported have been removed. However, installing Virtual Machine Additions from an older Microsoft virtualization product works for some guest OSes.[26][27][28]
- Properties of the virtual machine, like guest OS, processor, processor features, video mode, video RAM, code cache, IDE controller reads and writes, Ethernet reads and writes, video frame rate and command line options can no longer be viewed.
System requirements
System requirements for Windows Virtual PC:[29][30]
- Computer running Windows 7 (all editions except Starter)
- 1+ GHz processor (32- or 64-bit)
- 1.25 GB memory required, 2 GB recommended
- Additional 15 GB of hard disk space per virtual Windows environment recommended
- Optional: if the processor supports hardware-assisted virtualization technology such as AMD-V or Intel-VT, it will be used. Before March 19, 2010, such a processor was mandatory.
Windows XP Mode
Windows XP Mode (XPM)[31][32] is a virtual machine package for Windows Virtual PC containing a pre-installed, licensed copy of Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 3 as its guest OS. Previously, both the CPU and motherboard of the host had to support hardware virtualization,[4] but an update in early 2010 eliminated this requirement.[33] Pre-installed integration components allow applications running within the virtualized environment to appear as if running directly on the host,[17][34] sharing the native desktop and start menu of Windows 7 as well as participating in file type associations. Windows XP Mode applications run in a Terminal Services session in the virtualized Windows XP, and are accessed via Remote Desktop Protocol by a client running on the Windows 7 host.[35]
Applications running in Windows XP Mode do not have compatibility issues, as they are actually running inside a Windows XP virtual machine and redirected using RDP to the Windows 7 host. Windows XP Mode may be used to run 16-bit applications; it includes NTVDM, although it might be impossible to run 16-bit applications that require hardware acceleration, as Windows Virtual PC does not have hardware acceleration.
Windows XP Mode is available free of charge to users of Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate.[30] Users of other editions of Windows 7 are not eligible to download and use it.[33][36] This restriction does not apply to Windows Virtual PC itself.
Windows XP Mode can also be run with the VMware Player and VMware Workstation. However, VMware products only import Windows XP Mode on Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, or Ultimate to adhere with Microsoft licensing requirements.[37]
Emulated environment
Virtual PC emulates the following environments:[38]
- Intel Pentium II (32-bit) processor (but virtualizes the host processor on Windows versions) with an Intel 440BX chipset.
- Standard SVGA VESA graphics card (S3 Trio 32 PCI with 4 MB video RAM, adjustable in later versions up to 16 MB by manually editing a virtual machine's settings file).
- System BIOS from American Megatrends (AMI).
- Creative Labs Sound Blaster 16 ISA PnP. (When Windows Vista is installed as both the host (main) and guest (virtual) operating systems, settings are synchronized with the host and audio configuration is not required.)
- DEC 21041 (DEC 21140 in newer versions) Ethernet network card.
- Programs using undocumented features of hardware, exotic timings, or unsupported opcodes may not work.
Implementation:
- The Macintosh version of Virtual PC uses dynamic recompilation to translate the x86 code used by PCs into equivalent PowerPC code for Macs.
- The Windows version of Virtual PC also uses dynamic recompilation, but only to translate x86 kernel mode and real mode code into x86 user mode code; original user mode and virtual 8086 mode code run natively.
- Guest call traps are used, especially for guest extensions, to accelerate emulation or offer additional features, such as integration with the host environment.
- Virtual PC and Virtual Server encapsulate virtual hard disks in the Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) file format, for which Microsoft has made all documentation available under the Open Specification Promise.
Earlier versions of Virtual PC supported the following features: (now removed in Microsoft Virtual PC 2004, 2007, and Windows Virtual PC):
- Older versions of Virtual PC (v5.0 or earlier) may have the hard disk formatted after creating the Virtual Hard Disk file. Newer versions must partition and format the Virtual Hard Disk file manually.
- A Virtual Switch available in Virtual PC version 4.1 or earlier allows adding multiple network adapters.
- Older operating systems are supported with Virtual Machine additions.
- Older versions of Virtual PC for Macintosh can run on Mac OS 9.2.2 or earlier. Support of Apple System 7.5 was dropped in version 3.
Virtual machine integration components
Windows Virtual PC may enable guest operating systems running inside virtual machines to interact with their host operating system beyond what is feasible between two physical computers, such as sharing physical hardware components or exchanging data. To do so however, integration components must be installed on the guest operating systems. When no integration component is installed, the only mean of communicating between two machines (either virtual or physical) is through a virtual network interface. Even the mouse cursor can only be controlled by one operating system (either real or virtual) at any given time. However, once the Integration Components are installed on the guest operating systems, the following features are automatically activated:[39]
- Mouse cursor sharing: Mouse cursor can be moved freely between the machines.
- Host-initiated shutdown: Virtual machine can be shut down, restarted or put into standby or hibernation via a set of API functions.
- Time synchronization: The virtual machine's clock will be automatically synchronized with the host operating system's clock.
- Process responsiveness monitoring: Host operating system will be able to detect whether the software on the guest operating system is responsive or hung.
- Dynamic screen resolution: The screen resolution of the guest operating system can be changed by simply resizing the window in which it is running. However, the VM can be configured to allow only standard resolutions.
In addition to features described above, guest operating systems may also take advantage of the following integration features but only when the administrator activates them:[39]
- Audio sharing: Audio played on the guest operating system may be brought to the host operating system and played on it.
- Clipboard sharing: Contents such as text, picture or everything that is cut or copied to Windows Clipboard maybe pasted in other machines.
- Printer sharing: Guest operating systems may print on the host operating system's printer. This feature should not be confused with File and Printer Sharing over an emulated network connection.
- Smart card sharing: Smart cards connected to host operating system may be accessed on guest operating systems.
- File sharing: Windows Virtual PC can also share disk partitions and disk drives of the host operating system with guest operating systems.[21][22] This includes USB mass storage devices that are connected later.[40]
In Windows Virtual PC, enabling integration features automatically makes the virtual machine user account accessible using Remote Desktop Connection.[39]
Supported host and guest operating systems
Virtual PC allows multiple guest operating systems to run virtualized on a single physical host. Although a number of popular host and guest operating systems lack official Microsoft support, there are sometimes few, if any, technical obstacles impeding installation. Instead, a configuration may be unsupported due to Microsoft's own licensing restrictions,[41][42] or a decision to focus testing and support resources elsewhere, especially when production use of a legacy product fades.[43][44]
A program manager on Microsoft's core virtualization team explains what official support entails:
With each release of Virtual PC we spend a significant amount of time trying to decide which (guest) operating system should be officially supported. While Virtual PC is capable of running many operating systems, official support for an operating system means that we will test it thoroughly, not ship Virtual PC if an issue exists with that operating system, and provide full support for customers who encounter problems while running these operating systems under Virtual PC.[43]— Ben Armstrong, "Virtual PC Guy"
As a product positioned for desktop use, Virtual PC provides official support for a different set of operating systems than its server-oriented counterpart, Microsoft Virtual Server and the more advanced Hyper-V.[45][46] While the latter products support a range of server operating systems,[47][48] Virtual PC 2007 supports only one variety as host and another as guest;[49] its successor, Windows Virtual PC, supports none.[50] And, whereas Virtual Server and Hyper-V have officially supported select Linux guests since 2006[51] and 2008,[52] respectively, as of 2009, no Microsoft release of Virtual PC has officially supported Linux. Nonetheless, a number of Linux distributions[52] do run successfully in Virtual PC 2007, and can be used with the Virtual Machine Additions from Virtual Server (see below).[53][54] Lastly, while 64-bit host support was introduced with Virtual PC 2007, no release has been able to virtualize a 64-bit guest;[55][56][57] Microsoft has thus far reserved this functionality for Hyper-V, which runs only on 64-bit (x64) editions of Windows Server 2008.[47][58]
Table of supported operating systems
In the following table and notes, "support" refers to official Microsoft support, as described above.
|
|
Notes – details of Microsoft support
- 1 2 Supported editions: OS/2 Warp Version 4 Fix Pack 15, OS/2 Warp Convenience Pack 1, and OS/2 Warp Convenience Pack 2.[49][59][63]
- 1 Support added in Virtual PC 2004 Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition as a host.[60]
- 1 2 3 4 5 For Virtual PC 2007, Microsoft designated the following legacy operating systems "compatible", but discontinued official support: MS-DOS 6.22, Windows NT 4.0 Workstation, Windows 95, the original release of Windows 98 and Windows Me.[49][63]
- 1 2 3 4 For Windows Vista guests in Virtual PC 2007, the Windows Aero graphical user interface is disabled due to limitations of the emulated S3 Trio[69] graphics card; the interface falls back to the Vista Home Basic theme. However, Aero effects can be rendered by connecting to the guest via Remote Desktop Connection from an Aero-enabled host.[8][70]
- 1 Support added in Virtual PC 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Windows Server 2008 Standard as a guest.[49]
- 1 2 Microsoft's January 2008 EULA supplement[42][71] for Windows Vista lifted restrictions[72][73] barring installation of Vista Home Basic and Home Premium as guest operating systems.[41][74][75][76]
- 1 2 3 January 2008 EULA supplement[42][71] for Windows Vista lifted restrictions[73] barring use of BitLocker[77][78][79] and Microsoft-DRM-protected content within virtualized environments.[41][76][80]
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Support added in a Virtual PC 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1) hotfix rollup, dated February 20, 2009, for Windows XP Home as both host and guest, and for all Home editions of Windows Vista as hosts.[64]
- 1 2 3 4 The pre-configured XP Mode of Windows Virtual PC is restricted to Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate hosts.[65] However, an equivalent environment can be configured manually by installing Windows XP SP3 as a guest (requires an XP license and installation media or files) and applying an integration components update (available for download[81] from Microsoft) to enable seamless mode and other Windows 7 integration features.[82]
- ^ The integration components enabling seamless mode and other features[82] of Windows Virtual PC support only the following guests: Windows XP Pro Service Pack 3 (SP3);[81] Windows Vista Business SP1, Enterprise SP1, and Ultimate SP1;[83] and Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate.[50][65]
Notes – not supported installations
- 1 Virtual PC 2007 does not include Virtual Machine Additions for MS-DOS as a self installing disk image (installed using a batch file), however the files are included in the Virtual Machine Additions ISO image file (typically found in the 'Program Files' folder where Virtual PC was installed) and can be extracted by various means (a number of file compression software packages support extracting files from ISO image files) for manual installation, also the DOS additions from Virtual PC 2004 can be used without problem as can the DOS additions from Virtual Server 2005.[44]
- 1 The Virtual Machine Additions included with Virtual PC 2007 will not install on Windows 95 guests, but the additions from Virtual PC 2004 can be used.[43]
- 1 In informal testing, Microsoft virtualization manager Ben Armstrong found XP Media Center 2004 "distorted and unusable" under Virtual PC 2004, but Media Center 2005 worked "beautifully", sans TV features.[84]
- 1 2 3 MSDN blogs report that pre-release versions of Windows 7, similar to the forthcoming Ultimate edition,[85] run successfully as both host and guest operating systems on Virtual PC 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1). Integration features provided by Virtual Machine Additions function normally, but Virtual PC 2007 must be SP1 or later.[86][87][88] See "Windows 7 on Virtual PC on Windows 7"[86] for more caveats.
- 1 2 Although Windows NT 3.1 and NT 3.5 refuse to install on newer processors (NT 3.51 fixes this), it is possible to modify files on the install CD to allow install.
Linux guests
Installing a Linux-based guest environment in Virtual PC is possible. RedHat and SuSe Linux guests are supported. Linux additions are supported in Microsoft Virtual Server, and these additions should also work in Virtual PC.[53]
Some Linux distributions must be installed in text mode, as they do not support Microsoft Virtual PC's emulated graphics chip. Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex) must be installed in SafeMode, but does not require other changes.
Some websites specialize in listing operating systems that run successfully as Virtual PC guests, to help users avoid issues when installing Linux distributions or other operating systems lacking official Microsoft support.[89]
Intel-based Mac support
Microsoft announced on August 7, 2006, that Virtual PC for Mac would not be ported to the Intel Mac platform. Microsoft stated, "Alternative solutions offered by Apple and other vendors, combined with a fully packaged retail copy of Windows, will satisfy this need."[90] Similar products available or announced at the time were Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion.
See also
- About Microsoft virtualization technology
- About virtualization
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Windows Virtual PC". Download Center. Microsoft. February 14, 2011. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 "Description of Virtual PC for Windows 7". Microsoft support. Microsoft. April 1, 2010. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
- ↑ "Virtual PC is free!". July 12, 2006. Retrieved October 14, 2009.
- 1 2 Heng, Christopher. "Free PC/Intel x86 Emulators and Virtual Machines". thefreecountry.com. TheFreeCountry. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
- ↑ "PC in a Mac". Yale Engineering Home newsgroup. University of Yale. 8 April 1997. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
[...]Connectix Virtual PC is designed to run on Power PC systems running System 7.5 or later. Pricing will be announced when the product becomes generally available for the retail channel in June 1997.
- ↑ Innotek/Connectix Virtual PC
- ↑ "Virtual PC 7 for Mac". Microsoft for Mac – Australian website. Microsoft corporation. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
- 1 2 Savill, John (June 2007). "Running the Aero UI When Using Virtual PC 2007" (Fee required). Windows IT Pro. Penton Media. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- ↑ Protalinski, Emil (15 May 2008). "Microsoft releases Virtual PC 2007 SP1". Ars Technica. Condé Nast. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
- ↑ "Virtual PC 2007 SP1 Release Notes". Microsoft. May 15, 2008. Retrieved June 28, 2009.
- ↑ "Description of the hotfix rollup package for Virtual PC 2007 Service Pack 1: February 20, 2009 (revision 2.0)". Support. Microsoft. 8 October 2011. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
- ↑ "Microsoft Security Bulletin MS09-033 - Important: Vulnerability in Virtual PC and Virtual Server Could Allow Elevation of Privilege (969856)". Microsoft. March 9, 2010. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
- ↑ "Download details: Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 SP1". Microsoft Download Center. Microsoft Corporation. May 5, 2005. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
- ↑ "Description of the hotfix rollup package for Virtual PC 2007 Service Pack 1: February 20, 2009 (Revision: 1.2)". Microsoft Support. Microsoft Corporation. February 20, 2009. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
- ↑ "Vulnerability in Virtual PC and Virtual Server Could Allow Elevation of Privilege (969856)". Microsoft TechNet. Microsoft Corporation. July 14, 2009. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
- ↑ Hachman, Mark (April 30, 2009). "Microsoft Posts Windows Virtual PC Beta". PC Magazine. Ziff-Davis. Retrieved June 28, 2009.
- 1 2 "Windows Virtual PC". Microsoft.com.
- ↑ "Compare some of the many features of Virtual PC 2007 to Windows Virtual PC". Microsoft Corporation.
- ↑ Faden, Michael (13 May 2009). "Selling Windows 7 to Enterprise" (PDF). acommit.ch. Acommit AG. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
- ↑ "Are Windows Virtual PC "Options" Still available ?". TechNet Forums. Microsoft. January 3, 2011. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
- 1 2 "Windows Virtual PC". Windows Virtual PC blog. Microsoft corporation. August 4, 2009. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
@EnricoG: Drag and Drop is not a supported feature in WVPC. Clipboard sharing (for cut, copy and paste) and drive/folder sharing are supported.
- 1 2 "Folder Sharing between Windows 7 and VM". Windows Virtual PC blog. Microsoft corporation. December 21, 2009. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
- ↑ Armstrong, Ben (September 18, 2009). "Windows Virtual PC and Undo Disks". Virtual PC Guy's Blog. Microsoft corporation. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
- ↑ Armstrong, Ben (June 26, 2009). "Creating Virtual Hard Disks with Windows Virtual PC". Virtual PC Guy's Blog. Microsoft corporation. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
Windows Virtual PC does not support parallel ports. As Tom mentions, you will have to use a USB adapter if you want this functionality.
- ↑ Armstrong, Ben (October 1, 2009). "Using Floppy Disks with Windows Virtual PC". Virtual PC Guy's Blog. Microsoft corporation. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
- ↑ "Installing DOS additions under VPC 2007". Ben Armstrong’s Virtualization Blog. Microsoft. Oct 31, 2007. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
- ↑ "Installing Windows 98 on Windows Virtual PC". Blogs.msdn.com. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
- ↑ "Using Virtual PC 2004 Additions to Enhance the Windows 2000 Guest Experience on Windows Virtual PC". The App Compat Guy. Microsoft. 19 July 2010. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
- ↑ "Download Windows Virtual PC from Official Microsoft Download Center". Microsoft.com. 14 February 2011. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
- 1 2 "Windows XP Mode for Windows 7 brochure" (PDF). Microsoft corporation. 2009. Retrieved June 28, 2009.
- ↑ "Download Windows XP Mode". Official Microsoft Download Center. Microsoft Corporation. Archived from the original on July 23, 2014. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
- ↑ "Windows XP Mode in Windows 7 and Virtual PC – Part 1: Maintaining Application Compatibility". Windows XP Mode in Windows 7 and Virtual PC – Part 1: Maintaining Application Compatibility. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
- 1 2 "Windows Virtual PC: FAQ". Windows Virtual PC website. Microsoft Corporation. Retrieved November 22, 2010.
- ↑ Rivera, Rafael; Thurrott, Paul (April 24, 2009). "Secret No More: Revealing Windows XP Mode for Windows 7". Within Windows. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
- ↑ Rafael Rivera. "Windows XP Mode Internals – Part 2 (Application Publishing Magic)". WithinWindows.com. Archived from the original on May 11, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2009.
- ↑ "Download Windows XP Mode". Windows Virtual PC website. Microsoft Corporation. Archived from the original on June 28, 2012. Retrieved November 22, 2010.
(After selecting an inappropriate edition of Windows 7) You are not eligible to download Windows XP Mode. You must have Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, or Ultimate to run Windows XP Mode.
- ↑ "Run XP Mode in VMware Workstation or Player with Activation Intact". My Digital Life. May 13, 2010. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
- ↑ "Overview of the technical specifications of virtual machines in Virtual PC 2004". Microsoft.com. October 27, 2004. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
- 1 2 3 Tulloch, Mitch (2010). Understanding Microsoft Virtualization Solutions, From the Desktop to the Datacenter (PDF) (2nd ed.). Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press. pp. 133–136.
- ↑ "USB Architecture in Windows Virtual PC". Windows Virtual PC blog. Microsoft corporation. December 13, 2009. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
- 1 2 3 Bergstein, Brian (February 28, 2007). "Microsoft puts up roadblocks on Vista for Mac owners". The New York Times. New York: The New York Times Company. Associated Press. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
Microsoft says the blockade is necessary for security reasons … Cherry says that what is really going on is that Microsoft wanted to create more differences between the multiple editions of Vista, presumably giving people more reason to buy the most expensive versions.
- 1 2 3 "Microsoft Software License Terms" (PDF). Microsoft Use Terms. Microsoft. p. 13. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
If you [install the software within a virtual system], you may not play or access content or use applications protected by any Microsoft digital, information or enterprise rights management technology or other Microsoft rights management services or use BitLocker.
(The later Vista SP1 EULA adopted the amended terms of the January 2008 Supplement.) - 1 2 3 Armstrong, Ben (January 3, 2007). "Why won't the Virtual PC 2007 Virtual Machine Additions load on Windows 95?". Virtual PC Guy's Weblog. MSDN Blogs. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- 1 2 Armstrong, Ben (October 30, 2007). "Installing DOS additions under VPC 2007". Virtual PC Guy's WebLog. MSDN Blogs. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- ↑ "Microsoft Virtualization Technologies". Infrastructure Planning and Design. Microsoft TechNet. February 25, 2008. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- 1 2 Davis, Megan (May 24, 2005). Blade, Tina, ed. "Virtual PC vs. Virtual Server: Comparison of Features and Uses" (Microsoft Word). Microsoft Download Center. Microsoft.com. Retrieved July 10, 2009. See also download details.
- 1 2 "Virtual Server 2005 Frequently Asked Questions". Microsoft Virtual Server. Microsoft.com. May 14, 2008. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- ↑ "Virtualization with Hyper-V: Supported Guest Operating Systems". Windows Server 2008 – Product Information. Microsoft.com. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Virtual PC 2007 SP1 Release Notes". Microsoft Download Center. Microsoft.com. May 15, 2008. Retrieved July 10, 2009. See also download details.
- 1 2 3 "Windows Virtual PC Tips" (PDF). Microsoft Download Center. Microsoft. May 18, 2009. Retrieved July 10, 2009. See also download details. (Contains a more precise and complete list of supported operating systems than the Requirements page on Microsoft.com.)
- ↑ Armstrong, Ben (April 3, 2006). "Linux is now supported under Virtual Server". Virtual PC Guy's Weblog. MSDN Blogs. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- 1 2 Earp, Sean (June 29, 2008). "Linux on Hyper-V". The Sean Blog. Microsoft TechNet. Retrieved July 10, 2009. (Also links to individual posts on installing various Linux distributions in Virtual PC 2007.)
- 1 2 Armstrong, Ben (October 23, 2007). "Updated Virtual Machine Additions for Linux available". Virtual PC Guy's WebLog. MSDN Blogs. Retrieved June 28, 2009.
As always – this is only supported on Virtual Server – but should work just fine on Virtual PC.
- ↑ "Virtual Machine Additions for Linux". Microsoft Download Center. Microsoft.com. October 24, 2007. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- ↑ Cummings, Joanne (November 1, 2006). "Microsoft Virtual PC: Good Enough – for the Price". Redmondmag.com. 1105 Media. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- ↑ Woolsey, Jeff (July 10, 2007). "Microsoft Virtualization and Virtual PC 2007". Microsoft Virtualization Team Blog. Microsoft TechNet. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- ↑ Savill, John (May 7, 2009). "Does Windows Virtual PC in Windows 7 support 64-bit guest OSs?". Windows IT Pro. Penton Media. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- ↑ "Virtualization with Hyper-V: FAQ". Windows Server 2008 – Product Information. Microsoft.com. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- 1 2 "Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 – Product Details". Product Information Center. Microsoft.com. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- 1 2 "Readme for Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 Service Pack 1". Download Center. Microsoft. 12 October 2004. Retrieved 10 July 2009.
- ↑ "Demo: Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 Features". Event Review: Microsoft Virtual PC Overview – Session TNT1-103. Microsoft TechNet. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- ↑ "Download Details: Virtual PC 2004 SP1". Microsoft Download Center. Microsoft.com. August 30, 2006. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- 1 2 3 "Virtual PC 2007 Release Notes". Microsoft Download Center. Microsoft.com. February 19, 2007. Retrieved July 10, 2009. See also download details.
- 1 2 "Description of the hotfix rollup package for Virtual PC 2007 Service Pack 1: February 20, 2009". Microsoft Help and Support. Microsoft.com. February 20, 2009. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- 1 2 3 "Windows Virtual PC – Requirements". Microsoft.com. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- ↑ "Windows Virtual PC – FAQ". Microsoft.com. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- ↑ "Windows Virtual PC Beta". Microsoft Download Center. Microsoft.com. May 4, 2009. Archived from the original on July 4, 2009. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- ↑ Armstrong, Ben (October 26, 2004). "Windows 3.11 on Virtual PC". Virtual PC Guy's WebLog. MSDN Blogs. Retrieved July 10, 2009. (Microsoft manager Ben Armstrong reports that Windows 3.11 installs without a problem in Virtual PC 2004.)
- ↑ Armstrong, Ben (January 26, 2005). "Why we emulated the devices that we do?". Virtual PC Guy's WebLog. MSDN Blogs. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- ↑ Schweigert, Marc (March 14, 2007). "Get the Windows Vista Aero theme in a Guest OS using Virtual PC 2007". Microsoft Public Sector Developer and Platform Evangelism Team Blog. MSDN Blogs. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- 1 2 "Microsoft Software Supplemental License Terms" (PDF). Microsoft Use Terms. Microsoft. January 2008. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- ↑ Armstrong, Ben (January 22, 2008). "Virtualization Announcements". Virtual PC Guy's WebLog. MSDN Blogs. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- 1 2 Oiaga, Marius (January 22, 2008). "The Windows Vista Virtualization Doors Are Wide Opened". Softpedia News. Softpedia. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- ↑ Microsoft Partner Program (March 2008). Licensing Reseller Handbook for Microsoft Partners (PDF). Microsoft. p. 58. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
Windows Vista Home Basic and Windows Vista Home Premium cannot be used within a virtual (or otherwise emulated) hardware system.
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at position 37 (help) - ↑ Albro, Edward N.; Dahl, Eric (February 20, 2007). "The Most Annoying Things About Windows Vista". PC World. International Data Group. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
Well, this is only a licensing provision, so nothing in the software will prevent you from running either Home version in a virtual machine. But that would be wrong.
- 1 2 Lai, Eric (June 22, 2007). "Analysis: DRM may be why Microsoft flip-flopped on Vista virtualization". Computerworld. International Data Group. Retrieved July 10, 2009. (Microsoft originally planned to rescind the restrictions in June 2007.)
- ↑ Armstrong, Ben (January 23, 2008). "Using BitLocker under Virtual PC / Virtual Server". Virtual PC Guy's WebLog. MSDN Blogs. Retrieved July 10, 2009. (Instructions were reposted the day after Microsoft released its Vista EULA Supplement in January 2008.)
- ↑ Armstrong, Ben (April 30, 2007). "Using Vista BitLocker under Virtual PC / Virtual Server". Virtual PC Guy's WebLog. MSDN Blogs. Retrieved July 10, 2009. (Instructions provided in the post were deleted to comply with Microsoft's original Vista EULA).
- ↑ Malach, Eyal (February 19, 2008). "Encrypting Vista with BitLocker in Virtual PC or Virtual Machine". Eyal Malach Blog. Microsoft Blogs – Israel. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- ↑ Oiaga, Marius (June 2, 2007). "Install Windows Vista Ultimate in Windows Vista – Vista Virtualization Guidelines". Softpedia News. Softpedia. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- 1 2 "RAIL QFE Beta Windows XP SP3". Microsoft Download Center. Microsoft.com. May 4, 2009. Archived from the original on July 4, 2009. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- 1 2 "Windows Virtual PC Evaluation Guide". Windows 7 Technical Library. Microsoft TechNet. May 4, 2009. Retrieved July 10, 2009. Also available for download.
- ↑ "RAIL QFE Beta for Vista SP1". Microsoft Download Center. Microsoft.com. May 4, 2009. Archived from the original on July 4, 2009. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- ↑ Armstrong, Ben (November 6, 2004). "Windows Media Center 2005 under Virtual PC". Virtual PC Guy's WebLog. MSDN Blogs. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- ↑ "Windows 7 Release Candidate: FAQ". Microsoft.com. 2009. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- 1 2 Armstrong, Ben (January 13, 2009). "Windows 7 on Virtual PC on Windows 7". Virtual PC Guy's WebLog. MSDN Blogs. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- ↑ Krishnamoorthy, Ajoy (January 19, 2009). "Installing Virtual PC 2007 SP1 in Windows 7". Ajoyk – Patterns and Practices, VSTS, Process. MSDN Blogs. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- ↑ Manning, James (January 10, 2009). "Upgrading to SP1 fixes VM Additions for Win7 Beta!". James Manning's Blog. MSDN Blogs. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- ↑ Maltz, Jonathan. "What Works and What Doesn't in Microsoft Virtual PC 2004". visualwin.com. Self published. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
- ↑ Cohen, Peter (August 7, 2006). "WWDC: Microsoft kills Virtual PC for Mac". MacWorld. Retrieved October 8, 2007.
External links
- Windows Virtual PC, official website
- Virtual PC Guy blog on MSDN
- Windows XP Mode, TechNet