Share via

Using XP Mode

  • Article

Recently I had a customer demo to deliver for SharePoint 2007. I had the VM checked out and needed to set it up the evening before the demo. So I fired up my virtual PC app. Surprise, surprise! Windows 7 does not support VPC! Panic mode sets in and I’ve got all pistons firing – how do I recover this for the demo tomorrow at 11?

  • Move to Windows Server 2008 w/HyperV?
  • Move to XP? or Vista?
  • XP Mode?!

What I’d discovered was that XP Mode is actually a VPC like app running a VM with XP preinstalled. So I figured that if I could get that to run, I’d be able to fire up a VHD I had. (instructions on how to get it running)

So I download the requisite files from microsoft.com and they install fine. Now comes the moment of truth. Double click. Configuration screen. Pass. Error message!? – Need to enable hardware virtualization. OK, fine, no trouble.

Downloaded the Intel utility to check my hardware. Test results came out ok. Went into BIOS and enabled the Virtualization Technology. Back to Windows and double click – same error! And so I sat there dumbfounded. Fiddled with it for the next 3 hours and finally decided to reread the instructions.

Enable Virtualization Tech and then Shutdown machine, disconnect from power for 10 seconds. – that’s the gist of what I’d missed. Did that and VT was up and running! Double click to see the beautiful sight of the VM booting up.