Prev: Virtual Vista will not connect to internet
Next: XP Mode Applications do not create icons in Win7 Start Menu
From: Chris Morse on 23 Mar 2010 14:42

I recently upgraded my machine from XP Pro to Windows 7 Pro. I was
somewhat excited to try out the XP mode and Windows Virtual PC on
Windows 7.

Windows Virtual PC seems to bring:

(1) (GOOD) Support for (some?) USB peripherals. Mainly I've attached
USB thumb drives.
(2) (GOOD/BAD) Ability to run a program inside my virtual machine as
if they were on my Windows 7 machine.
(3) (BAD) Graphics capability has gone backwards in Windows Virtual PC
- graphic modes are configurable in VPC 2007, but Windows Virtual PC
forces 16-bit graphics with no escape. Very ugly and it smacks of
deliberate downgrading on Microsoft's part.

As for the integration, allowing me to run an application on my
virtual machine, it's kinda honkey. You must log out and shut down
the Windows Virtual PC machine in order to run the program from
Windows 7. This makes it awkward - Running Visual Studio 2003 this
way, how can I easily modify, say, an INI file that my program uses
when it executes - do I have to have another "link" to Window
Explorer, and will that even work? It's much easier to develop inside
the Virtual PC, without the integration feature.

So if I am going to run inside the virtual PC anyhow, I may as well
ditch Windows Virtual PC and stick with Virtual PC 2007, and get half
decent graphics/video. I can live without the USB, I can map in
drives and folders for file transfers in and out.

It just seems a shame. I know Microsoft has an "Upgrade Windows
Anytime" to allow you to move from Home Premium to Professional to
Ultimate.. do they have a "Downgrade Windows Anytime" function, and I
can get a partial refund? =)

I'll end my rant there..

// CHRIS
From: Chris Morse on 23 Mar 2010 15:23
On Mar 23, 2:42 pm, Chris Morse <win32...(a)gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I'll end my rant there..


Or not.

So I'm trying to stick with Windows Virtual PC. I unpacked my VPC2007
virtual machine again and installed it in WinVPC, but did not install
the new Integration features. I can map in a network drive easily for
file transferring..

Every time I start up my virtual XP machine, it asks me if I want to
upgrade the integration features.. Any way to turn that off, so I
don't have to click cancel every time it starts up? In the virtual
machine setup, under "Integration Features", I unchecked the "Enable
at Startup" checkbox (I guess that just disables it if it's already
installed; it keeps wanting to install it.) and that makes no
difference- it still prompts to do it every time I start up.

// CHRIS
 | 
Pages: 1
Prev: Virtual Vista will not connect to internet
Next: XP Mode Applications do not create icons in Win7 Start Menu