Everybody’s got an opinion on how to keep a Windows system running fast and smooth. Some tips are timeless, others are bunk that always recirculate. Here’s a closer look at what really helps and hurts your Windows PC.
Windows XP Mode is a pre-configured solution for Windows 7 users needing support for older software, and, until recently, it required AMD-V or VT processor hardware . An update released today should make XP Mode far more accessible to more Windows 7 users. If you’re a 7 user who’s been trapped by the lack of that finicky hardware requirement, check out the XP Mode page later today and look for the update.
Windows 7 only: If you’ve been itching to use the new XP Mode feature in Windows 7 , but you aren’t too keen on using Virtual PC or just prefer VirtualBox, here’s how to use XP Mode in VirtualBox. We’ve already covered how to setup and use XP Mode in Windows 7 , how to use it on a machine without hardware virtualization , and then how to create your own XP Mode for any version of Windows with the freeware VMWare Player software, but if VirtualBox is your virtualization platform of choice, writer Matthew from How-To Geek (my home away from Lifehacker) has you covered with a guide to setting up XP Mode under Windows 7 using VirtualBox instead of Virtual PC.
Windows 7 does a pretty good job of detecting applications made for older Windows versions and offering a compatibility fix. If you’ve got an app that just won’t run, though, take a dive into the Compatibility Mode’s deeper settings for a solution
Whether you want to run XP mode on your Windows 7 machine and you can’t for lack of a chip that supports virtualization, or you just don’t want to use Microsoft’s virtualization software, you can run XP mode sans virtualization. Over at How-To Geek they’ve put together a guide to running XP mode without jumping through all the Microsoft-approved hoops. You’ll need to download XP Mode from Microsoft (but skip the part where you download Virtual PC) and grab a copy of the free VMware Player.
Windows 7′s XP Mode feature seamlessly runs your older applications in a virtualized Windows XP behind the scenes, but if you’re using the Home edition, you’re out of luck. Here’s how to create your own XP Mode for any version. Over at How-To Geek (my home away from Lifehacker), writer Matthew covers how to use VMWare Player’s Unity feature to create a seamless virtual machine that runs applications alongside your primary OS—and it works for any version of Windows
Windows 7′s XP Mode feature seamlessly runs your older applications in a virtualized Windows XP behind the scenes, but if you’re using the Home edition, you’re out of luck. Here’s how to create your own XP Mode for any version.
Whether you want to run XP mode on your Windows 7 machine and you can’t for lack of a chip that supports virtualization or you just don’t want to use Microsoft’s virtualization software, you can run XP mode sans virtualization. Over at How-To Geek they’ve put together a guide to running XP mode without jumping through all the Microsoft-approved hoops
Windows 7 does a pretty good job of detecting applications made for older Windows versions and offering a compatibility fix.
Microsoft put far more work into the look and themes of Windows 7 than its previous operating systems. Pull down that design work into your non-7-system with Digital Inspiration’s simple work-arounds. You can’t just grab the files from Windows 7′s themes gallery and set them as your own
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