QUESTION I was very interested to learn that it's possible to run older programs in Windows XP Mode on my Microsoft Windows 7 PC. However, I've been unable to make this work on my Acer Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit laptop. Can you tell me where I'm going wrong? Glyn Foster
HELPROOM ANSWER Unfortunately, only the Professional and Ultimate editions of Windows 7 let you run Windows XP Mode. However, other free virtual computing options are available for Home Premium, including VirtualBox.
VirtualBox is easy to use and comes with full instructions.
Once downloaded, check that the 'Virtualisation' option is turned on in the Bios. Your computer needs to have enough RAM to power both Windows and any virtual machine you run. Ideally, a minimum of 4GB RAM should be installed for Windows 64bit.
You'll also need an XP installation disc and a valid licence key – you can pick one up for around £30 online. Alternatively, you can run a free version of Linux with VirtualBox.
Other similar tools include VMLite XP Mode.
See also: How to fix everything: the ultimate guide to fixing technology
Comments
Paul Crawford said: If you have a currently working XP machine you can use the VMware converter tool to turn the physical machine in to a virtual one and then you can install the VM player on your PC Linux win7 x86 Mac and run itHowever you will need at least as much free space on a 2nd disk as you currently use on the XP box eg C usage and expect the initial conversion process to take a couple of hours