Why XP Mode was a great idea.


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Reason for posting, is because I'm getting fed up with reading that it is a complete waste of time, and serves no purpose. Of course it doesn't give you play games it is not meant for you.

I've been using Windows Vista 64-bit, now Windows 7 64-bit ever since the beta version, I have never been able to use my laser printer which is a good industrial one that is very cost-effective when printing colour, unless of course I dual boot which is a pain.

They have never released 64-bit drivers and they are not going to, the Windows XP 32-bit driver is extremely buggy when used in Vista or Windows 7 32-bit.

I can now run Windows 7 64 bit and whenever I want to print something I just use XP mode, it loaded the driver I associate the USB printer with it and it works amazing, no more looking around to buying a new printer.

Yes I do have an Epson PX 700 W but that does not cut it for the large print runs, and quality when it comes to printing documents.

The other reason is businesses that have spent thousands on custom software, which would cost thousands to upgrade. Take this scenario you run a small vinyl printing company, the software you bought for approximately $2000 7 years ago will only work in Windows XP, you virtually have no chance of upgrading because that company is now gone bust or the new version is going to cost you $2000.

Simple upgrade to Windows 7 and run it in XP Mode.

You get all the benefits of Windows 7 doing everything else, and you do not need to spend $2000 on a new program that will not give you any benefit apart from it is compatible with a new version of Windows.

Yes this scenario is very real, I have seen it many times. Not always vinyl programs, dedicated database programs, custom written accounts packages and any kind of custom written program that still does the job perfectly but will not work in Windows 7.

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Good post. It should be obvious that it isn't for everyone. The niche markets it is for will have an invaluable resource for the future, because of it.

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You could do the same with vmware.

You would then need to buy a Windows XP, buy VMWare for extra features, and then still would not integrate the way this does.

I have used VMWare a lot, I could never get my printer to work like I did this time.

Have you tried it to see how easy it is? The way that it runs just like it is another application on your desktop, copying and pasting all your drives are available.

Runs programs straight from Win 7 start menu.

I think VM Ware does have its place but I have to be honest after trying this it is so much better when wanting use XP in 7.

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How does this differ from installing a program in XP compatibility mode? I have used this effectively in the past on Win7 where programs don't run right, or where the wizard pops up to say it might not install properly. Just right click the executable, Properties>Compatibility and select XP sp2 and run as admin.

Is this the same as that?

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How does this differ from installing a program in XP compatibility mode? I have used this effectively in the past on Win7 where programs don't run right, or where the wizard pops up to say it might not install properly. Just right click the executable, Properties>Compatibility and select XP sp2 and run as admin.

Is this the same as that?

That compatibility setting does some very basic compatibility actions, for example if the program asks which version of Windows it is being run on, Windows will lie and say it's running which ever Windows you chose. This will fix basic problems (if a program insists it only wants to run on XP but it works fine on newer versions anyway.) It also does some other changes but I'm not too sure on the details there.

XP Mode actually IS XP, so all compatibility issues are gone and it runs exactly like it does on XP, albeit slower as it is being emulated so you won't want to run 3D games on it.

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