The Windows Virtual PC is the free virtualization software for Windows 7 which allows user to setup a virtual machine to run more than one operating system at the same time on one computer, and to run legacy productivity application software on a virtual Windows XP Mode environment which otherwise does not compatible with Windows 7 system.
With the release of Windows 7 SP1, Microsoft has updated and refreshed Windows Virtual PC to support Windows 7 SP1 as guest operating system. The refreshed version of Windows Virtual PC with version number of 6.1.7600.16393 supports the following Host and Guest Operating systems:
- Host: Windows 7 Home Basic, Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 7 Enterprise.
- Guest: Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) Professional, Windows Vista Enterprise Service Pack 1 (SP1), Windows Vista Ultimate Service Pack 1 (SP1), Windows Vista Business Service Pack 1 (SP1), Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 7 Enterprise.
The new version of Windows Virtual PC can be downloaded from its official homepage or through Microsoft Download Center. Both requires Windows to be validated as genuine.
Windows XP Mode, a free pre-installed and pre-activated Windows XP SP3 virtual machine, has no change and can still be downloaded. If you haven’t upgraded to Windows 7 SP1 and the system has no hardware virtualization, download the patch to disable hardware VT requirement of Windows Virtual PC.
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