Feature #1 - Windows XP Mode

As earlier discussed about the 77 features  of Windows® 7 , the first feature we will look at is the Windows XP Mode. Do you remember Windows 95 and the restart into DOS mode? Windows 7 has a feature for those XP applications that do not work while running under Windows 7, and no reboot is necessary. It is an add-in to the operating system download Windows 7 XP Mode, known as XPM, free from the Microsoft. 

You will be able to run XP applications in an emulated XP virtualization environment. The download consists of a fully licensed version of Windows XP with SP3 Virtual PC environment from Microsoft. Your system will need to be running a CPU that supports processor-based virtualization and have installed Windows 7 Pro, Enterprise, or Ultimate edition. XP

Mode only works with systems that have hardware virtualization (AMD-V or Intel VT) built-in and turned on.

Unlike Virtual PC, though, it’s not a standalone virtualization program. Once installed, XP Mode works behind the scenes and allows programs to run seamlessly alongside native Windows 7 applications. Microsoft claims nearly 100% compatibility with current Windows XP applications in XPM. To help determine if your computer is capable of running this kind of environment you can download the Microsoft Hardware-Assisted Virtualization Detection Tool, known as HAV, to check if the computer processor supports Hardware Virtualization and if this setting is enabled in the Bios. Certain other hardware specifications might need to be in place; but no problem, the HAV will determine what is needed.