This morning we announced  the availability of Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP mode Release Candidate. RC is an important milestone in our path to final delivery of Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode.VPC_started_01

Windows Virtual PC (WVPC) is a client virtualisation software, which can be used on Windows 7 to create multiple Virtual Machines (VMs), each running a different operating system (OS). WVPC can be obtained as a free download from Windows Virtual PC website. WVPC is the engine which supports Windows XP Mode, a preconfigured VM running Windows XP SP3 provided by Microsoft on Windows Professional, Ultimate and Enterprise SKUs.

Windows XP Mode is specially designed for small and medium-sized businesses to help ease the migration process to Windows 7 by providing additional compatibility for their older productivity applications.

Please make sure to read the Release Notes and the Installation Guide before installing.  You need to uninstall the Beta before installing the RC product binaries, upgrades aren’t supported.

New Features in Windows XP Mode RC

Based on feedback from the Windows XP Mode beta, we’ve made several improvements to the usability of Windows XP Mode for small and medium-sized business users:

  • You can now attach USB devices to Windows XP Mode applications directly from the Windows 7 task-bar. This means your USB devices, such as printers and flash drives, are available to applications running in Windows XP Mode, without the need to go into full screen mode.
  • You can now access Windows XP Mode applications with a “jump-list”. Right click on the Windows XP Mode applications from the Windows 7 task bar to select and open most recently used files.
  • You now have the flexibility of customising where Windows XP Mode differencing disk files are stored.
  • You can now disable drive sharing between Windows XP Mode and Windows 7 if you do not need that feature.
  • The initial setup now includes a new user tutorial about how to use Windows XP Mode.

Download Windows Virtual PC (6.1.7234.0)http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=4c3a0944-a2e6-4f01-9c57-5b55885875cc.

Download Windows XP Mode RC (1.2.7235.0)http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=487f1e8b-f868-4c1e-a047-1b2306c0f592