Hello thank you for the info.  Please note the first three images are not displaying. Thanks again, E

Roger, great thoughts...for us to ponder how we will disable XP mode or how we are going to make room to patch another OS box besides Windows 7 ones.

I agree with you that it has to be a temporary solution but, as temporary as it is, I do prefer to run legacy applications on a physical patched XP box.

The issue you pointed out about the Web application not being compatible with IE7, only shows a lack of migration design by the IT shop charged with the migration process.

Desktop virtualization is a task that needs to be ponder on considerably in the enterprise and having a very good design for it takes time.

Is XP Mode really a benefit of Windows 7 or a security goal in anyway?

Thank you

Sergio

For sure, Windows 7 is the winner all the way :)

Microsoft is back !!

Roger, you are being totally unrealistic in suggesting XP mode will just be a temporary fix. We all know from experience how often the "its just temporary" excuse is made, and how in the majority of cases that temporary thing becomes part of established infrastructure.

For many people XP mode is one of the most attractive reasons to migrate from Vista to Windows 7. As someone who has wasted endless nights trying to get software to work in Vista I can sympathise. I fully expect to be using XP mode for at least the next 5 years, and I do not think I will be the only one.

Then again, I might be a tad excessive about holding on to legacy applications? It is only in the last 3 months that I have finally put to rest my old and faithful Win98 desktop! I gather that with the combination of Windows 7 + XP mode I will still have to fully manages two OS's, two lots of security settings, etc. etc? But at least they will be physically integrated onto the same computer.

So, XP mode is a welcome way to provide us with a legacy environment, but please don't try to kid anyone that it is just temporary. XP mode will last as long as Windows 7 itself lasts.

I work in desktop support. We dump images to hard drives and deliver machines. We do maintenance and repairs. There are rare occasions when we can't fix things. My company spoils end-users, so they have tons of personal settings and data. Simply re-imaging a computer is a major headache.

Not so for a virtual machine that only has a few application-specific roles. Antivirus protection for XP Mode will not cost the same, and it will work in a managed environment. If for some reason someone's XP Mode VM gets damaged, it will be simple to replace.

So far, no one has mentioned backups. I supposed you could also argue that your backup needs double. But this also isn't true. The role for XP Mode is so extremely narrow that the vhd's and VM's are expendible. Much more expendible than for physical machines with primary roles.

To your last comment: That does not cumpute. Microsoft will have to support Windows XP as long as it is selling it as part (or just a feature) of Windows 7. Or will there be a servicepack which removes XP mode?

We have seen Microsoft extending support for XP numerous times, I don't see how they can get out of this one easily. Mark my words: Support for Vista will end earlier than for XP.