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XP Mode on Windows 7 Home Premium

Anonymous
2011-03-21T21:22:37+00:00

I have downloaded XP Mode onto my Windows 7 Home Premium Laptop - is it possible to use it?!

After trying to open "Windows XP mode" I get the message "Windows XP Mode is not available on this edition of Windows". Especially after inputting that I was running Home Premium 64bit before downloading, I was certain this would work! Did I miss something before downloading (the 500MB...) file? Is there any way to make XP Mode work on Home Premium 64bit?

Thanks.

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  1. Anonymous
    2011-03-21T23:37:25+00:00

    XP mode is only available in Pro and Ultimate, not Home - no you cannot make it work on Home version

    Why do you think you need it?

    Have you looked under Help>Compatibility

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  1. Anonymous
    2011-03-28T20:22:09+00:00

    Hello DiglDixon,

    If the program is not compatible, then you may try to install and run the program in compatibility mode.

    Use the following steps:

    1) Right click on the Program

    2) Click on Properties

    3) Click on Compatibility tab

    4) Select Run this program in compatibility mode and select Windows Vista or whatever operating system the program was running successfully.

    Refer to the link here: Make older programs run in this version of Windows

    http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Make-older-programs-run-in-this-version-of-Windows

     If you run Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate version, install Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP mode (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/default.aspx) and execute your software in Windows XP.

    If you run Windows 7 Home Premium, try VirtualBox (www.virtualbox.org) or VMware Player (www.vmware.com) or any other 3rd party virtualization software and install a separate copy of Windows XP (either Home Edition or Professional) for that purpose. You can find virtualization software free of charge that will run on Windows 7 Home Premium.

    These are the ways you can get older programs to work on Windows 7 Home Premium.

    Thanks,

    Marilyn

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  1. Anonymous
    2011-06-19T09:04:54+00:00

    >>>"It is a shame that they removed full backwards compatibility in only one edition. And it is obviously an intentional move to disable an edition rather than it be a bonus to other editions, especially when it is a seaparte download in addition to the Native Compatibility changes. Our solution should never be "Go buy a copy of our old OS".<<<

    >>>I have programs that need XP to view and transfer files of my son when he was a baby. It is ridiculous that Windows doesn't offer this for free after the money we spent for this new computer!!! Windows is awful! Going to MAC!<<<

    _____________________________________________________

    I agree with both of the above comments.............

    If I knew ahead of time that Windows 7 was an inferior product to Windows XP, (or that I could not use XP to run older programs) I would never have purchased Windows 7.

    If Microsoft doesn't work this problem out; my (and anyone else that I can convince) next computer will be an Apple.

    Shame on you Microsoft......

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  2. Günter Born 49,451 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2011-03-29T18:19:17+00:00

    Ok I have managed to work out Virtualbox, but the "Windows XP Mode base" is not usable as an operating system. Is this the wrong file? Will I have to download the file again in a different way? Thanks.

    No, it's not the "wrong file" - you simply have the wrong host os. Win 7 HP doesn't include a license to run Windows XP-Mode - that`s all.

    What you can do: If you still have an old Windows XP Home Editon CD that isn't used, you can install it as a guest OS in VirtualBox. Then you should be able to activate Windows XP Home Edition.

    1 person found this answer helpful.
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  3. Anonymous
    2011-03-22T00:43:13+00:00

    Apparently so. A couple of my older programs and games (Oddworld series) don't work on Windows 7, but worked on XP so the XP Mode would have sorted the problem out.

    Thanks for your reply.

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