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Can I use older XP compatible hardware in Win7 with Virtual PC?

Anonymous
2021-10-24T14:28:38+00:00

I just went here to download Windows Virtual PC.
https://download.cnet.com/Windows-Virtual-PC-64-bit/3000-18513_4-75451520.html I think that's what I needed to run older XP compatible hardware but all I got was a 16mb Windows Update file. There's no .exe file in it. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do with it. I opened it with 7zip and seem some cab files, etc, but no setup.

What I'm trying to do is use a USB device that only works in XP. Can I use it in Win7 using Virtual PC or XP mode for the driver?

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  1. Anonymous
    2021-10-24T17:39:52+00:00

    OK thanks. I'll give that a whirl a little later.

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  2. LemP 74,925 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2021-10-24T17:31:57+00:00

    Yet another P.S.

    To use Windows Update files (*.msu), you need wusa.exe, which you should find in C:\Windows\System32 ("You can also double-click the .msu file to install the update package").

    See https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/description-of-the-windows-update-standalone-installer-in-windows-799ba3df-ec7e-b05e-ee13-1cdae8f23b19

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  3. LemP 74,925 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2021-10-24T16:56:27+00:00

    If you still want to try running XP Mode AND you have a licensed copy of Windows 7 Pro (or Ultimate or Enterprise), you can download the files here:

    Windows Virtual PC: https://web.archive.org/web/20210126104829/https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=3702 Be sure to select the architecture that is the same as your Windows 7 system and read the install instructions.

    Windows XP Mode: https://web.archive.org/web/20210128060940/https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=8002 You do NOT want the "N" version. Read the install instructions.

    How to install and use Windows XP Mode in Windows 7: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/use-windows-xp-mode-in-windows-7/

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  4. LemP 74,925 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2021-10-24T16:46:38+00:00

    I have no idea what you downloaded, but Windows Virtual PC itself is only the software needed to host a virtual machine on a Windows 7 system. If you want to see if you can use some XP-compatible hardware, you would need to install "XP Mode" in Virtual PC, although it's unlikely that this will be successful other than for externally-connected hardware (e.g., a printer).

    XP Mode was offered for free for licensed Windows 7 Pro (and upwards) systems. See, for example, https://www.dummies.com/computers/operating-systems/windows-7/how-to-install-windows-xp-mode-on-a-windows-7-computer/

    Note the second sentence of that article: "Windows XP Mode was designed specifically to run the kind of custom software that many small businesses use to maintain customer records." That is, XP Mode will run many non-hardware dependent software programs that require Windows XP. Virtual PC simulates the necessary hardware (for example, XP mode uses a very basic video adapter. It doesn't permit the use of the video hardware installed in the host machine.

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