A quick question regarding virtual machines

I have no experience with virtual machines but am quite intrigued by the idea. I plan to get into this area in the near future but was wondering about the ability to run an outdated OS on a virtual machine. The reason I am asking about this is because I am still using Lotus 123. A program I have been using since 1992 and one in which I have set up a number of rather complex spreadsheets that I really do not want to try to reconfigure for Excel. I am currently running XP and 123 works fine on it. I have no idea if it will run on Windows 7 or a 64 bit system but am hopeful that I can have a virtual machine with XP as the OS on whatever system I happen to be using in the future. Would I be able to set up a virtual machine so I can continue to use 123 and XP (or whatever) indefinitely?

 

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Don't see why not. I'm currently running Windows XP in Virtualbox on Windows 7 x64 without problems. The beauty of virtual machines is they are blissfully unaware of the host OS.

 

When I first started using vmWare (version 5.x if memory serves), the machine was a "virtual" 440bx motherboard. XP had all the drivers for that. Win95 and 98 worked on it as well, as did most linux distros I tried. Even ReactOS installed without instance. And vista and 7beta and 7 final worked as well. Don't know about virtual box, I have used it, but have not examined it that closely.

Take the plunge, it opens up possibilities that you had not thought about, guaranteed.

Sul.

 

Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate (not Home Premium) can utilize XP Mode using Microsoft's Virtual PC software.

You don't have to purchase a copy of XP since XP Pro is included with Virtual PC (which is free), and you can run your app as if it was installed on the host OS instead of the guest OS (meaning it starts like and runs about as fast as any other Win 7 app, instead of requiring you to start the VM software first and then open the app inside the VM each time you want to run the app).

Virtual PC runs on both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7.

From what I understand, XP Mode and Virtual PC are meant precisely for the type of situation described above.

 

Excellent,,,,, thank you very much for the info and very good news.

 

The latest version of XP Mode no longer requires hardware virtualization technology.

 

I have no idea what that means, could you (or someone else) explain please?

 

Mainstream CPUs today have built-in functionality (hardware virtualization) that can increase performance and security when running virtualization software.

Adding to what hsj pointed out, according to Microsoft:

 

Still not clear about this. Does this mean I will be able to run XP on any PC in the future? I see that 7 has XP Mode but I would expect the next Windows OS to have something like 7 Mode or perhaps Vista Mode.

This is all new to me so please be patient, I am a slow learner.

 

If you mean run XP in some virtualization software on any future Microsoft OS, well, it only means that XP Mode will run under Virtual PC on Windows 7.

Since VirtualBox and Virtual PC 2007, for example, support the DOS OS today (from the 1980s), my guess is that it will take at least decades before support for XP disappears from vendors of virtualization software on future Microsoft operating systems, due to XP's ubiquity today. But that's just my opinion.

 

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When "XP Mode" was first released a requirement was support for virtualization in the CPU and BIOS, which improves performance. Eventually Microsoft decided to drop that requirement so "XP Mode" could be used on computers that don't have the virtualization support in hardware. In other words, it will run on any computer (that meets whatever other minimum requirements there are).

The purpose of "XP Mode" is to make it possible to run older software which works in XP but won't work in Windows 7. Whether virtualizaion will be necessary in the future to provide compatibility for Vista/7 software only time will tell

 

Got it, I think, thanks. So there is a hardware dependency for a VM and if the PC does not have hardware that is compatible (made compatible by the virtualization programs publisher) then XP would not run ------ correct?

 

Thanks not quite correct. You can use a VM completely from the VM software; it does not have to have a special processor. I believe that MS even removed that requirement from the Win7 XPmode.

Even though my processor is VM "ready", I run VirtualBox strictly from the software.

Acadia

 

As Victek123 and Acadia point out, when XP Mode was first released, it required compatible hardware. Now it will run with or without it.

 

Excellent, thats what I was hoping was the case.

Much appreciated.

 

Absolutely.
You're not alone, I have some very carefully jigged spreadsheets too, and do just that.

If you have some spare $$ get the VMWare Workstation ( tax deduction ?? )

Learning curve is not complex for basic use.
Robust. Version updates free, new versions discounted, good support free and paid.
Multiple VMs set-up as you need.
Multiple "snapshots" and rollbacks possible.
Use base VM with XP install, copy and keep as many as you want: no licensing issues.
Depending on HW have 3or 4 VMs open at once, just flick back and forth, no rebooting.
Copy files from native install into and out of VM and between VMs

VM can be exported as a file and used in VM Player when and where you want.
Etc etc etc..
Lots of accessory functions.

Expand your user experience with Linux et al in VMs.

I've never regretted paying. Great tools.

 

From what little I have read on the software forum about this subject it had been my intention to go with VMware when I finally jumped in. Nothing has changed since then. I hope to be doing this sooner rather than later but time seems to evaporate rather quickly these days.

As the gov of California says "I'll be back".

Thanks to all