Microsoft removes hardware virtualization requirement to running XP Mode
By: Arie Slob
Today, Microsoft announced it made changes to its virtualization efforts, one of those changes is good news for Windows 7 users: Windows XP Mode no longer requires hardware virtualization technology.
Windows XP Mode is a feature of Windows 7 Professional or higher that allows you to run Windows XP applications that are incompatible with Windows 7 in a virtual environment.
According to Microsoft this change simplifies the experience by making virtualization more accessible to many more PCs for small and midsize businesses wanting to migrate to Windows 7 Professional or higher editions, while still running Windows XP-based productivity applications.
Although originally targeted at businesses, many consumers also want to run Windows XP Mode, and there had been quite some confusion as to which processors (CPU's) offer hardware virtualization. What further complicated matters is that in some cases the CPU would be capable of hardware virtualization, but the computers BIOS would not, or you had to specifically enable support for hardware virtualization in the BIOS.
No changes for current Windows XP Mode users
If you are already using Windows XP Mode with hardware virtualization you should continue using it. If you are not yet using Windows XP Mode you can start using the product without having to worry about hardware virtualization. Microsoft expects the performance will be more than acceptable with or without hardware virtualization.
The only users that would need to download the new version are those that downloaded the original files only to receive an error message that their system didn't support hardware virtualization.
The update to Windows Virtual PC to support running on systems without hardware virtualization is available for download here:
Please note: This update only removes the hardware virtualization support requirement for Windows XP Service Pack 3. If you want to run other operating systems you'll still need hardware virtualization support.
If you receive an error This update does not apply to your system, make sure you first install the update Windows Virtual PC (KB958559), before installing the update above.