Here’s How answer lIne
a s k Yo u r Q u e s t I o n at f o r u m s . p c w o r l d . c o m
Will my XP software still work if I upgrade to Windows 7? —Bill Hullender almoSt certaInly. most programs that work in Windows Xp and Windows Vista will have no trouble in Windows 7, though there are a few exceptions, of course. to confirm that a particular program works in the new environment, look it up at the Windows 7 compatibility center (find.pcworld.com/70878). once there, you can browse through program types or search by the program’s name. or visit the program’s Website and see what it says on the matter. If you discover that a program you want to keep and continue to use does have a problem, you have four options. 1. run the program in Xp compatibility mode. right-click the program file or a shortcut to the program on the Start menu, and select Properties. click the Compatibility tab. check Run this program in compatibility mode for and select one of the Xp options from the pull-down menu. then hope it works. 2. Upgrade to a more recent version of the Xp-compatible program, or replace it with a competitor’s program. 3. Install Windows 7 on a separate partition so you can choose Xp or Windows 7 when you boot up (see find.pcworld.com/70879). 4. If you’re upgrading to Windows 7 professional or Ultimate, download and install the Windows Virtual pc and Windows Xp mode (find.pcworld.com/70880). these applications will allow you, in effect, to run Xp inside Windows 7. there’s one other issue to keep in mind: If you’re moving from an older Xp computer to a new Windows 7 one, you’re probably also moving from a 32-bit version of Windows to a 64-bit version. (Xp
Why can’t Windows 7’s XP Mode see other computers on my network? It —RonE can access the Internet.
and Windows 7 come in both flavors, but 64-bit is significantly more common now than it was when new pcs came with Xp.) the 16-bit Windows programs from the early 1990s run just fine in 32-bit environments, but they don’t work in 64-bit Windows. consequently, some of your older apps may not work on the new computer.
WInDoWS 7’S Xp mode (part of the Windows Virtual pc) lets you run a separate version of Xp inside the newer oS. the Virtual pc is a free but very large download (it contains a complete copy of Xp) that works in the professional and Ultimate editions of Windows 7. If you have Windows 7 running nicely on your network, with access to the Internet, networked printers, and shared folders on other computers, Xp mode is likely to disappoint you initially. you’ll probably get the Internet just fine, but not your local network. So you’ll have to set up Xp for the network separately. First, however, you have to tell Windows 7 how Xp should access the network. If you are currently running Xp mode, exit it before moving on to this step of the process. In Windows 7, click Start, type virtual, select Windows Virtual PC, and press <Enter>. this opens a Windows explorer window to the Virtual machines folder. right-click the Windows Xp mode file and select Settings (not ‘properties’—which is an easy mistake to make). In the left pane, select Networking. In the right pane, for adapter 1, select your network adapter. click OK. When the dialog box is gone, load Xp mode. to do this from the same explorer window, double-click the Windows Xp mode file. In your virtual Xp environment, select Start Run, type netsetup and press <Enter>. click Yes at the ‘want to continue’ dialog box. In the resulting wizard, answer its questions as if your system were a stand-alone Xp pc. Follow these tips as you do so: 1. make sure that the computer name you enter differs from the one you use for the same pc’s normal, Windows 7 environment. 2. Use the same Workgroup name that the other network pcs use. 3. turn on file and printer sharing. If the pc still can’t access the network, you likely have other network problems. See find.pcworld.com/70881 for additional advice.
—Lincoln Spector
—Lincoln Spector
wIndows vIrtual pc lets you open older apps in windows Xp mode with a single click from within your pc’s win 7 operating system.
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In tHe settIngs for windows Xp mode, choose ‘networking’ in the left pane and select your network adapter (as ‘adapter 1’) in the right.
pcworld.com December 2010
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