Windows 7's XP Mode - can your CPU handle it?

Whenever a new operating system is launched it is packed with great new features and it is a step forward in terms of technology. However, it is also inevitable that some old software won't work with it. It might only be a handful of programs that have problems with the new OS, but if there is one that you rely on then it can prevent you from upgrading.

In an effort to get around the problem of incompatible software when Windows 7 launches Microsoft will include Windows XP with it. (It won't be in all versions, so don't expect to see it in the most basic one. It might even be a download rather than on the DVD too.) This will not be a standard version of XP and instead it will be a virtual machine. Windows Virtual PC enables you to run other operating systems on your PC in a similar way to running emulators of retro computers like the Commodore 64 and Sinclair Spectrum. It doesn't affect your current operating system and you effectively run one inside the other. It sounds weird, but it works quite well.

The only snag is that Windows Virtual PC requires the processor to support hardware virtualisation. Some chips have it and some don't. Will you be able to run Windows XP in Windows 7? Here's how to find out.

Go and get the Intel Processor Identification Utility. Then go to the Intel Processor Spec Finder and select your processor. Suppose you have a Core 2 Quad. In the Supported Features list, select Intel Virtualisation Technology and then click the Filter On Selections button. The processors that are left are the ones that are OK. If your CPU isn't there then you can't run XP in 7, at least not using Windows Virtual PC.

If you have an AMD processor then go and download the AMD Virtualization Technology and Microsoft Hyper-V System Compatibility Check Utility.