This is probably old news to you. I didn’t know that running a program under Windows 7 Compatibility mode was actually running a virtual Windows XP session, separated from the Windows 7 operating system. A friend recently brought this to my attention and I went to learn more. You can find a lot of information about Windows XP running as a virtual machine in windows 7 in a google search.
If you right click on an icon in your Windows 7 start menu you can select properties. On my computer there is a Compatibility tab for some shortcuts. For others you have to find an advanced button and click it. Then the dialog shows you compatibility options you may choose. In the dialog box there are a number of operating systems you can choose from going as far back as Windows 95.
Now that Windows XP is no longer supported a lot of companies are removing it from their workforce because it is no longer considered secure. That doesn’t mean it isn’t. It simply means that any new threats that are created will not be addressed by Microsoft. So, now that I have been told, and seen for myself that the Compatibility Mode in Windows 7 may actually be Windows XP or some other os no longer supported, then it may be time to take action.
It turns out this isn’t even an option in Windows 8. It doesn’t support Windows XP even on a virtual machine.
Do you have legacy programs still requiring Windows XP, or maybe even older? How are you addressing those issues? Is this something the average user needs to worry about? Do we need to start preparing for the demise of Vista or Windows 7?
Share your insight by dropping me an email at btaylor@sswug.org, or simply leave your comment here online.
Cheers,
Ben