Windows 7 Professional 64bit + Windows XP Mode 32bit: can I run 32-bitapplications with no 64-bit dr

hello,

Short question: Can I run 32-bit applications in Windows 7
professional's Windows XP Mode, even if there is no 64-bit driver
available? Does this actually mean that if an application ever ran in
Windows XP, there is absolutely no doubt that it will run on Windows 7
(either on Windows 7 64bit, or in the Windows XP Mode)?



I try to figure out if I can recommend a client to go to Windows 7
Professional in 64bit version, while he still has some older software
that might or might not have 64bit drivers.

The way I understand Windows XP mode is that it is running in a 32bit
Virtual PC. So, the issue of not having 64bit drivers for a certain
application is not really a problem, right? I just set the application
up to run in Windoes XP Mode. The application would appear to run like
any other native 64-bit application. Correct?
How difficult is this to set up? If I install a 32-bit application, will
it give me the option to have it setup in Windows XP Mode? Or are there
additional configuration steps necessary?

I've never seen this in Windoes 7 so far (in that sense, I'm a newbie).
I played around with VMWare on XP and Vista(also Windows 2003 server and
2008 server), and it has similar features. Though I have to install the
applications on the VMWare guest and then configure it to run as window
on the host. Kind of complicated for my client.

The clients environment includes applications that are pretty localized
to the Swiss market. At least, none of them can be found in teh Windows
7 compatibility center.

thanks for any pointer.

dan

 

Dan,
32-bit applications installers will point to Windows 7 x64 without offering
you the choice of XP mode.
You have to install 32-bit apps inside the Virtual Machine (boot into
virtual xp and then install).
From my experience, some apps "publish" themselves in Windows 7 menues while
others not.
Those that publish themselves "out" of the VM can be run from Windows 7
without launching the VM.
Please note that Windows XP mode runs only in 16-bit color by design (no
24-bit or 32-bit).
Carlos

 

XP Mode runs in virtual hardware and only has access to USB and COM, but
not parallel, ports. It is useful for legacy applications which need
access to USB and serial port peripherals for which there are no 64-bit
drivers. If the application needs access to some other type of
peripheral it will not help.

XP Mode also needed if you have older programs with 16-bit components,
because there is no 16-bit sub-system in any 64-bit Windows.

Eventually, old programs will not work on new systems. A major upgrade
such as the transition to Windows 7 is an occasion to find exactly what
any program you are running needs, and to plan for its upgrade or
replacement in due course.

 

Carlos,

If the programs installed in XP Mode do not publish automatically, make sure
that the programs shortcuts are in the All Users/Start Menu/Programs folder.
I have had to manually move them over from my personal account for some
programs that were designed for Win95/98.

 

Thanks everybody who answered. You all gave me important input.
With those hints I was able to dig deeper into the documentation found
on the internet. I concluded that I will first test Windows 7 64bit over
a time. I will recommend the client to go with 32bit until I have more
practical experience.

Thanks again
Dan

 

Richard,
Thanks for the tip!
Carlos

 

I have a question regarding Windows Virtual Machine: Win XP mode:
I have a 32 bit application (Corsix Mod Studio) that ran fine in 32 bit
Vista. I have recently upgraded to Windows 7 Ultimate (halaluia) 64 bit. Now
i get an error that files are missing when i start Corsix Mod Studio. If i
install XP mode 32 bit with Windows Virtual Machine, will I be able to use
this program again???

Thanks,

RichyIII

 

I did some testing in teh meantime and I have, so far, not found any
software that would not run in Win XP Mode (if it worked fine in XP before).

The only issue I've had was that Win XP Mode would not get an IP address
from my DHCP server. I finally gave up and assigned a fixed address.

dan

 

You should be able to use Virtual XP to run the program.

Most of the time when you get errors that files are missing when running
an older program on 64-bit Windows it's because the program is looking
for it's support files and they're not where the program is looking for
them.

 

Has anyone tried this with serial communications on hardware?

I regularly connect RS-232 to PLC's and various serial interfaces, and was
hoping this was a good workaround instead of getting the 32bit Win7.

?

 

If you search Win 7 64-bit for msvcp71.dll and msvcr71.dll, copy them
and put them in the folder with ModStudio.exe the progrma will run.

Info found @
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Fo...s/thread/7f5a39ee-e089-4330-a67c-e8e24090939c

but it's not necessary to register them if they are in the same
directory as noted above. I just downloaded the program, copied the
files and the program runs fine.

 

I loaded RSLogix 5000 and RSLogix 5 today and both will run fine in XP Mode.
I am trying to borrow some hardware to see if I can set up the PLC
communications. Once I test that I will post my finding here.

btw...I could get both RSLogix software packages to run on Windows 7 during
the trial period but I could not get the activation software to run,
therefore I wasn't able to run either package in Windows 7.