Though Microsoft's new Windows XP mode for Windows 7 is designed to enable users to run both operating systems on the same machine, some business and consumer users may be frustrated that they won't be able to take advantage of the option.

"All you need to do is to install suitable applications directly in Windows XP mode, which is a virtual Windows XP environment running under Windows Virtual PC," wrote Scott Woodgate last month in an official Microsoft blog. The problem is that the user's machine must be equipped with an Intel or AMD processor featuring integrated support for virtualization technology.

"When running any sort of virtualized environment, there is a necessary level of hardware performance required to run the virtualized environment simultaneously with the regular operating environment," said Matthew Wilkins, a principal analyst at iSuppli. "If that level of performance is not met in the underlying hardware, then the performance of both the regular and virtualized environments can suffer."

What's Required

Intel, which began putting virtualization technology on some of its processors in 2005, says it has shipped more than 100 million chips with the enhancement, known as Intel VT. Though not every microprocessor the company offers integrates Intel VT, the chipmaker noted that Windows XP mode was never intended to be for everybody.

"Windows XP mode is targeted for business customers," said Intel spokesperson George Alfs. "It is available on the mid- to higher-end versions of Windows 7 and is supported in hardware by many Intel processors."

According to Intel's most up-to-date reference chart, Intel VT is available on all i7 and Core 2 Extreme chips as well as most Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad models. It also is integrated into the Pentium E6300 and Xeon series processors, but is not available on Celeron or Atom chips -- at least not yet.

As for AMD, all desktop and notebook processors currently shipping have AMD-V and support XP mode except for the Sempron line, said AMD spokesperson Julie Lass. For earlier chips, all of the processors in the Puma and Yukon notebook platforms support AMD-V, as do "all of the processors in the Spider and Cartwheel desktop platforms," Lass said.

One Way or Another

A way to determine whether any PC with an Intel processor will be able to run Windows XP mode is to see whether it integrates Intel's vPro technology, which enables small businesses with little or no in-house IT management to take advantage of several automated features pertaining to PC maintenance, repair and security.

"Intel vPro technology PCs are required to have an Intel VT-capable CPU and Intel VT-capable BIOS," Alfs said. "They are the best platforms for testing and deploying Microsoft Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP mode."

For PC users who don't have processors with integrated Intel VT or AMD-V technology, Parallels plans a software release that will enable any machine to run Windows 7 in tandem with Windows XP mode or Linux.

"It will appear as if you were running just one OS," said Jenny Ellis, director of worldwide communications at Parallels, which already offers a dual operating-system solution for Mac machines. On the need for chips featuring Intel VT or AMD-V, "we won't have that requirement," she said.


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