Installing Windows XP Compatibility in Windows 7 Beta

There’s a specific Microsoft page where you can download the beta of Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode which will provide you a full virtualised Windows XP environment in Windows 7 providing the best compatibility ever!

However, I didn’t think my Dell Inspiron 6400 was that old but it appears it doesn’t support Intel VT (Virtualization Technology) and the Virtual PC Beta annoyingly requires it. I used a tool called securable which told me pretty clearly where I stood :

As a side note, the site that offered the securable tool also provides the neat tool called Shields Up! which can test the effectiveness of your internet security.

I managed to work around the issue of no virtualisation by running the Windows XP VHD from Virtual PC 2007 SP1 – however, the Virtual PC beta seemed to break my installation of 2007 so I had to uninstall both and re-install 2007.