Win8 comes with a feature called Hyper-Virtualization. Basically this creates a "virtual machine", which kind of takes a section of RAM and makes your system think it is a separate hard drive. Then, you can install XP as you normally would. Then you can install your old apps just like you normally would, but they'll go into the virtual XP. This all happens inside Win8. Supposedly, you'll be able to click the icon of an XP program and it will automatically open in the virtual XP, instead of Win8. In other words it's seamless and you won't even notice you're leaving Win8.
Free virtual machine software has been around for years. Other free programs to create a VM are Oracle Virtual Box, or VMWare (I forget the company). The downside to VM's is that they are pretty geeky to set up. To be honest I've never done one, but the instructions can be a bit daunting - even the Hyper-V included with Win8. Another downside is that lots of people report they can be flakey - meaning there are glitches like XP not seeing USB devices you plug in, and possible probs with mouse operation, etc. Also, you mention games. VM's, as far as I know, don't support 3D, so most current major games won't run on them. Simple games probably will. VM's are mainly designed for developers who write programs and need to quickly test them in different operating systems. Win8 also has a "compatibility mode" which is much simpler to use. You just tell Win8 to run your program in "XP Mode" and it will try to trick the program into thinking you have XP. Win7 also has this feature, and I've tried it, but still some of my XP programs won't run - possibly they've improved it in Win8. Holly, I know you mentioned you'll have an AMD processor. Some AMD's won't support Hyper-V. If you give the exact model I can check it out. I think all Intel i-core chips will support it. You def have ample RAM and HD space to run a VM! So the main downside to using a VM for your XP apps is (for me) the installation of the VM. Here's a site with a good explanation of Hyper-V: http://windows.appstorm.net/how-to/virtualization/is-hyper-v-in-windows-8-worth-using/ But don't despair! I believe MOST of your software will run fine on Win8. Most of mine did. Holly, I'm quite certain your version of Word or MS Office will run fine - mine did. I don't think MS wanted to alienate and anger a zillion old office users, so they made sure it would work. There might be a couple apps that fail - but you can find replacements for them like I did. It'll be ok. :-) Donk > Donk, > You've been talking about dual booting but I've heard Win8 has a virtual > machine running XP. I thought that could run my old games or programs. Is > that wrong? > > Thanks > ------------------------------------ If you have any questions or problems with any aspect of this site, please feel free to contact me directly [email protected] Please do not post personal issues directly to the group. To unsubscribe from this list, send an email to [email protected] Thank you for using A-1 Computer TechYahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/A-1-Computer_Tech/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/A-1-Computer_Tech/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
