INSTALLING "MICROSOFT VIRTUAL PC 2007"

INTO A "WINDOWS 7 HOME PREMIUM"

HOST COMPUTER

Summary: If you can tolerate some complaining by "Microsoft Virtual PC 2007", you can install and run it in a "Windows 7 Home Premium" host computer. This "computer within a computer" system is a great way for you to run old software applications that would not otherwise run in "Windows Vista" or "Windows XP", such as printer management software, specialized accounting software, specialized video editing software, and some camera manufacturer's software applications.

HISTORY OF "VIRTUAL PC 2007"

The nomenclature of the different versions of Microsoft's "virtualization on the desktop" software is a bit misleading. Read the historical details at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Virtual_PC

DISADVANTAGES OF RUNNING "MICROSOFT VIRTUAL PC 2007" IN "WINDOWS 7 HOME PREMIUM"

The disadvantages of running "Microsoft Virtual PC 2007" in "Windows 7 Home Premium" are: Not supported by Microsoft: You get a lot of ominous-sounding error messages. Not updates for "Microsoft Virtual PC 2007" from "Windows Update" or "Microsoft Update". "Microsoft Virtual PC 2007" has many of the disadvantages of "Windows Virtual PC" such as: a limit of 127.4 Gigabyte for the size of virtual hard drives, only allows 32-bit operating systems in virtual machines, no USB support, and a maximum of 3.2 Gigabytes of RAM for virtual machines. See http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7itprovirt/thread/e7c4be01-bf3c-49ed-b98a-30849a88835d/ and http://blogs.msdn.com/b/virtual_pc_guy/archive/2009/08/19/running-virtual-pc-2007-on-windows-7.aspx

"MICROSOFT VIRTUAL PC 2007" IS A "PROGRAM" If the host computer is running "Windows XP", after you install "Microsoft Virtual PC 2007", it shows up in "Add or Remove Programs" in the "Control Panel". If the host computer is running "Windows Vista" or "Windows 7 Home Premium", after you install "Microsoft Virtual PC 2007", it shows up in "Programs and Features" in the "Control Panel".

ABBREVIATED INSTRUCTIONS

Abbreviated instructions for installing "Microsoft Virtual PC 2007" can be found at http://www.w7forums.com/run-windows-7-virtual-pc-t56.html

STEP-BY-STEP INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

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"VIRTUAL MACHINE ADDITIONS" SOFTWARE FOR THE "GUEST OPERATING SYSTEM" OF EACH "WINDOWS" VIRTUAL MACHINE "Microsoft Virtual PC 2007" provides you with optional software called "Virtual Machine Additions" for installation inside it's virtual machines. See http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc708377(WS.10).aspx

WORKAROUND FOR LACK OF USB SUPPORT

"Microsoft Virtual PC 2007" has no support for real USB devices. However, you can "workaround" this shortcoming by using the "Shared Folders" feature in the above-mentioned "Virtual Machine Additions".