Windows XP Mode for Windows 7 hits RTM

www.microsoft.comWindows XP Mode for Windows 7 hits RTM

Microsoft today announced that the code for Windows XP Mode has been finalized and the company is now preparing to release it in exactly three weeks. "Thanks to everyone's feedback, we're happy to announce that Windows XP Mode has RTM'd today," according to the Windows 7 Team Blog. "We expect to make the final release of Windows XP Mode available via the Microsoft Download Center on October 22nd. OEMs will be able to offer Windows XP Mode on their PCs based on their manufacturing schedules."


Windows XP Mode is aimed at small and mid-sized businesses that are migrating to Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Ultimate, or Windows 7 Enterprise and that need the ability to run Windows XP productivity applications which are incompatible with Vista's successor. While Microsoft insists that many Windows XP applications will be compatible Windows 7, or at least every one that is compatible with Vista, the company says Windows XP Mode can be used as a last resort for those that are not.


Microsoft first announced Windows XP Mode and released a beta in April 2007. The company explained that users had to install the old applications directly in Windows XP Mode, which is a virtual Windows XP environment running under Windows Virtual PC. Once that is done, the applications become available on the Windows 7 desktop and can be run directly from Windows 7.

 In May 2009 it became clear that Microsoft and Intel had contrived to make XP Mode unavailable to many Intel users. In August 2009, a Release Candidate version was released that brought many improvements to the add-on, including USB and jumplist support as well as a new user tutorial.

How to Start in Safe Mode in Windows 7

Starting your computer in Windows 7 Safe Mode can help you diagnose and solve many serious problems, especially when starting Windows normally is not possible.

To begin entering Windows 7 Safe Mode, turn on or restart your PC.

Just before the Windows 7 splash screen shown above appears, press the F8 key to enter Advanced Boot Options. 

Choose a Windows 7 Safe Mode Option

You should now see the Advanced Boot Options screen. If not, you may have missed the short window of opportunity to press F8 in the previous step and Windows 7 is probably now continuing to boot normally assuming it's able to. If this is the case, just restart your computer and try pressing F8 again.

Here you are presented with three variations of Windows 7 Safe Mode you may enter:

• Safe Mode - This is the default option and is usually the best choice. This mode will load only the absolute minimum processes necessary to start Windows 7.
  
• Safe Mode with Networking - This option loads the same processes as Safe Mode but also includes those that allow the networking functions in Windows 7 to work. You should choose this option if you think you may need to access the Internet or your local network while troubleshooting in Safe Mode.
  
• Safe Mode with Command Prompt - This version of Safe Mode also loads a minimum set of processes but will allow immediate access to the Command Prompt. This is a valuable option if more advanced troubleshooting is necessary.

Using the arrow keys on your keyboard, highlight either the Safe Mode, Safe Mode with Networking, or Safe Mode with Command Prompt option and press Enter.

Wait for Windows 7 Files to Load

The minimum system files necessary to run Windows 7 will now load. Each file being loaded will be displayed on screen.

Note: You don't need to do anything here but this screen could provide a good place to start troubleshooting if your computer is experiencing very serious problems and Safe Mode won't completely load.

If Safe Mode freezes here, document the last Windows 7 file being loaded and then search my site or the rest of the Internet for troubleshooting advice. You can also post the problem in the PC Support forum and someone will likely be able to help. 

Login With an Administrator Account

To enter Windows 7 Safe Mode, you must log on with an account that has administrator permissions.

Note: If you're not sure if any of your personal accounts have administrator privileges, logon using your own account and see if that works.

Make Necessary Changes in Windows 7 Safe Mode

Entry into Windows 7 Safe Mode should now be complete. Make any changes you need to make and then restart the computer. Assuming there are no remaining issues preventing it, the computer should boot to Windows 7 normally after a restart.

Note: As you can see in the screen shot above, it's very easy to identify if a Windows 7 PC is in Safe Mode. The text "Safe Mode" will always appear in each corner of the screen when in this special diagnostic mode of Windows 7.