I use virtual box on a linux based platform. I goes quite well but it isn't as controllable as it used to be. The benefit used to be that you could just kill windows in the linux GUI when it started to misbehave but now it seems to want to shut down - which for windows is often a big deal and a lot of time wasting hassle...

...I now have to use root to kill the processes directly if windows hangs about for too long. I take no prisoners with this MS ****

(Oh and generally speaking virtual box is about 10 times better than VMWare - according to the commercial users I know)

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

Were it me trying to resolve this issue, I’d defer to the software manufacturer to find a suitable host environment, patches or whatever is needed. Most vendors offer either a direct phone line or a web site, or both.

If that’s not possible – in other words, if the software will not run properly in a virtual environment, I’d go to a local computer recycler and buy an older box that runs xp and use that. It’s possible that the box can be stuffed into a closet someplace and accessed by remote desktop or similar......but of course RDP (aka remote desktop) may be the issue...

All well and good running the old software on an older XP machine. I've got two of those.

However, the convenience factor, or lack thereof, is the obstacle. I don't want two machines running all the time and I frequently need the older programs for one thing or another.

This solution seems to offer that capability..............both operating systems on the same machine without the need to reboot the machine to the other operating system.

You have some reservations about this approach..............I can see it in your words.............??????????????

Reservations? Not really. Some of my work is to resolve computer related problems. I try to find the shortest path to a solution and it is almost always quicker to get an authoritative answer from the vendor than to experiment blindly.

Since you have a box running XP, if that edition supports RDP, a simple test would be to enable and configure RDP and see if that can be used to support the applications you wanna use. Because the VM didn’t do the job, I have my doubts, but it’s a quick test and will provide useful information in the event it doesn’t work.

I still do not see the benefit of operating two computers all the same time when a single Win7 machine can do it with the addition of the second operating system.

The point is to see if the application(s) get(s) along with rdp.

Or just experiment blindly.

Say it does work.

I'm then forced to run the two machines forever using RDP. Why?

Were it me, I’d contact a vendor before going any further, but to answer your question, if the application works with a RDP connection to another computer, then the xp mode on your Windows 7 box may be configured to get along by connecting to it using RDP.

If you are using 3d graphics in a rdp session, rdp is most likely hopeless unless used on a server platform that supports high rez graphics in virtual machines.

You can use the following to increase the color depth for the Win 7 xp compatibility mode box
http://www.sevenforums.com/virtualization/32942-i-got-xp-mode-display-24-bit-color-integration.html

If the application doesn’t work with RDP, then move on.

I have, in the past, attempted to run the graphics on FS '98 using RDP. It clearly will not run.

I'm also quite sure the vendor (MS) isn't the slightest bit interested in supporting FS '98 on Win7.

I've got some older DOS programs that I certainly cannot get support for.

Hell, I now realize that CorelDraw8 won't run properly on Win7 and I have to replace that.

This choice of 64 bit is getting more of a PITA every day. All of these older programs would have run on the 32 bit machine. I'm really sorry I went with 64 bit. The additional speed, if there is any, is probably insignificant for what I do.

I don't see why all of this cannot be solved with the twin operating systems?

How many times am I going to have to say this???
BUY A MAC

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For the Saved, this world is the worst it will ever get.
For the unSaved, this world is the best it will ever get.

Clk's Ebay Stuff BUY SOMETHING NOW!!!

So install virtual box and XP and you're good aren't you?

__________________
1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

Is it raining again?

__________________
1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

That's my thought.

It is worth a few hours of your time - it should work out for you for the near future.

I remember one time a few years back I installed windows 95 on virtual box on my Dell D610 laptop (which is now dead) and it was like speaking to someone on uppers - virtual box and the hardware was way way way too fast for that operating system. I guess in the end you'll reach the same problem for XP

__________________
1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

If VB allows a completely separate operating system on the hard disc, I don't grasp why the application won't run in an identical fashion to the way it ran on a devoted machine with only XP installed?

I'm going to be completely PO if I have to set the machine up with both OS and need to reboot every time I want to use the legacy programs.