Windows Virtual PC – no hardware virtualization update now available for download

The update to Windows Virtual PC to support running on systems without hardware virtualization is now available for download.  You can grab it here:

You can also read the full KB article here: https://support.microsoft.com/kb/977206

One thing to note: While Microsoft supports the use of Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 on Windows Virtual PC – when running on systems without hardware virtualization support we only support the use of Windows XP.

So what does this mean?  Well, if you have used Virtual PC before you know that it is capable of running many operating systems that are not officially supported – and this is still true for Windows Virtual PC (both with and without hardware virtualization support).  But we will not be releasing updated integration components for Windows 7 / Windows Vista to enable optimum performance when running without hardware virtualization.

The key take away here is: If you need to run Windows XP mode on systems without hardware virtualization, you now can.  If you want to run other operating systems – you need hardware virtualization support for best performance (and official support from Microsoft).

Cheers,
Ben