Kewl Info: XP-only programs could now run in Vista

By John Lister

Microsoft is releasing software which should allow older Windows applications to run in Vista. The firm hopes the software will remove one of the reasons some users have stuck with XP rather than upgrading.

The software, Microsoft’s Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V), is designed to run applications designed for Windows XP and Windows 2000, which aren’t compatible with Vista.

Unlike some solutions which effectively try to translate the relevant program to work in the ‘wrong’ edition of Windows, MED-V will run a virtual copy of the older edition of Windows itself. In principle users will be running both 2000/XP and Vista at the same time, but MED-V will allow them to see and use any programs running in 2000/XP as if they were just another Vista application.

Microsoft is promoting this as having several benefits for upgrade skeptics. First, they’ll be able to run the older applications through MED-V. Second, with applications which run in Vista but have some glitches, users can upgrade to Vista and try them out to see if the glitches are something they can live with; if not, they’ll still be able to run the applications through 2000/XP.

Finally, the solution could help make it smoother for businesses to upgrade some or all the computers on a network, particularly if they’d been holding off a mass upgrade for the sake of a few users who needed to run 2000/XP only software.

At the moment MED-V doesn’t work for applications which only run in Windows 98 or even earlier systems. It’s possible that will appear later, but it’s likely there wouldn’t be enough demand to make it worthwhile.

A beta edition of MED-V is available to download and use without charge, though you do have to register with Windows Connect and fill in a short survey. The beta edition will likely work only until the final release, expected some time before the middle of the year. That version will be sold as part of a package known as the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack.