XP Mode is a Virtual PC based environment that can be installed and run on a compatible Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise or Ultimate machine. The feature provides users with a safety net for compatibility to run there applications, just in case the apps do not run on Windows 7. In order for XP Mode to run on a computer, the PC must meet a set of requirements.
Here are the requirements for XP Mode:
Windows 7 Ultimate, Enterprise, or Ultimate
2GB of RAM (the more, the better)
Intel Virtualization technology (Intel VT) or AMD virtualization (AMD-V)
While the first two criteria are relatively simple to check, you may be wondering if your processor meets the virtualization requirement. There are two tools available for download that will easily answer that question:
If you have an Intel processor, you will need to download and run the Intel Processor Identification Utility.
If you have an AMD processor, you will need to download and run the AMD-V Technology and Microsoft Hyper-V Compatibility Check.
You will need to run the utilities with elevated privilege, so right-click the executable and select Run as administrator.
