- Windows
- Utilities & Tools
- Windows XP Mode
Run Windows XP On Its Own, For Free, From Microsoft.
Windows XP Mode is a free Windows XP virtualisation software for Windows XP and Windows 7 with rudimentary support for other Windows operating systems. It is provided by Microsoft and it is free to download, though it still requires a Windows XP licence key to use. Windows XP Mode is notable for being faster than many competing virtual machines on the same operating system.
The Fast and The Featureless
It's not quite right to say that Windows XP Mode is featureless, but it is far from fancy. It is only supported for a handful of operating systems, there is little in-built help, and setting it up can require significant effort by the standards of typical consumers. On the other hand, it is relatively secure, with proper protection for the host operating system, and it is also features a wide variety of hardware compatibility: it's on par with Windows XP itself in terms of usability with different keyboards, mice, printers and other peripherals. Most notably, it is fast: quite a bit faster in our tests than other VMs.
The Right Mode
Overall, Windows XP Mode provides a fantastic and fast virtualisation option on compatible machines, with sufficient hardware support to perform most routine virtualisation tasks. Despite some quibbles with the interface, it is reasonably easy to use all of XP Mode's features, though a lack of tech support can leave users relying on the documentation or on themselves.
PROS
- First-party virtualisation
- Very fast
CONS
- Limited OS support
- Limited tech support
Clean
It’s extremely likely that this software program is clean.
What does this mean?
We have scanned the file and URLs associated with this software program in more than 50 of the world's leading antivirus services; no possible threat has been detected.
Warning
This software program is potentially malicious or may contain unwanted bundled software.
Why is the software program still available?
Based on our scan system, we have determined that these flags are possibly false positives.
What is a false positive?
It means a benign program is wrongfully flagged as malicious due to an overly broad detection signature or algorithm used in an antivirus program.
Blocked
It’s highly probable this software program is malicious or contains unwanted bundled software.
Why is this software program no longer available in our Catalog?
Based on our scan system, we have determined that these flags are likely to be real positives.
We’d like to highlight that from time to time, we may miss a potentially malicious software program. To continue promising you a malware-free catalog of programs and apps, our team has integrated a Report Software feature in every catalog page that loops your feedback back to us.
Flag any particular issues you may encounter and Softonic will address those concerns as soon as possible.
Windows XP Mode - Installation in Windows 7
