Microsoft® Virtual PC 2007 is software that lets users run two or more x86 operating systems on their computers—concurrently. It prevents complicated multi-boot configurations in environments where people must use multiple operating systems (whether because of incompatible legacy applications or as a safeguard during migration). Users install multiple guest operating systems in virtual machines.

Virtual PC emulates a physical computer so exactly that the applications users install in them don’t distinguish the virtual machine from a physical computer. Instead of installing operating systems on multiple, costly computers or creating unwieldy multi-boot installations, you can install the operating systems in multiple, inexpensive virtual machines. Changes that users make in virtual machines don’t affect their physical computers. Virtual PC makes using multiple operating systems easier.

Virtual PC Features

The benefits of using Virtual PC include the following:

• Configurability. Users can configure virtual machines, add or remove memory, and install or uninstall applications. Users can create a variety of environments, and Virtual PC is so easy to use and configure that most users require no training at all. Also, the product lets you control the configuration of Virtual PC in locked-down environments.

• Easy installation. Virtual PC gives users two options for adding new guest operating systems. First, they can install a guest operating system manually. This is almost identical to installing the operating system on a physical computer. In migration scenarios, you’ll probably build configurations in advance and then deploy them to users.

• Standardization. Since the virtual machine hardware does not change between physical computers, using one physical computer, you can configure and test upgrades and installations on virtual machines, and then you can deploy throughout your company a standard configuration that avoids bugs caused by minor differences between hardware platforms. This approach eliminates exhaustive testing on computer after computer.

• Convenience. Users switch between operating systems as easily as they switch between applications. They simply click the window containing the virtual machine. They can pause individual virtual machines so they stop using CPU cycles on the physical computer. They can also save virtual machines to disk and restore them at a later time. The restoration process normally takes a few seconds—much faster than restarting the guest operating system. Users manage running, paused, and saved virtual machines through a single, convenient user interface.

• Host integration. Integration makes interoperability between the guest and host operating systems easy. For example, users can copy, paste, drag, and drop between guest and host. Virtual PC provides Virtual Machine Additions that you install in a guest operating system to enable this functionality.

Each virtual machine acts like a standalone computer. It has its own sound, video, hard disk and network cards and its own processor. And each virtual machine runs its own operating system. Users can install and run most x86 operating systems in a virtual machine.

Microsoft fully supports the following operating systems running in a virtual machine on Virtual PC: Windows Vista Enterprise, Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Ultimate, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows 2000 Professional, Windows XP, OS/2.

Host operating system must be: Windows Vista™ Business, Windows Vista™ Enterprise, Windows Vista™ Ultimate, Windows XP Professional, or Windows XP Tablet PC Edition.

Any application that users install in their virtual machines work normally, including business, education, entertainment, Internet, and other programs. And devices that users connect to their physical computers, such as printers, modems, CD-ROM drives, and so on, work normally in their virtual machines. Standard USB input devices such as keyboards and mice are supported through PS/2 emulation, but Virtual PC does not support USB devices that require their own drivers.

Virtual machines also don’t see the physical computer’s hardware video card as a native device, so you can't install your own video card drivers. In addition, SCSI devices are not supported in a virtual machine.

So if this is something you need deployed for your business needs, please contact us for a demo.  We can even deploy this technology right over the Internet without you waiting for or paying for a costly on-site appointment.

Contact PerfectPC Services at 1-800-775-3928