Windows 7 questions

[Darat]

Just installed Windows 7 (64bit - Home Premium) on my new PC and I have a few question as and since I know some of you regulars have been using Win 7 for a while what better place to ask some questions*?


Search - in Win XP I was using Windows Search and had a toolbar in my taskbar so I could type a search string without opening up a search page or the start menu etc. Is there a similar taskbar toolbar for Win7?

Virtual PC - I often use Virtual PC to test software, to check for compatibility with different configurations and so on, is there a Virtual PC that is optimized for Win7 or do I need to use Virtual PC 2007?


Thanks!






















(Well at least you can't be worse than MS support pages....)

 

[Wowbagger]

(Well at least you can't be worse than MS support pages....)

Oh, yes we can! Watch this:

In order to place the Search bar into your taskbar, you must first chant the Search Bar Mantra, 400 times while shaking a rattle of some sort: "Bing is good. Bing is sweet. Bing makes everything so neat!". Then you must submit a formal request to Microsoft's Paper Shredders. Make sure you fill in all the forms in triplicate. By hand. They will not accept printed or typewritten copies. Within 80 days, you should see the new search bar get installed into the taskbar, along with a cute dog or cat to tell you how to use it.


Virtual PC can only be installed in Windows 7, while it is running in a Virtual PC enviornment. Please install a different host operating system, first. (Legal note: NO this is not really true)


You're welcome.

 

[Wowbagger]

Frankly, I haven't seen where to install the search toolbar for the taskbar, either. Not that I use it. But, I know it was part of Windows Search 4.0, which is only available for XP and Vista, right now.

The closest equivalent I can find for Virtual PC software optimized for Win7, is the new "Windows Virtual PC", which includes an "XP Mode" integrated into Win7; But, you can also install other operating systems into it. Read about it here: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/default.aspx
Download it here: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/download.aspx

ETA: You know, I might try downloading the Windows Virtual PC and XP Mode thing, tonight, to see what it is like. Or maybe tomorrow night. But, soon. We'll see.

 

[dtugg]

As far as I know there is no way to have the search bar appear on the taskbar. However, I see no real reason for it. All you have to do is press the Windows button and start typing and the results appear instantly. Anything from Control Panel options to (indexed) files.

 

[Wowbagger]

To add to my last post, here: Looks like you can install Windows Virtual PC for Windows 7, without downloading and installing the whole "XP Mode" package, first. But, for some reason, Microsoft doesn't like to advertise that. And, as I mentioned before, you can use the new Virtual PC to host any other OSes you want.

 

[GreNME]

DO NOT install the "XP Mode" version of Virtual PC. You won't be able to install multiple VMs and it's a bitch to remove to reinstall the proper VPC. Use VPC 2007, it'll run fine.

The Search is in the Orb (Start) menu or in a Windows Explorer window. Are you asking about a different search option?

 

[Darat]

To add to my last post, here: Looks like you can install Windows Virtual PC for Windows 7, without downloading and installing the whole "XP Mode" package, first. But, for some reason, Microsoft doesn't like to advertise that. And, as I mentioned before, you can use the new Virtual PC to host any other OSes you want.

Where did you find it - I had a quick look yesterday and couldn't see that option.

DO NOT install the "XP Mode" version of Virtual PC. You won't be able to install multiple VMs and it's a bitch to remove to reinstall the proper VPC. Use VPC 2007, it'll run fine.

XP Mode is not for us lowly Home Premium users! (Also I've installed Virtual PC 2007 and having some problems with getting it to use the network adapter.)

 

[Darat]

As far as I know there is no way to have the search bar appear on the taskbar. However, I see no real reason for it. All you have to do is press the Windows button and start typing and the results appear instantly. Anything from Control Panel options to (indexed) files.

But that would mean accepting change!

 

[Ducky]

XP Mode is not for us lowly Home Premium users! (Also I've installed Virtual PC 2007 and having some problems with getting it to use the network adapter.)

But VirtualBox is free to all and will end the Windows Version Class Wars! All can be right!



Okay well someone had to shout "Microsoft sucks!! MY FAVORITE IS BETTER!" At least I got this in before the linux/mac fanboyisms.

Now that this is out of the way, let's get back to the OP.

 

[Darat]

Where did you find it - I had a quick look yesterday and couldn't see that option.

...snip...

The crafty buggers!

If you go to the Virtual PC page and select that you have Home Premium it comes up and says it doesn't support WindowsXP Mode BUT if you select a version above Premium it shows two download buttons - one for WindowsXP and one to download the latest version of VirtualPC. Click on the VirtualPC button and you can download a version that works 100% with Premium!

Told you that you couldn't be worse than MS support pages!


Oh and you get all the functionality of WindowsXP mode - it just isn't auto-configured.

 

[Darat]

But VirtualBox is free to all and will end the Windows Version Class Wars! All can be right!



Okay well someone had to shout "Microsoft sucks!! MY FAVORITE IS BETTER!" At least I got this in before the linux/mac fanboyisms.

Now that this is out of the way, let's get back to the OP.

Last time I tried VirtualBox it was a bit flaky and I had some niggling problems I couldn't sort out (that was sometime ago) so I started using VirtualPC from MS because it worked so well.

What's Virtualbox like these days?

 

[lauwersw]

What's Virtualbox like these days?

Still flaky. Last time I had it installed on my XP box I had to reinstall my complete PC because it messed up my network configuration badly and (coincidently or not) System Restore messed up too. On my previous box it was running quite fine.

 

[Wowbagger]

Where did you find it - I had a quick look yesterday and couldn't see that option.

Download it here:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/download.aspx
But, DON'T download the first XP Mode link. You will only need the second one. (It says "Download and install this second:")

DO NOT install the "XP Mode" version of Virtual PC. You won't be able to install multiple VMs and it's a bitch to remove to reinstall the proper VPC. Use VPC 2007, it'll run fine.

Supposedly, you can install multiple VMs. "XP Mode" is simply one of the VMs the software hosts. But, I will check it out, myself, and let everyone know for sure, later.

But, you can still skip installing "XP Mode" if you don't need it or want it.

 

[grmcdorman]

I'm using VirtualBox myself - no issues whatsoever. (Well, an issue with a Linux VM, but not with VirtualBox or the host). Runs fine on both Linux and Windows.

 

[GreNME]

Supposedly, you can install multiple VMs. "XP Mode" is simply one of the VMs the software hosts. But, I will check it out, myself, and let everyone know for sure, later.

But, you can still skip installing "XP Mode" if you don't need it or want it.

I've been using Win 7 since January, and tried out XP Mode late Spring or early Summer this year. The first thing it did was demand I uninstall the full Virtual PC. The second thing it did was install a few library files in the Windows directory that did not uninstall when I uninstalled XP Mode. Those library files had something in them that interfered with Virtual PC full in terms of being able to use it again, and by default the user isn't allowed to delete from the OS directory, even after force-owning the files you need to get rid of.

However, XP Mode doesn't tell you it's leaving behind files that sabotage how Virtual PC works, so I had to track these down on my own.

 

[joshuamarius]

Anybody tried VMWare Workstation? I'm sure you have It's not free but it's an amazing piece of software.

I use virtual OS's on a daily basis, from Windows 95 to UBUNTU and all the Windows in between. It's awesome.

 

[Darat]

I had a real panic today when I found an absolutely vital piece of software wouldn't work - yep that's right Civilization IV didn't work!!!!

Thankfully I found a solution, but I was beginning to think I'd have to go back to trusty WinXP.

 

[Wowbagger]

I've been using Win 7 since January...(snip)

Well, apparently, you've been using an old, pre-release version of XP Mode. The final release has Windows XP as a virtual machine, without any XP binaries in the Win7 system folders. You, basically, install your old software inside the XP VM. But, you have the option of running those apps. inside Win7's desktop, instead of XP's. This allows better integration: You don't have to work entirely inside a VM to use XP apps.

And, as a bonus, you can also install other operating sysems into the Virtual PC software, including (but not limited to) other flavors of Widows an Linux. I am getting Ubuntu installed in it, as well. (But, you don't get Win7 integration, like XP has.)

The interface is very different from Virtual PC 2007. It looks more like a Windows Explorer window. But, the option to create a new VM is there.

Thankfully I found a solution, but I was beginning to think I'd have to go back to trusty WinXP.

Well, there's always XP Mode, if you did need it!

 

[Wowbagger]

Incidentally, the Windows Virtual PC software is compatible with Virtual PC 2007 VMs. So, my entire collection of exotic OS VMs can be run within Win7 as a host.


ETA: But, it looks like some of them have a problem with the keyboard: You press a key once, and it duplicates it several times. Instead of "Hello", you end up typing "HHHHHeeeellllllllllooooo".

 

[GreNME]

Well, apparently, you've been using an old, pre-release version of XP Mode. The final release has Windows XP as a virtual machine, without any XP binaries in the Win7 system folders. You, basically, install your old software inside the XP VM. But, you have the option of running those apps. inside Win7's desktop, instead of XP's. This allows better integration: You don't have to work entirely inside a VM to use XP apps.

And, as a bonus, you can also install other operating sysems into the Virtual PC software, including (but not limited to) other flavors of Widows an Linux. I am getting Ubuntu installed in it, as well. (But, you don't get Win7 integration, like XP has.)

The interface is very different from Virtual PC 2007. It looks more like a Windows Explorer window. But, the option to create a new VM is there.


Well, there's always XP Mode, if you did need it!

Have you actually tested this yourself to be sure? Again, that was not my experience with it, and I installed the version that was basically VPC with altered libraries, no XP binaries installed anywhere on the host system. It was the VPC that was hampered to disallow VM system changes like RAM and HD space.

I'd like to be shown that the version I used wasn't the same as the end product. However, I'm not compelled to give it a try to find out otherwise. If you try it and find differently, I'll be quite pleasantly surprised that MS heeded the complaints it got over what I thought was a poor implementation.