Windows Tools, Help & Guides

When you’re using Windows XP Mode in Windows 7, you’ll likely need to access files on your host (Windows 7) machine. Luckily, Windows Virtual PC makes this really easy and there’s not much you have to do. In this guide, I’ll show you how to access your files in the intended way and also show you a trick that will make file sharing between the two operating systems even easier. Specifically, this guide covers the following topics:

• Basic file sharing.
• Customizing file sharing.
• Sharing removable devices (USB drives.)
• Send files to your host machine via the “Send to” menu.

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I’ve done a major rework on the PC Maintenance Handbook and the second edition is now available as a free download. Below is a changelog of some of the changes you’ll see in the new edition. As always, feedback–whether positive or constructive–is always welcome.
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On Saturday, we asked you which antivirus software you use on your personal desktop.

Thank you to everyone who took park in the poll. Here are the results:

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Although, by today’s standards, Windows XP doesn’t require much in the way of system resources, Windows XP Mode, running in Windows Virtual PC, can feel a little sluggish at times. This is because Windows XP Mode, by default, runs with 512MB RAM. In this guide, I’ll show you how to increase the allotted memory to Windows XP Mode using Windows Virtual PC Settings.

Note: A couple of weeks ago, we asked you if you used Windows XP Mode and many of you responded by saying you didn’t know about it so we wrote this guide: What are Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode and How Do I Use them? This is a good place to start if you’re new to Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode.

If you get to the end of this guide and still have questions about Windows Virtual PC or XP Mode, please ask them in the Windows 7 forum.

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A couple of weeks ago, we asked you if you used Windows XP Mode and many of you responded by saying you didn’t know about it. In the past, we showed you how to Windows XP Mode but didn’t really explain the purpose of it. This guide serves as an update to the previous guide; in this guide, we’ll cover the following:

• What is Windows Virtual PC?
• What operating systems can I install with Windows Virtual PC?
• What is Windows XP Mode?
• Why do I need Windows XP Mode?
• What are the system requirements of Windows Virtual PC?
• Where can I download Windows Virtual PC and XP Mode?
• How do I install Windows Virtual PC and XP Mode?
• How do I use Windows XP Mode?
• What else should I know about Windows XP Mode?

If you get to the end of this guide and still have questions about Windows Virtual PC or XP Mode, please ask them in the Windows 7 forum.

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Back in September of 2009, rsvr85 showed us how to change your logon screen with Logon Screen Rotator and in March 2010, Thomas showed us how to change your logon screen without third-party software. In this guide, I offer a third alternative to use: Tweaks.com Logon Changer for Windows 7. Learn where to get it and how to use it in this guide.

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