Requirements to take advantage of Windows XP mode feature:

- The PC should be running with Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate or Enterprise edition.
- 2GB RAM and 10-15GB HD space for Virtual environment.
- As it utilizes CPU based virtualization technique the CPU should support it.
- For AMD based AMD-V and Intel based processor Intel-VT should be turned on in BIOS.
- The free download of Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode available from Microsoft Download Center.

Microsoft has a detailed document on How to confirm your PC can run Windows XP Mode . Here you can find download of the processor test utility too.

Setting up Virtual XP or Windows XP Mode:

If your PC meets all the above requirements and you have downloaded the 2 set up files from Microsoft, first install the Windows Virtual PC and then install Windows XP Mode. At this stage you might be asked to restart the PC. Upon re start you can run Virtual XP from Start > All programs list. It will ask you to enter the password, in this window check the option Remember credentials (recommended). After this step is complete you will see a wndow that says setting up virtual Windows XP for first use. It may take some time so don’t loose patience.

Now what you will see is a screen like this:

Now you are ready with your Virtual XP set up. It’s time to install a couple of application you wish to run under Windows XP. One thing to remember here is that while installing any apps select All users whenever you are asked else the integration feature will not work properly.

The Windows XP mode has a special feature as compared to Virtual PC or other virtualization technology in which you have to run virtual environment as a separate application. In XP Mode once an application is instaleld in Virtual environment it is published to the host Windows 7 too. It means the application will be availble in Windows 7 start menu. So starting the application will Start the application in Windows 7 but in virtual environment where the virtual PC will be running in the background.

Final thought on Windows XP Mode feature:

It seems Microsoft is not aiming to woo the consumer home users with this feature as it is evident from the fact thatthis feature is available only in windows 7 Professional, Ultimate and Enterprise edition. So do you think Windows 7 will still be a bete noir to consumers who are upset about Vista’s program compatibility? Only time will tell and we will get to know once Vista RTM is released.

Here I have selected the best of the themes and customization pack available for free. So feel free to download and use them.

Windows 7 theme for XP

This theme will no doubt convert your Windows XP machine into a Windows 7 machine. It has several features like:

The first theme with the correct Taskbar!!!
The first and the only one theme with the same caption and toolbar background image!!!
Got the show desktop button on the extreme left(though it doesn’t works)
The correct and one line systray icons.

Windows 7 theme for Vista

If there is a Windows 7 theme fr Windows XP how can Vista stay far behind. So here is the Windows 7 theme for Vista lovers.  This theme is alos packed with some nice features like:

Windows 7 orb.
Fully-transparent Visual Style.
Left pane with blue and green gradient effect similar to Windows 7.
Windows 7 looks like Shell style.
Taskbar changed similar to Windows 7 Super bar.

Windows 7 complete for Windows XP SP3

This theme replaces many system and dll files of Windows XP SP3 to give some special feature to Windows XP machine.

Windows 7 Theme for Sony Ericsson mobile

Windows 7 Theme for Windows Mobile

Features:

- Taskbar just like in 7 with presed function of the orb
- Start Panel with all functions
- Explorer with all functions (Properties, User folder, Explorer, Games, Control Panel)
- Gadgets just like in windows 7

Windows 7 font Gabriola

This font is specifically developed by Microsoft and it is available as a free font in Windows 7. It supports a wide variety of advanced open type functionality.

Windows 7 user32.dll for XP

user32.dll allows programs to implement a graphical user interface. It contains basic functions, such as window management, user input, text, etc. This hacked version of user32.dll will enable Windows XP machine to give user notification like in Windows 7.

Windows 7 icons pack

Biggest collection of Windows 7 icons pack for all other version of Windows. It contains more than 500 Windows 7 icons in png format. Another icon pack of Windows 7 build 6801 can be found here. If you are looking for Windows 7 build 6956 icons extracted from the build head over to here.

Windows 7 sound

Windows 7 has some cool sound effect, so if you want to replace the sound scheme of your existing windows version, download this pack. The sounds are in WAVE format and contain some extra midi sequence.

Ajay M

With the release of Windows 7 Microsoft has tried bringing out a couple of changes in the visual User Interface of it. One of the major visible change in Windows 7 is the new “dock style” taskbar with Jumpstart feature without any dedicated quick launch area, however the whole taskbar now behaves like Quick launch. But those who do not quite like to adapt change so quickly may want to have the older style Taskbar (like in Windows XP or Vista) which they are more familiar with, here is how you can achieve that.

This is how the new taskbar in Windows 7 looks like:

To change this to the way the task bar appears in Vista or XP or Windows 200, do the following steps:

1. Right-click on any open area of the taskbar and choose Properties from the menu.

2. From the Taskbar buttons drop-down menu, select “Never combine”, which will make every window show up as a separate button on the taskbar, or you may select “Combine when taskbar is full”, which ever you want.

3. Select the “Use small icons” checkbox in the properties screen, the taskbar will actually shrink down to look very similar to Vista.

4. Right-clicking and choosing “Unpin this program from taskbar”.

The taskbar looks similar to Windows Vista:

5. Select the “Windows Classic” theme by Right clicking on Desktop and selecting personalize section. This would bring it to the Windows 98/Windows 2000 style.