As Greg Shultz explained not too long ago in “Get the Most Out of Windows XP Mode with These Tips,” the requirements for running Windows XP Mode in Microsoft Windows 7 included Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, or Ultimate and a CPU with the necessary built-in hardware-based virtualization technology. Well that has changed for the better.

Mary-Jo Foley, in her blog on sister-site ZDNet, reports that Microsoft has removed the hardware virtualization barrier to running XP Mode. Concerns raised in discussion forums associated with the TechRepublic Windows blog revealed that the hardware-based virtualization technology and the specific CPUs that featured it were a huge source of confusion. Removing that hurdle makes the Windows XP Mode a much more reliable option for those users and organizations that deploy it.

At the same time Microsoft was announcing the removal of the hardware-based virtualization requirement, it also made several other announcements concerning virtualization and the Windows operating system. New strategies and technologies discussed include virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), improved licensing models, and new roaming use rights.

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