Virtualbox?

[ffutures]

I want to run some software that REALLY doesn't like running on my Windows 7 PC, and I really don't want to upgrade to Professional just so I can run one program under XP. But I think I have an old XP install CD somewhere, and Virtualbox looks like it'll let me run XP under Windows 7 (or possibly on my Linux box) - does anyone have any experience of it, and know if there's any down-side to it?

Comments

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

It really doesn't want to work - I've tried all of the compatibility options and nothing works. And since it's the program I use to print CD labels, and nothing I've found to replace it is as good, I really want to get it working.

[ggreig]

Virtual Box is probably your best bet then, but if for any reason it doesn't work out, you could also try XP Mode in Virtual PC. I wouldn't recommend it as your first choice, or for the future since it only exists for Windows 7, but it has the advantage of being a fully-licensed XP image, and you can have your app appear to be running directly in Windows 7 (though you still have to wait for the virtual machine to boot up behind the scenes).

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Trouble is you need Windows 7 pro for that, I've only got Home.

Unfortunately Virtual Box is giving problems - won't install properly for some reason, I suspect a conflict with anti-virus software - so I may have to abandon the idea or look at other virtual software.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

OK, turns out there's a fix. Now I need to make quite sure I know what I'm doing before I try to install Windows XP.