Running a Virtual PC Windows 2000 session on an XP machine

[tron9901]

I'm replacing my kids Windows 2000 machine with a Dell running XP Home.
I imagine I may run into problems getting some of their older games to
work on XP. If I do, I'm thinking of installing Virtual PC 2004 and
running those games in a Windows 2000 guest OS. Has anyone tried this
scenario and do you have any suggestions worth mentioning? Thanks.

 

[Bob I]

XP is MORE likely to be able to run said games than 2000 was.

 

[Andrew]

I'm replacing my kids Windows 2000 machine with a Dell running XP Home.
I imagine I may run into problems getting some of their older games to
work on XP. If I do, I'm thinking of installing Virtual PC 2004 and
running those games in a Windows 2000 guest OS. Has anyone tried this
scenario and do you have any suggestions worth mentioning? Thanks.

Why not wait until you actually find any problems? XP is probably
better at running older games than 2000.

 

[Rob Stow]

I'm replacing my kids Windows 2000 machine with a Dell running XP Home.
I imagine I may run into problems getting some of their older games to
work on XP. If I do, I'm thinking of installing Virtual PC 2004 and
running those games in a Windows 2000 guest OS. Has anyone tried this
scenario and do you have any suggestions worth mentioning? Thanks.

While I can't comment on Virtual PC 2004, I have used several
versions of VMWare.

With VMWare, things that are RAM and CPU bound run just a little
bit slower in a guest OS (in a virtual machine) than they run on
the host OS. However, video-card heavy tasks run a *lot* slower
- whether you are playing games or using CAD/CAM apps. I would
expect Virtual PC to have much the same effect.

I would suggest that you first do as others have suggested: try
the games with XP and see if they run well. If they don't, then
simply add W2K to the system so that the user has the choice of
booting into W2K for those games that don't like XP - no virtual
machines required.

 

[tron9901]

While I can't comment on Virtual PC 2004, I have used several
versions of VMWare.

With VMWare, things that are RAM and CPU bound run just a little
bit slower in a guest OS (in a virtual machine) than they run on
the host OS. However, video-card heavy tasks run a *lot* slower
- whether you are playing games or using CAD/CAM apps. I would
expect Virtual PC to have much the same effect.

I would suggest that you first do as others have suggested: try
the games with XP and see if they run well. If they don't, then
simply add W2K to the system so that the user has the choice of
booting into W2K for those games that don't like XP - no virtual
machines required.

So you're recommending (if necessary) a dual-boot configuration then?
I've never set one of those up, so I have some basic questions. XP will
already be installed; can I then install W2K alongside it? Will I need
a separate hard drive partition (hello Partition Magic) in order to do
so? Thanks.

 

[Redmond du Barrymond]

So you're recommending (if necessary) a dual-boot configuration then?
I've never set one of those up, so I have some basic questions. XP will
already be installed; can I then install W2K alongside it? Will I need
a separate hard drive partition (hello Partition Magic) in order to do
so? Thanks.

Hey Einstein, any game that runs on Win2K is going to run on XP. XP is
Win2K with a *slightly* updated kernel and snazzy GUI is all. Plus it
has better backwards compatibility for games built into it already.
Don't sweat it.

 

[Saga]

From what I understand, they are recommending that you first try
the games on the new XP system and then only and ONLY if you
have problems consider some other alternative.

Good luck!
Saga

 

[Redmond du Barrymond]

Hey Einstein, any game that runs on Win2K is going to run on XP. XP is
Win2K with a *slightly* updated kernel and snazzy GUI is all. Plus it
has better backwards compatibility for games built into it already.
Don't sweat it.

Haha...I just realized we have been had by an April Fools joke.

 

[Andrew]

Haha...I just realized we have been had by an April Fools joke.

If it was, the OP forgot the joke part.

 

[Redmond du Barrymond]

If it was, the OP forgot the joke part.

OK, it was a troll then. Look at the other groups he cross-posted to.

 

[DosFreak]

From my testing of over 1600 games Windows XP should be able to run all
of the games that Windows 2000 does and vice versa.

About less than a dozen games only run on Windows 2000 and the same for
Windows XP that don't work on the other OS. These are very few however.

 

[Redmond du Barrymond]

About less than a dozen games only run on Windows 2000 and the same for
Windows XP that don't work on the other OS. These are very few however.

I would like to know what dozen games run on Win2K but not XP. I don't
believe you. Win2K and XP are the same OS.

 

[Dr Zoidberg]

Win2K and XP are the same OS.

No they aren't.

XP is based on 2k but they are not the same thing

--
Alex

Hermes: "We can't afford that! Especially not Zoidberg!"
Zoidberg: "They took away my credit cards!"

www.drzoidberg.co.uk
www.sffh.co.uk
www.ebayfaq.co.uk

 

[Redmond du Barrymond]

No they aren't.

We going to play the Monty Python game here?

XP is based on 2k but they are not the same thing

They are both NT. XP kernel is just a slightly updated one from the
kernel in Win2K. What you are saying is like saying that Mandrake 10
is not the same OS as Mandrake 10.1. *Any* game that runs on Win2K is
going to run on XP. FACT.

 

[DosFreak]

"*Any* game that runs on Win2K is
going to run on XP. FACT. "

No, not necessarily. There are differences in the NTVDM between 2K/XP
that allows some games to work in the 2 operating systems that do not
work in the other. You can't really tell the differences in NTVDM
between the 2 anymore from my NT Game Compatibility List since I
switched from using NTVDM to DosBox for all REAL mode games since
DosBox is better suited and supported to running REAL mode DOS games
than NTVDM.

There are also some Windows games that work in one OS that don't work
in the other but I haven't actually tracked down the reasons why yet.

Check out my list here: http://vogons.zetafleet.com/viewtopic.php?t=465

It's not perfect, I'm only human but all games are tested by me and
I've tried to be as objective as possible.

As you can see over time I've gone from a strict compatibility
comparison (No Scummvm, DosBox, ports, etc) to focusing more on easier
gameplay and no focusing on compatibility differences between the OS's,
but I can assure you that the differences in gaming compatibility
between 2000 and XP are so slight as to pretty much be no factor at all.

 

[Robert Comer]

*Any* game that runs on Win2K is

going to run on XP. FACT.

That's not quite true, there quite a few differences in the shell and some
of the other systems like security, so there's no way to make a blanket
statement like that, but as you suggest *most* games should run on XP if
they ran on W2K.

 

[Redmond du Barrymond]

That's not quite true, there quite a few differences in the shell and some
of the other systems like security, so there's no way to make a blanket
statement like that, but as you suggest *most* games should run on XP if
they ran on W2K.

What does the shell and security have to do with running a game? And
it's the other way around anyway. There are some games that will run
on XP that won't run on Win2K, but I have never heard of a game that
runs on Win2K that won't run on XP. If there is, prove it and shut me
up.

 

[Robert Comer]

What does the shell and security have to do with running a game?

I said other systems too, but the shell and security still have an effect,
even on gaming, some of the new shell enhancements totally hose up older
games that expect windows to be painted one way. As for security, there's
lot of things that encompass that topic and a number of them would have a
direct bearing on running a game.

And
it's the other way around anyway. There are some games that will run
on XP that won't run on Win2K,

Of course there is, they take advantage of the changes in XP.

but I have never heard of a game that
runs on Win2K that won't run on XP. If there is, prove it and shut me
up.

I believe others have answered that question. (I don't play many games.)

Anyway, like Steve Jain said, this is WAY off topic for Virtual PC.

 

[Redmond du Barrymond]

I believe others have answered that question. (I don't play many games.)

No one has answered that question yet.

Anyway, like Steve Jain said, this is WAY off topic for Virtual PC.

Sorry, but the OP cross-posted to a bunch of groups. I'm posting from
a gaming group.

 

[Robert Comer]

No one has answered that question yet.

Not in your gaming group, but Steve Jain answered it in the Virtual PC
group. Shogo is the game he mentioned and the problem was erratic mouse in
XP. And DosFreak posted a link to his list of games, and while there aren't
many that do run under W2K but not XP, there are some.

Sorry, but the OP cross-posted to a bunch of groups. I'm posting from
a gaming group.

Understood.