Microsoft Virtual PC

Pros

• Lets you run multiple operating systems at once.
• Easy to set up and configure, even for inexperienced users.
• Great integration between host and guest operating systems.
• Supports the virtualization of a wide range of guest operating systems.

Cons

• Performance may slow down if using CPU intensive applications or running multiple virtual machines at once.

Microsoft Virtual PC is a program that lets you run multiple operating systems at the same time on your Windows desktop. Each operating system that you run will have its own virtual machine, which simulates the hardware that would be found on an actual, physical PC. You could run various operating systems under this software, so no matter what OS you are interested in running with it, chances are that it is supported.

With Microsoft Virtual PC, you are not limited to just running one additional operating system at the same time. In fact, you can have multiple virtual machines active at the same time. However, be sure that your system has the power necessary to run multiple virtual machines at the same time. Each virtual machine will use up CPU cycles and RAM, so performance can be quite sluggish if you are running more than one virtual machine, or if you are running applications that are CPU intensive, such as video game, or certain graphics editing software programs. Switching between virtual machines is quite easy and can be done with just a click of the mouse.

A tool like Microsoft Virtual PC would be useful in many scenarios. Many technical support providers use virtualization software to run multiple operating systems at the same time. You can also use it in a corporate training setting, or use it to run applications that require an older operating system. The possibilities are truly endless.

One common problem that users of virtual machine software often have is the integration between the host and guest operating systems. With other virtualization platforms, interactions between host and guest are quite limited, which makes certain seemingly simple tasks, like copying files, quite cumbersome. This is not the case with Microsoft Virtual PC. You can copy and paste text, as well as drag files between your host operating system and the guest, if the guest OS supports it.

Using Virtual PC is very simple, so you do not need to be an IT expert or seasoned systems administrator in order to get it up and running. Setup is very easy and only takes a couple of minutes. Once Virtual PC is installed, you will go through a simple setup wizard that will show various options to configure your first virtual machine. You will specify the resources that you want to allocate to the guest OS, for example, the amount of RAM and disk space that it can use.

Pros

• Lets you run multiple operating systems at once.
• Easy to set up and configure, even for inexperienced users.
• Great integration between host and guest operating systems.
• Supports the virtualization of a wide range of guest operating systems.

Cons

• Performance may slow down if using CPU intensive applications or running multiple virtual machines at once.