XP Mode question

I have an upper-end Dell Lattitude D810 Laptop that is 3 years old. I intend to upgrade my XP system to Windows Pro. I think I am going to need XP compatibility mode. The documentation says I need a CPU that is capable of hardware virtualization. I rand an Intel Processor Identification Utility that tells you about your system and it came back with a reading of "Virtualization Technology: No."

However, in checking with Dell I am told that my CPU is capable of hardware virtualzation but that I will need to install software known as a Hypervisor. I was directed to www.xen.org

My question is how big a deal is this. It is beginning to look complicated. My supposition is that I can download the Hyperviosr software at no charge and that it may make my laptop work with Windows 7 XP-mode, but I am beginning to wonder, "At what cost". Does it setup my system in a way that it (my system) will ultimately think of as Unorthodox or unusual. Is there a downside to having Hypervisor software on my PC? Is there a downside to using XP mode?

Any help appreciated.

Welcome to the forums WSplawn!

Which CPU do you have in the D810? Also, out of interest, what makes you think you'll need XP mode? Almost every XP application should work just fine in Windows 7

I have a Pentium M CPU, and I am told that this machine does not have built-in hardware virtualization.

I have three programs I am concerned about:

Roxio 5
SnagIt 7
And Finale 2000

Finale is music software.

These programs run fine under XP but I have not been able to get a confirmation from the software companies that they will work under Windows 7.

Yep, the Pentium M doesn't have VT - but even if it did you wouldn't be able to use Roxio 5 in XP mode (as far as I know) as it would need direct access to your CD burner.

Why not try dual booting for now and see if you can get those applications working natively in Windows 7. You may find that some free CD burning software will provide better functionality than the old Roxio 5 software (such as CDBurnerXP). I would have thought that both the other bits of software would work ok, but you'd need to test it to be sure.

ImgBurn works well its small fast and free > http://www.imgburn.com/

WOW - Roxio 5

Are they even still updating that version?

It's been years since I have used Roxio 5. Had to many problems with it myself. And with the purchase of a new DVD Player I was forced to switch to the software that came with the new drive (Nero 6). Nero I might add seems to be better software in my opinion. I do however miss the Roxio audio software.

Nero and Roxio have both become insanely bloated. Why does a CD burning application need more than 1GB of disk space? Why does it need active services that always run in the background?

Veedaz's suggestion of imgburn is absolutely right. It's free, it's fast, it's lightweight, and it can do everything the big boys do.

Thrax

I agree completely. Because there was a special that gave me Nero 9 for free when I purchased Windows 7, I got Nero9. I tried to install it and it was a negative experience. It has a very large footprint, took longer to install than Windows itself, required an upgrade which upgraded me to a trial version without telling me why etc etc.

Fortunately, I was able to get back to a Windows system point prior to my Nero problems. I look forward to trying ImgBurn. Tried it briefly on my XP machine and it seemed to do all I wanted. Not hassles.

Thank you