Trick To Run Outlook Express And Internet Explorer 6 Of XPM Virtual Machine In Windows 7
Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC offer an enhanced experience in your Windows 7 Operating System by enabling backward compatibility. XPM or Win XP Mode is a virtual application mode in which you can run applications in Windows 7 native desktop as if you are running them locally using a service resembling Terminal Services RAIL (Remote Applications Integrated Locally) components.
With this seamless Windows XP Mode, you can install an application in Microsoft’s XPM virtual machine and publish the shortcuts of these applications automatically to Windows 7 host in order to access them easily without a need of opening VXP window. This enables you to run the applications directly from the Start Menu of host OS. These applications are launched by seamless application launcher, vmsal.exe.
All applications that you install in XPM virtual machine can be published to start menu of the host OS (i.e. Windows 7). However, XPM virtual machine comes with two built-in pre-installed applications, Outlook Express and Internet Explorer 6. Therefore, it is not possible that you install these two applications manually to XPM virtual machine and publish them as virtual programs on Windows 7.
In case you wish to publish Outlook Express and Internet Explorer 6 in Windows 7 start menu and access or run them seamlessly from Windows 7 desktop, you need to follow a simple trick.
All you need to do is, drag and drop Internet Explorer 6/ Outlook Express shortcuts or simply copy these shortcuts into the “Start Menu” folder under “All Users” folder which is normally placed at the location C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu folder.
The moment you add the Internet Explorer 6/ Outlook Express shortcuts to Start Menu for all users, you will see a new folder under the Virtual PC folder within the Start Menu of Windows 7. You will be able to see the shortcuts of IE 6/ Outlook Express in this new folder.
When you initially try to launch these virtual applications, it might take some as your system need to power up XPM virtual machine though it won’t show VM desktop window. Also even when you close all the virtual applications, the system will not power down the VM state instantaneously. Instead, the XPM Virtual machine will still run for some more time waiting for the user to run other virtual applications.
If the user does not run any virtual applications during this time, the system will put the XPM virtual machine into saved state or hibernation mode. However, there are a few other applications such as Windows Media Player9 and HyperTerminal, which cannot be published in the start menu of Windows 7 without using a hack.