How to install windows xp games on windows 7

People can buy a new computer with the operating system already installed, upgrade from Windows XP or Vista, or do a clean install on a computer the user already owns. The clean installation took us about 30 minutes, but that will vary depending on your computer. Vista users merely need to back up their data before choosing the Upgrade option from the install disc.

Custom will have the same effect as a clean install, although it'll save your old data in a folder called Windows. Once you choose Custom, you'll need to select the partition of your hard drive that contains Windows XP, and then follow the instructions to enter your product key and allow the computer to reboot as needed.

If you're not sure if your current computer can run Windows 7, you can download and run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor from Microsoft. Features: Taskbar and Aero Peek Although the look of Windows 7 may seem to be nothing more than some polish applied liberally to the Vista Aero theme, make no mistake: This is a full replacement operating system, and more than just 'Vista done right.

The first thing that should stand out is the new taskbar. This is one of the best improvements Microsoft has made--third-party program dock makers are going to have to do some serious innovation when Windows 7 goes public. Besides incorporating the translucent style of Aero, the new taskbar is arguably even better than the Mac OS X dock. It features pinned programs using large, easy-to-see icons. Mouse over one and all windows associated with that program appear in preview. Mouse over one of those preview panes to reveal an X to close the window.

Hover over the preview to show a full-size preview of the program, or click on the window to bring it to the front. Because of the button size, people with touch screens should find it especially easy to use. Jump lists are another new taskbar improvement that make recently opened documents easier to get to. Right-click or left-click and drag on any program icon pinned to the taskbar to see a list of files that you've recently used in that program.

In Internet Explorer, this will show recently visited Web sites, although it doesn't yet seem to work in Firefox. If you've noticed the missing Show Desktop icon, that's because it's been baked into the taskbar itself. Mouse over to the right corner. Hovering over the Show Desktop box reveals the desktop, and then hides it when you mouse away. Click on the box to minimize all your programs.

Resizing programs has been simplified and improved by the capability to drag a window's title bar. Drag a program window to the top of your monitor to expand it to full screen. If you want to work in two windows simultaneously, drag one to the left edge and one to the right edge of your screen, and they'll automatically resize to half the width of your monitor. Dragging a program away from the top or sides will return it to its original size.

Theme packages also make it much faster to change the look of Windows 7. From the Control Panel, you can change the theme under Appearance and Personalization. Microsoft has created several theme packages to give people a taste for what the feature can do. Click on one to download it, and it instantly changes the color scheme and background--no need to reboot. Users can create their own themes, as well. Windows Media Player and Device Stage One of the biggest new features makes Windows Media Player useful again: you can now stream media files from one Windows 7 computer to another, across the Internet and out of network.

Even better, the setup procedure is dead simple. When you open Windows Media Player, there's a new Stream option on the toolbar. Click it, and you're presented with two choices.

Both require you to associate your computer with your free Windows Live ID. When you've associated a second Windows 7's WMP with that same ID, you can remotely access the media on the host computer.

Windows Media Player's mini mode looks much slicker, emphasizing the album art--sometimes at the expense of clearly seeing the controls, but it's a definite improvement. The new Device Stage makes managing peripherals significantly easier, combining printers, phones, and portable media players into one window.

A large photo of the peripheral summarizes important device stats and makes it easy to identify which devices you're using. Device Stage can also be used to preset common tasks, such as synchronization. Device Stage support for older devices makes one of Windows 7's best features applicable to peripherals and externals that don't need to be upgraded.

One annoying change is that Bluetooth driver support no longer comes baked into the operating system. If you need a Bluetooth driver, you'll either need the installation disc on hand or you'll have to go download it.

Search, touch screens, and XP mode Windows 7's native search feature has been improved. Files added to the hard drive were indexed so fast that they were searchable less than 5 seconds later. Search result snippets now include a longer snippet, and highlight the snippet more clearly. This should appeal specifically to people who juggle large numbers of long documents, but it's a useful feature for anybody who wants to find files faster.

However, the search field is available by default only in the Start menu and in Windows Explorer, and cannot be easily added to the taskbar. Most XP games have the appropriate DirectX software included.

When you install a game and it asks if you want to install DirectX with it, it's safe to do this, as the latest version of DirectX won't be overwritten. If a game does not have the appropriate DirectX software included and the game does not start, but it does show a DirectX related error message, you can try and install DirectX 9. Go to our DirectX 9 download and installation instructions page. If DirectX related error messages keep showing, you can find out what is wrong exactly by starting the DirectX diagnostic tool.

Press the Windows key and R which opens the "Run" window , type in "dxdiag" and press enter. When you're asked if the program should check if your drivers are digitally signed, you can press the "No" button. When the diagnostic tool is running, you can click on one of the tabs, or click the "Next Page" button to see if there's an error and what it's about.

Games relying on DirectDraw run extremely slow. More about this can be found here. Furthermore, there are Windows XP games out there that support only a limited resolution, like x or x Typical desks nowadays have high resolution LCD screens on them, supporting a much higher resolution.

It would be unfortunate to play your Windows XP favorite in a lower resolution, wouldn't it? There's only a few things you can do here: check if you can edit the game configuration which usually is stored in a file and see if you can change settings manually, or search the internet to see if there's a patch or a mod for the game, which allows you to set a higher or customized resolution. Some patches or mods also include high resolution textures for FPS games, which make the game look even better than the original, while maintaining the original gameplay.

When you start a game and it says it needs Windows XP to run, you can try starting the game in compatibility mode. If compatibility mode doesn't work and you can't find a patch or a mod, you'll have to use Windows XP itself. Download Article Explore this Article Steps. Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Author Info Last Updated: December 20, Go to the website.

Click on the checkbox of version. The version checkbox shows whether you want to install 32bits or 64bits. Select it according to your need. If you are unsure of the version of Windows 7 you are running, you can obtain this information by clicking the Start button and browsing to the Computer heading on the right, right-clicking and selecting Properties.

The System window will open, and you can find what version of Windows 7 you are running and whether it is 32 or 64 bit. Click it, and save the file to a convenient place when prompted. Run the file. When the file has finished downloading, open and run it. It will extract, and then prompt you to click Next to proceed through the installation process. Use the default install location when prompted, and click Next. The setup program will install the files to the directory.

After it has completed, click Finish to end setup. Back in your browser, under the Step 4 heading, click the 'Download and install this second: Windows Virtual PC' button.

Choose to open the file when prompted. Click 'Yes' when prompted if you want to install the Windows software update. Review the licensing terms and click 'I Accept'. Windows 7 will proceed to install the required updates.

When installation has completed, you will be prompted to Restart Now. Take a moment to ensure that you have saved anything you were working on before you continue. Read over the licensing agreement and click 'I accept the license terms' checkbox and then click Next when ready to proceed.