Uses:

Use 1: Another Windows - Say you are now using Win 7 BUT you really like the old XP system too & you don't want to give it up - NO PROBLEM !

Simply install a "Virtual Machine" onto the Win 7 PC ( I'd recommend either "MS Virtual PC 2007" or Sun's "Virtual Box" ).

Now install your Virtual Windows XP inside the Virtual Machine & you have it as if it was a brand new PC !

the way it works is -

You load up the PC in Win 7 as usual - on completion - you click on the icon to open the "Virtual Machine" software. Now you load up the file with your XP SNAPSHOT in it & there you have XP INSIDE Win 7 ! Because XP is running inside a "Virtual Machine" - you can flick between XP & other programs like your e-mail or Internet etc. & then back into XP again ! Never leaving Win 7 !!!

It's like driving a car up ramps onto the trailer flat-bed of a lorry - !?!? - stick with me - it will make sense . . . I HOPE :o)

Once the car is on the lorry - The Lorry is now in control ! It's on the ground & does the driving ! While you are on the lorry's flatbed - You can still get into the car & you can still listen to the radio BUT all of the time you are still on the lorry - sort of a piggy-back !

To put it another way - Here in the UK we have several massive stores & Super Stores - I'm going to use ASDA as an example because in America they are known as Wal-Mart.

Anyway - ASDA usually have big superstores that stand-alone. You walk from the car park straight into ASDA ! They are the dominant building with smaller departments within ( Bakery / Groceries / Cothes etc. ) BUT If ASDA was inside a Shopping Center complex - the store may look the same inside BUT you would have to pass through the main complex to get to ASDA - the complex would be the main entity with ASDA only an optional store to visit - ASDA would no longer be the dominant building - it would be a store WITHIN a larger complex - dependant on that complex !

Well . . . this is the same - you can load up XP while in Win 7 - you can run your XP programs that installed on the XP system & you can use the internet inside XP or install NEW programs inside XP . . .

You would load up XP in the same way as you would - Office or Encarta etc. It would be like A PROGRAM - an Environment WITHIN an environment !!!

Obviously the same is true in reverse - If you have a machine that is capable of running Win 7 BUT it's running XP - you can use a snapshot image of Win 7 INSIDE XP !

This time XP is in control of your PC & Win 7 is the one "inside the Virtual Space" With the screen Maximized - it looks, feels & runs like Win 7 BUT if you want to you can move back & forth from the Win 7 area to the larger - MAIN XP Environment.

When you've never seen a "Virtual Machine" run before - it's quite weird to view it for the first time !

You are looking at your normal windows BUT at the same time - in a program window - you can see all of the boot up messages as well - even the POST & BIOS ( the Black Screen & White Text / Info or Brand LOGO etc. when you first switch the PC on ) it is quite literally a VIRTUAL version of the machine it's running on at the time !!!

I know I've been talking very technically BUT I hope you got the just of what I was trying to explain ! Especially with the Lorry / Car thing - I've never tried to explain it like that before BUT I think it came out OK :o)

Use 2: Trial running softwares - I've been working with PCs since the late 80's when we had the awesome ;o) Windows 2 & 3.1 / 3.11 on MS DOS & PCs had up to 4Meg of Ram ( powerful Stuff ).

Anyway - I've seen a lot of these So-Called System Cleaners etc. & the damage they can cause - I've known MANY PC's that were working fine prior to a "Clean / Tune-Up" but after a re-boot - Windows System Files were corrupted OR MISSING !!!

So prior to installing & running one of these ( or any new software you’re unsure about ) on YOUR SYSTEM – Trial it FIRST . . . AWAY from your MAIN Windows.

I would recommend that ANYONE who doesn't have the luxury of having a "spare" PC - INSTALL A VIRTUAL MACHINE - it's the same as a spare PC - 2 machines on ONE MACHINE !!!! They can save you HOURS OF HEARTACHE if a trial run goes BAD !!!

Just Install your copy of Windows as mentioned above into the Virtual PC & there you have a Brand Spanking NEW PC just like it came out of the shop - I would also recommend you install a Firewall & Anti Virus onto the VIRTUAL MACHINE as well as your standard Windows.

Remember - IF you install a program & you LIKE IT - you’ll need to INSTALL IT AGAIN on your main Windows system - otherwise it will only be available in your test area inside the Virtual Machine !!!

Installing TWICE may seem like a hassle BUT - IMAGINE you trialed a bad software this morning on your MAIN SYSTEM & RAN IT - you would NOT be reading this now !!! Install it on a dummy run - any problems won't affect your MAIN WINDOWS SYSTEM !!!

Also - As I mentioned earlier - with Virtual Box - you can EASILY make a Snapshot of your Virtual Machine - IN SECONDS - then if a certain Windows Cleaner ( DESTROYER ) makes a mess & Windows won't boot - revert back to the Snapshot you made before & it's like it never happened !!!