APNT#1209 Using GP-Pro EX in Windows 7 XP Mode. Introduction. Prerequisites. Licensing and availability of XP Mode

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1 Application Note #1209: Using GP-Pro EX in Windows 7 XP Mode Introduction IMPORTANT NOTE: GP-Pro EX v3.0 and later is supported on 32 and 64 bit Windows 7. We recommend upgrading to the latest version for this and other important enhancements. This Application Note describes a work around to enable GP-Pro EX V2.6 and V2.7 to run on a Windows 7 64 bit operation system. Our team at Pro-face America will make our best effort to help customers make this combination work, however we cannot be held responsible for configurations or features that are found to not work and cannot progress them as bug fixes. The GP-Pro EX 2.xx Editor and WinGP runtimes are not supported for 64 bit operating systems such as Vista and Windows 7, although later versions of the software do support Windows 7 32 bit operating systems. Extensive testing has however shown that (based on V2.60) the GP-Pro EX can be made to run on Windows 7 64 O.S. using that system s optional Windows XP Mode. Prerequisites GP-Pro EX 2.6 or 2.7. Windows 7 Professional (64 bit) or higher, with Windows XP Mode. Minimum RAM and HDD requirements will apply, however most new Win7 64 bit machines now ship with at least 2GB RAM and 160GB HDD which should be sufficient. Note: GP-Pro EX 2.70 and higher support Windows 7 32 bit operating systems without using XP Mode, although some restrictions may apply. Refer to upgrade documentation. Licensing and availability of XP Mode Some versions of Windows 7 (currently Professional and higher) include the ability to install and run a fully licensed Windows XP Mode for compatibility with programs that do not install or run on Windows 7. Prior to April 2010 the Windows XP mode only ran on certain processors that included Virtualization technology, but an additional install now removes this limitation. XP Mode creates a Virtual Machine (VM) on a host PC or laptop which emulates a Windows XP 32 bit O.S. and therefore allows GP-Pro EX and WinGP to run. The XP Mode VM runs concurrently with other programs and files using the Windows 7 OS and is able to share hardware resources including network adaptors, HDD and USB drives etc. From an architecture point of view, the XP Mode VM appears as a networked computer to the Host Page 1 of 5

2 Windows 7 PC and appears to run inside it s own Window similar to a remote desktop connection. Note: All software loaded into the XP mode needs to be separately licensed as this is considered to be an independent PC installation. This includes Anti-Virus software which may be different to that running on the Windows 7 host. The software itself is not normally included with the installation media but can be downloaded free from the Microsoft web site for eligible versions of the operation system. Upgrades are also available for lower versions of the software (i.e. Windows 7 Home) to upgrade to Windows 7 Professional etc, making the XP Mode available. See Microsoft.com for more details.. Installing Windows XP Mode Basic Installation procedure 1. Download the Windows XP mode package from the Microsoft.com site. This also installs the Virtual hard drive. 2. Install the Windows Virtual PC software. 3. Install Windows XP Mode as a Virtual PC (for PCs without Hardware Virtualization). 4. There are different options in the XP Mode for how to treat LAN ports. If you wish to download to an AGP via Ethernet, you must select an external network adaptor (LAN or WiFi) rather than the Shared Networking (NAT) adaptor. Refer to the Microsoft Site for further details: There is also a useful video for IT professionals wishing to understand how it all works: Set Up: Gp-Pro EX 1. Start Windows XP mode. Within the XP mode window browse to the CDROM or USB drive that contains the installation media. Note that this software cannot install from a networked drive but you can copy the software to the Virtual C: drive beforehand and install it from there. Page 2 of 5

3 2. Complete the normal GP-Pro EX installation as you would on a normal XP machine. 3. If you wish to download applications using the USB transfer cable, you need to choose to share it or Attach it to the XP Mode before installing the Transfer Tool. 4. The first time the transfer tool is used with the USB download cable it may fail to connect. If so, either try again or shut down all programs and shut down XP mode (not Hibernate), and try again. 5. If not already included in the initial XP Mode installation, additional external USB memory devices can be added by Attaching them (or Releasing them) from the XP Mode tool bar. Page 3 of 5

4 Launching GP-Pro EX from the Host PC You can either: 1. Start GP-Pro EX by starting the XP Mode VM and then running the program as you would in a normal XP PC. The XP Mode can be run in full screen to give maximum graphics space. 2. From the Windows 7 Start Menu scroll to Windows Virtual PC and to the GP-Pro EX program icon. 3. You can also create a shortcut on your Windows 7 desktop or pin it to the Start Menu or Task Bars. 4. If GP-Pro EX is started from these shortcuts it starts up quicker than if XP Mode is started first, however since it logs on as a different User (not XPMUser), default folders and other User settings such as workspace may be different. Once GP-Pro EX exits the XP Mode VM is also closed. Page 4 of 5

5 Accessing files and folders on the Host PC When XP Mode is started before GP-Pro EX is launched, the default user XPMUser is logged on. Again by default this user has access to both it s local C: drive in the VM and to the host PCs drives which appear as Networked drives. GP-Pro EX can open files on all of the above, as well as any USB attached drives. Using XP Mode with other Pro-face programs Basic functionality has also been tested with other Pro-face software using XP Mode, including: C-Package-03 V7.29 Pro-Server Ex and Pro-Studio EX V1.23 WinGP runtime (32 bit Windows 7 only) GP-Viewer GP-Pro EX Movie-Convertor GP-Pro EX Camera Viewer Although no major problems were observed, care should be taken if in order to thoroughly test compatibility For technical support support@profaceamerica.com or call: Pro-face America. Specifications may change without notice. Pro-face is a registered trademark of Digital Corporation. Other brand or product names are the property of their respective owners. Page 5 of 5