Digital Trends

Thinking of trying out virtual machines but don't know where start? Microsoft hopes you'll start with them, by giving away Virtual PC 2004 SP1 as a free download.

Virtualization technology—the fine art of running an entire operating system and its applications in its own little corner of your computer—has been gaining a lot of attention from everyone from developers who need to test their software on a variety of platforms, IT managers to need to keep hairy legacy software around, and (more recently) with Mac users starting to run Windows side-by-side with their cute little icons and docks. Now, when you think of using virtualization technology, Microsoft wants you to think of them, and to that end they're giving away Virtual PC 2004 SP1 for free.

In a fit of historical irony, Virtual PC started off as a Macintosh product from Connectix Corporation, which developed it to let Mac users run Windows. (Connectix also developed one of the first Web cams, and shipped a Playstation emulator way before Sony was hip to that sort of thing.) Connectix eventually shipped Virtual PC for Windows—enabling users to run older versions of Windows to support legacy applications, etc.—and eventually Microsoft decided it liked the product so much it bought the company. (Thereafter, the Mac version of the software slowly disappeared into the ether, assisted by technical issues getting the software onto PowerPC G5 processors.)

Virtual PC 2004 runs on Windows 2000/XP, and Windows Server 2003, and enables users to set up virtual machines running older versions of Windows, MS-DOS, and (with a little bit of work) non-Microsoft operating systems like OS/2 and Linux. Virtual PC 2004 was never as elegant as leading virtualization software VMWare (in particular, virtual system's memory size is limited to available physical memory, and optional "VMWare tools" often provide improved graphics and audio performance) but Microsoft clearly wants to build audience for Virtual PC in preparation for Virtual PC 2007 which will support Windows Vista—and a free offering is a good way to do that. Virtual PC 2004 SP is an 18.2 MB download.