XP In a virtual machine question

[Slott]

Hey guys - wondering if anyone has advice on this. Our company uses an extremely old CAD software that's been incompatible with anything higher than XP. We were able to get around it in 7 professional by using the provided virtual machine/xp mode (which didn't require a license). Is there a method to accomplishing this with 8? Some other methods I've found required XP having a license key, which we don't have any lying around of.

Thanks guys!

[Ratatapa]

Try running CAD on Windows XP compatibilty mode?

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-ca/w...ersion-windows

[Slott]

That didn't work in 7, but I didn't try it for 8.

[orinthia]

There's a simple way to prevent xp from nagging you about being non-genuine, along with microsoft providing xp in various forms for testing purposes with VMs. http://dev.modern.ie/tools/vms/ , it's actually a way for MS to provide different versions of IE (choose IE8 + xp, it has sp3 as a base install), but they work wonderfully and you don't have to worry about some shady iso download nor go through any install process.

As a virtual appliance, it's a pre-set install for your VM software, and can be installed as many times as you want. You won't be able to update it I don't think, but that shouldn't matter since you're just using it for your CAD stuff. The method to kill the nag is here: http://www.wikihow.com/Activate-Wind...ne-Product-Key It's a very simple reg edit and I used this recently.

[Arkanna]

Slott, I could probably give you a legit XP Professional key on Monday if you really want to run it in a VirtualBox or w/e. We've got a couple retired XP boxes waiting to be recycled.

[Spicyryan]

Why would your company pay to go from 7 to 8 when they don't have to and probably shouldn't. Yet keep some CAD version they needed to replace eons ago?
You shouldn't have to be sitting there figuring out something probably a decade old because this is the point where the company pays for things it simply needs and you get to go "well we just don't have a choice!" To them since what do they know?

[Ratatapa]

Because maybe he's not the one making decisions?

[Spicyryan]

Because maybe he's not the one making decisions?

Yeah my point is the one in charge doesn't know jack most likely so you just go "sorry we can't do it! Too old!". Make a serial cable printer analogy or something and they go "okay" in the voice out of Eddy Murphy Raw.
I mean the loss in productivity likely costs them more especially for how long its been left as the system.

[Slott]

Our company doesn't use 8. It's for an outside consultant...(which is why I appreciate your offer, Arkanna, but I'll pass on it.)

[Arkanna]

Our company doesn't use 8. It's for an outside consultant...(which is why I appreciate your offer, Arkanna, but I'll pass on it.)

Np at all.