DescentBB

Is it for real?

I mean does it work…

Would dual boot be better?

Yes its for real.

Yes it works exactly as advertised (no you can't play games on it).

No, it is better than dual boot for its intended purpose.

However the requirements are a bit steep for some older computers (the vast majority of newer computers can handle it just fine). You also need Windows 7 Professional or higher to use it. Personally I use it to have an older version of office around (Office XP) at the same time as a newer version (Office 2007), Windows XP mode allows them both to run side by side flawlessly, even at the same time.

XP mode lets you run business applications, that for whatever reason, won't work well or at all on Win 7.

If you have a game that won't run, then you need should really dual boot.

Very Good…

I’ve been putting off getting a new computer, because I need to run Office 2003...

Thanks much.

office 2000 runs ok in win 7

Yeah, old versions of Office all run just fine in Windows 7 natively, I only use XP mode to let me run two different versions of office at the same time (which can't be done on a single OS unless you use some pretty extensive sandboxing).

Better yet…

Thanks

You can run GDI-only games, but I'm not entirely sure people ever actually made those. Even DirectDraw throws up its hands in a few cases, as I learned trying to use it to play Starcraft.