It looks like Microsoft is working on every possible improvement it can make to its upcoming Windows 7 operating system to make it a huge success. Do you remember those Vista annoyances when programs compatible with Windows XP refused to run on Windows Vista even ater changing compatibility settings.

But in Windows 7, you won’t have any problems running your favorite Windows XP compatible programs as it will have a special mode called Windows XP Mode(XPM) for running XP compatible programs. Windows XP Mode will run in a virtualization mode built on Microsoft Virtual PC version 7 and will require the virtualization support in your hardware.

The dubbed Windows XP Mode will not run like a standalone appication like Microsoft Virtual PC but will work behind the scenes and Windows XP applications will run seamlessly alongside Windows 7 applications.

According to Windows Team Blog, this special feature will be available to Windows 7 Pro, Ultimate and Enterprise editions.

This feature will surely boost Windows 7 acceptance as in an enterprise, besides cost, compatibility of programs is the main concern of administrators while choosing to make an update. And if you would like to view screen shots of Windows XP Mode in Windows 7, Paul Thurrott, who has been using and testing this feature, has created a gallery.