Connectix Updates Virtual PC for Windows Multiple-OS Platform Emulator Boosts DVD, Video, and Win 98 Support Eric Grevstad
Mon 3/18/02 -- Want to run multiple operating systems on the same PC -- no, not in a dual-boot or alternating setup, but simultaneously, say to preserve old legacy applications or field a variety of help-desk questions? You want Connectix Corp.'s Virtual PC for Windows -- and Connectix wants users to upgrade to the new version 4.3 for free.
Like its predecessors, the new edition of the multiplatform migrate/test/deploy software lets applications in Windows XP, 2000, NT, 98, 95, or even Win 3.1 or DOS run alongside Linux, NetWare, Solaris, or OS/2 programs by setting up (admittedly RAM-hungry) virtual machines on the same system. Version 4.3 adds support for Windows 98 Second Edition as both host and guest, as well as dynamic resolution switching to resize guest OS windows within Virtual PC and DVD-ROM support for accessing and reading DVD discs and software installers.
Other new features include security lockout protection that lets virtual machines launch in full-screen mode with a password, preventing users from entering the host environment, and IDE disk input/output threading that improves hard disk performance. The program's Virtual Switch feature now supports 802.11b wireless networking and works on Windows NT hosts.
Virtual PC for Windows version 4.3 sells for $199, with registered users of earlier versions getting a free upgrade as mentioned above.
