Australian PC User contributing editor
Q&A – XP Mode or VMware Player: Which is better?
A. Windows 7’s XP Mode is convenient because it’s a simple download and install whereas creating a virtual machine out of Windows XP using VMware Player takes considerably more work and also requires you to install the XP operating system into the virtual machine.
However, if it comes down to performance, XP Mode has one big black mark against it – it only runs single core. That means if you have a multi-core processor, it won’t even matter if you’re running applications on your virtual machine that support multi-core CPUs, they’ll only use the one core so performance will not be as good as it can be. XP Mode is said to be not designed to replace Windows XP but to allow applications to run that may not work on Windows 7.
The latest version of VMware Player on the other hand does include support for multi-core processors so while there is extra work involved, the rewards could well be worth it. VMware Player also works on any version of Windows, unlike XP Mode.
The most important thing to remember is that either way, you’ll need at least 2GB of memory in your computer and it must also have a processor that supports virtualisation technology. Check with AMD and Intel for specific details.
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- Getting USB2.0 support on VMware Player virtual machines
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- HOW TO – Run Ubuntu 10.04 on a virtual machine in Windows XP, Vista or 7
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| Print article | This entry was posted by Darren Yates on March 26, 2010 at 7:43 am, and is filed under CPUs, Operating systems, Q&A. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site. |
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How to play Google’s doodle Pac-man
about 3 months ago - 2 comments
If you’re feeling the itch the play some history today, head along to Google’s search page and play Pacman, which celebrates its 30th birthday today.
Google’s daily doodle today is a playable version of the iconic game.
Here’s how you play it.
* Head over to Google’s search website.
* Hover your mouse over the Pacman doodle until you
Q&A – How do I put footnotes into a Word 2003 document?
about 4 months ago - No comments
A. Move your edit cursor to where you want the annotation to be placed, then from the main menu, select Insert -> Reference -> Footnote.
You shouldn’t need to change any of the settings, so just click the OK button and the cursor will move straight to the bottom of the page and give you your
Q&A – Can my computer monitor show 3D movies?
about 4 months ago - No comments
A. Not unless it has what’s known as a “refresh rate” of at least 100Hz. You’ll also need 3D video playback software, 3D glasses and some way of your computer to tell the glasses when to switch between each eye.
Not to mention some 3D movies to watch…
So, no, you probably won’t be watching 3D movies
Q&A – Australian health reform achieves… what exactly?
about 4 months ago - No comments
I don’t normally talk about non-tech stuff but a fellow tech journo tweeted a very good question this morning.
“Can someone explain to me what the health reforms have achieved?”
In fact, it’s a damn good question.
Let’s look at what we had to start with – in NSW, the hospital system as I understand it is set
Q&A – What speed memory do I need for a new Core i-series chip?
about 4 months ago - No comments
A. All new Core i-series processors from Intel utilise DDR3 memory. However, you’ll find the speed of the memory you choose will almost affect the pricing as much as the amount.
The trick is to look for the sweet spot, the point at which the faster the speed you choose, the more rapidly prices increase.
You can
Q&A – How do I get my netbook to play 720p video?
about 4 months ago - No comments
A. While my experience is that it can’t be done using Windows Media Player, it can be done with a combination of the open-source Media Player Classic video player and the FFdshow video codec pack. Combined, these two deliver smarter performance enabling the Intel Atom processor – even the original 1.6GHz N270 chip – to
Q&A – Is it possible to connect my iPhone to my TV or data projector?
about 4 months ago - No comments
A. Yes, you can. But you need to purchase either Apple’s Universal Dock – in Australia, it’ll set you back $69 – or grab hold of the Apple Component AV Cable or Apple Composite AV Cable (this is the cheaper option but you don’t get the remote).
The iPhone only supports a video frame size of
Q&A – What does a USB3.0 plug/cable look like?
about 4 months ago - No comments
A. A bit like this:
The plug that goes into your computer looks like an existing USB2.0 or USB1.1 except that the inner section is blue. (It’s known as a Type-A plug).
The other end has been redesigned and will only fit into a USB3.0 device.
USB3.0 devices are backwards compatible with USB2.0 except that you’ll only get
Q&A – Can I connect my iPad up to a data projector?
about 4 months ago - No comments
A. Yes, no reason why you shouldn’t be able to do that.
The only thing you’ll need is Apple’s iPad to VGA converter cable. You connect one end into the iPad and then a VGA cable into the other end of the converter. The other end of the VGA cable then goes into the projector.
The fact
Q&A – Will notebook screens ever go 3D?
about 4 months ago - No comments
A. Technically, there’s no reason why they couldn’t.
The technology that drives 3DTV is effectively the same as that used in notebook computers – essentially LED-backlit LCD display panels.
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