Windows XP may be dead to some, but Microsoft is quickly realizing it won’t soon be forgotten.

When Microsoft purchased Virtual PC from Connectix in July of 2006, most people thought it was just because they wanted to control how their operating system was used on a Mac.  When they later announced that the would not be supporting Apple’s move to Intel-based chips due to other solutions being available, most people considered that the end of the road for the brand.  It isn’t hard to believe that no one could have ever guessed that Microsoft would eventually find a reason to use it on their own machines.

In a post on The Windows Blog dated April 24th, Microsoft announced that Virtual PC would be a part of Windows 7.  This was the solution Microsoft had come up with to help convert those people who had totally skipped Windows Vista due its lack of support for some of their favorite Windows XP legacy programs.  You will be able to start a virtual environment of Windows XP, install your programs, and they will then be published to your Windows 7 desktop so that you can use them on your new machine.

At the time of this post, the beta version of the new operating system has not yet been released with the Virtual PC included, so it is not known yet how stable it is, or if this will also include the ability to use hardware peripherals that never received Vista support.  While virtual OS emulators are known to be somewhat unstable, and, again, this one has not yet been seen, this is certainly a step in the right direction from the Redmond,WA-based company.

Vista had a hard road to acceptance not only because of its high system demands, but also because it seemed that Microsoft thought that small business and individuals alike would not bat an eye at not being able to use programs and hardware they had grown so accustomed to.  Windows XP was also the operating system du jour as many people were buying home PCs for the first time so that they could experience the Internet at home, causing that to be the system they cut their teeth on while getting to know computers without the benefit of corporate tech support at work.  In other words, Windows XP became that comfortable pair of house pants you always want to wear, no matter how many holes may have appeared in them over the years.  Sure, Vista was new and shiny, but that didn’t make it instantly better in most people’s eyes.

As it stands now, it appears Windows Vista may be sent out to the pasture that contains Windows Me, the operating system that bridged the time gap between Windows 98 and Windows XP.  It was a colossal failure, and became a joke OS amongst people in the computer scene.  While Windows Vista may have been purchased by more people simply because they were forced to, it is looking like it is the operating system that everyone, including Microsoft, would like to forget happened.  By allowing people to bring their favorite XP programs with them to Windows 7, it is almost like the company is issuing a silent apology to their user base.  No, they will never outright admit that Vista went horribly wrong, but by allowing consumers to continue to have a bit of a taste of the OS they grew to love in despite of all its flaws, it appears that Microsoft has finally learned one of the golden rules of customer service: Give the customer what they want.

Thank you, Microsoft.  This silent acknowledgement says a lot about you as a company, and it is one many customers will love you for.

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