Windows 7 Windows XP Mode RC Hotfix for Shared Folder Performance

Posted on September 2nd, 2009 by Jason

Customers testing the virtualization extensions of Windows 7, namely Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode have been experiencing performance problems in scenarios in which sharing folders are enabled. Ben Armstrong, Program manager on the core virtualization team at Microsoft, revealed that the issues reported are connected with the latest development milestone of Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode, namely the Release Candidate Builds. Fortunately enough, a hotfix is already available from the software giant.

“A number of users have seen performance issues using shared folders / having shared folders enabled with Windows XP Mode on the RC release of Windows Virtual PC. This can be addressed by installing this hotfix inside the virtual machine. Please note – this hotfix is for Windows XP and is installed inside the virtual machine, not in the host operating system,” Armstrong noted.

Knowledge Base Article 972435 doesn’t mention Windows XP Mode, a Windows 7 feature, which is available as a standalone download. However, the resources designed to help customers resolve “slow performance when you try to open a redirected drive on a remote computer through a Terminal Services session” applies to Windows XP Professional. And Windows XP Mode is indeed based on a free and pre-activated copy of Windows XP that is available for Windows 7.

“You connect to a remote computer that is running Windows XP through a Terminal Services session. On the remote computer, when you try to open a redirected drive in Windows Explorer, the operation is very slow. It will take about 15 to 20 seconds or more for the operation to be completed. In this scenario, if you try to perform other operations, such as clicking Search, View, or Back, the Windows Explorer title bar will show Not Responding until the operation is completed,” the KB article informs.

Windows XP Mode RC and Windows Virtual PC RC are available for download via this link.

Tags: Computer, download, fix, fortunately, hotfix, knowledge, Microsoft, Milestone, Performance, Software, Virtual, virtual machine, virtual pc, Virtual PC RC, virtualization, Windows, Windows 7, windows explore, windows xp, XP Mode RC

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009 at 2:00 pm and is filed under Windows 7. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

2 Responses to “Windows 7 Windows XP Mode RC Hotfix for Shared Folder Performance”

Top 10 – September 2009 Popular Tips | PC Tips on 01 Oct 2009 at 10:00 am #

[...] 5. Windows 7 Windows XP Mode RC Hotfix for Shared Folder Performance [...]
Windows XP Mode RTMs | PC Tips on 05 Oct 2009 at 5:46 am #

[...] “Windows XP Mode is designed to provide small business and mid-sized businesses running Windows 7 Professional (or higher) the ability to run Windows XP productivity applications that may not be natively compatible with Windows 7. We expect many Windows XP applications to be compatible [with] Windows 7 however Windows XP Mode is meant to serve as an added safety net so small and mid-sized businesses can migrate and run Windows 7 without any road blocks. Windows 7 Professional is designed to meet the needs of small and mid-sized businesses,” Brandon LeBlanc describes the software solution. [...]