If you are deploying Windows 7 Enterprise but don’t want users to be able to install and use Windows XP Mode on their comptuers, you can do one of the following to block this:
- Make the users Standard Users instead of local admins on their computers so they won’t be able to install programs on them.
- Use AppLocker to create a Deny rule for the Windows Virtual PC executable (vmwindows.exe).
- Use the Compatibility Administrator in the Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) to create a custom APPHELP HARDBLOCK to prevent XP Mode from installing.
- Disable hardware virtualization on users’ computers and lock the BIOS on their computers with a password, then block access to sites where they can download the hardware-assisted virtualization emulation hotfix.
Mitch Tulloch is a seven-time recipient of the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award and widely recognized expert on Windows administration, deployment and virtualization. For more tips by Mitch you can follow him on Twitter or friend him on Facebook.
