Just in case you pay for Microsoft's upcoming operating system (OS) Windows 7 and don't like it, the Redmond-based company is making an optional 'Windows XP Mode' available for download the same day as the new OS' launch, October 22.

Microsoft yesterday revealed that it had released Windows XP Mode to manufacturing, and that this would make it available for download when Windows 7 hits stores in three weeks.

Why Bother with XP Mode?

If there's one thing Microsoft appears to have learned from the Vista debacle, it's that people hate change -- especially when change means "upgrading" to an operating system that is both dramatically different than its predecessor and also much more technologically demanding.

There were a wide variety of complaints launched against Vista when Microsoft released it almost three years ago, and leading the list was the burden it placed on user machines.

Thus, this time around Microsoft will ship Windows 7 with the downgrade option made easy. According to Microsoft, XP Mode is specifically designed for networks using older applications or programs specially built for a particular industry. Some of these old programs simply won't run as well with Windows 7 or Vista, and the option to move backwards in time to an operating system that is now eight years old could be necessary.

MS Doesn't Anticipate "Road Blocks"

Still, Microsoft isn't admitting just yet that compatibility will be a problem when Windows 7 is finally released. "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," the company said in a recent blog post. (Source: theregister.co.uk)

XP Mode Requires CPU Virtualization Support

Home consumers will also have the option if they purchase the Ultimate, Professional, or Enterprise versions of Windows 7. However, some will grumble at what sounds like colossal irony: in order to run XP Mode, users will reportedly require a PC with 2 GB of RAM and 15 GB free hard drive space -- not to mention a processor capable of CPU Virtualization. That presents a problem for most users who purchased laptops or desktops more than 2 years ago. (Source: crn.com)

Still the availability of XP as a free download come October 22 can only help an operating system Microsoft hopes will white-wash the one before it.