12 Comments

Microsoft offers free Virtual PC 2004 download

July 12, 2006 by in Geeky with 12 Comments

What with all the gloating going on about Parallels and CrossOver for Intel Mac users, I am sure that Apple users along with their beloved PPC machines were beginning to feel a little less important. Fortunately, Microsoft now offers free downloads of Virtual PC 2004. No more complaints about not having the means in which to run Windows on your PPC machines due to cost constraints.

Whether Microsoft virtualization technology is an important component of your existing infrastructure or you’re just a Virtual PC enthusiast, you can now download Virtual PC 2004 Service Pack 1 absolutely free. Microsoft is also offering the free download of Virtual PC 2007, with support for Windows Vista in 2007.

Oddly enough, Microsoft is also providing Virtual PC 2007 for interested Vista users. What’s going on here? Is Microsoft finally seeing the darkness at the end of the tunnel? Could you imagine what would happen if Apple’s next OS release Leopard became so successful that MS began distributing its own operating systems for free?

Edit: I apologize as the source for this tip coupled with a little over excited lead to my assumption that Virtual PC (Mac) was being offered as a free download. Correction: Virtual PC 2004 for Windows?


  • Ian

    I can only find information for the Windows version of VPC, not the PPC version. Am I mistaken?

  • maijc

    @ian
    yes, VPC is Virtual PC; and PPC is Power PC, the IBM Chip

    Anyway, im looking foward install xp on my ibook… no wait, I dont want any virus in my beloved ibook.

  • http://brainnut.com Brainnut

    Virtual PC 2004 is only for Windows machines to run Windows operating systems. The Mac version is called “Virtual PC 7″. I don’t think this one will be given away for free. Also the Windows version of Virtual PC 2004 has been free for at least 6 months.

  • Ian

    Of course PPC is the PowerPC chip. I’ve owned a computer containing every major variation, from the 601 to the G4 (okay, so no G5, but still…)

    What I’m saying is that the link mentioned in the article only goes to the Windows version of VirtualPC, meaning that I believe that the Mac/PowerPC version is /not/ free. No where on the Mac VPC page does it mention it being free. So, sadly, being a PPC user I can still whine about not being able to run Windows for free.

  • http://www.markfleser.uni.cc Mark Fleser

    OK, so where is the actual download link for OS X? As mentioned above the link is only for windows machines.

  • http://5thirtyone.com Derek

    Post corrected. My apologies for the misinformation due to my failure to verify the source. Virtual PC 2004 (PC) is being offered for free download. No available free download for Mac users.

  • http://www.myspace.com Matt Wall

    LOL! My hamster died!

  • Doc

    Anyone know how to boot windows on a power pc mac? Surely all the time that power pc mac’s have been around, someone has hacked a way to boot windows!
    I mean I am by far no hacker my self but it does not seem that hard… VPC 7 and Guest pc 1.9 are so slow even running win98. I am about to order a powerbook G4 to go with my ibook. Because intel macs are so much more $ right now? Any thoughts. Thanks….

  • Doc

    By the way, love your web site ! I stop by several times a day. Great job !!!

  • Ian

    There’s no possible way to natively boot Windows on a PowerPC-based machine (i.e. Mac). Reason? The PPC runs a different instruction set than x86-based machines. So, it’s almost like expecting you to perform all of your every day tasks in a foreign language you don’t understand. Simply can’t be done.

  • http://august1.ant-farm.org/ Darren

    Like lan said you can’t natively do it, but you can emulate it…

    http://www.macwindows.com/emulator.html

  • darkbeing32

    cant open it! it says it has a missing file. MSI.DLL to be exact.

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