Okay, after some time of trouble I finally figured this out: how to run Connectix Virtual PC 5.2 on Windows 7.

Before we begin, here are some reasons why CVPC won't run on Windows 7 just out of the box:

• It's not PAE and DEP compatible
• PCA will not allow you to run the installer or the main program
• It's not 64-bit compatible

The first can be fixed by disabling PAE and DEP. The second one is fixed by renaming two EXE files. And the third one is pretty much self-explanationary. This tutorial is split into two parts: first part is about disabling PAE and DEP, the second is about renaming the files and installation.

Part 1: Preparations

1. Download and install EasyBCD.

2. Now open it. Click on "Advanced Settings". Select your current installation from the drop-down menu on the top and move to the "Advanced" tab.


3. Select "Force disable" in the list for "PAE Support" and "Always off" in the list for "NoExecute". Now click on "Save Settings".


4. Restart your computer for changes to take effect.

We are now ready to move to the next part.

Part 2: Installation and testing

1. Get a copy of Connectix Virtual PC 5.2 for Windows. Extract the archive to some location (doesn't really matter where).

2. Now navigate to that location and then to "\Virtual PC 5.2\Installer\". Now find file named "setup.exe".


3. Rename this file to something else (e.g. setup1.exe). Once you do, run the setup and follow the on-screen instructions.


4. Once the installation finishes (you shouldn't encounter any errors), navigate to the folder where you installed Virtual PC (default: "C:\Program Files\Connectix\Connectix Virtual PC\") and then find the file "Virtual PC.exe".


5. Now rename the file to something else (e.g. VPC.exe). Then run the program. You will recieve a Windows Firewall warning, depending on your settings. Just click "Allow".


6. You should now see the splash screen of Connectix Virtual PC.


6. a) If you recieve an error saying it's not PAE compatible: You haven't disabled PAE and DEP. You can follow this tutorial.
b) If you recieve an error saying a component is missing: The installation hasn't completed successfully. You can try re-installing Virtual PC.
c) If you recieve a message saying VPC was blocked due to incompatibility: You haven't renamed the main executable (Virtual PC.exe). Try renaming it to something else.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is the final result:


Here are some things to pay attention to:
-CVPC doesn't support 64-bit Windows; you will recieve a PAE error no matter what you do.
-Disabling PAE and DEP can decrease your system's performance and security. DO IT AT YOUR OWN RISK!
-You must be a full admin (not in "Approval mode") or else the Application Services will fail to install.
-If you enable the "Virtual PC Emulated Ethernet Switch" on your internet connection, you may loose connectivity.
-Make sure to update any shortcuts that point to the file "Virtual PC.exe".
-You can't run any version of VPC in another VPC virtual machine, so you need a real computer with a supported 32-bit OS.
-CVPC may still not work if installed next to MSVPC or WVPC.

Enjoy!

Will it blend work with Longhorn?

I haven't tried it on LH, but I suppose it should work if you do all the steps right...

It should. It was made for XP SP1/2, and Longhorn is SP1 compatible. But you don't need to disable PAE or DEP, just install it, don't even rename files.