With the latter you get only an ancient vga with the virtual machine. So go with the first.

Windows 7 for sure. XP Mode doesn't support directX. Not all games here require directX obviously but for those that do, well there's only one option.

To get best of both worlds...

Install XP Mode, and then install VMware Player. There is an option in Player to transfer the XP Mode to Player's capabilities, which will give you DirectX support and all that.

Then, if a game doesn't run natively in 7, use Player to start up XP Mode and play the game there.

I see. I don't have XP installed on another partition, just the XP Mode included with Windows 7 Pro.
I need some advices.
The VMware Player is free? Or if I accept to pay, is it possible to have something better?
Tx

It is free. I use it to virtualize Windows Server and some Linux distros that I need for my studies. Everything has been running quite good so far.

"It is" a wonderful idea.
I'll give it a try for sure.
Thanks everyone.

XP Mode cannot use DirectX, but with the VMplayer, it is possible (if I understand).
OK!

Well goddamnit, had I known that I would've gotten Win 7 Pro instead of Home Premium.

The VM Player is correctly installed here.
Now, "for example", if want to play a game like Heroes of Might & Magic 3, I install the program in Windows 7 or in XP Mode? I'll be able to save and load the game later?

Well, you need to use this: http://www.vmware.com/products/converter/ to convert the XP Mode virtual machine in a VMware Player compatible virtual machine.

Personally, I haven't tried the tool, but it shouldn't be hard if you do some reading. There should be info on the page above how to use it.

The thing here is... If HOMM3 doesn't work in your normal Windows 7 installation that you use every day... You can copy-paste the setup files and install the game in the VMware Player virtual machine (that you created from the XP Mode using the tool above).

It will be like running an OS inside your main OS, dunno if you understand virtualization. VMware's site has all the information, do some reading if it is not clear yet.

Just an FYI - HOMM 3 runs fine for me on Windows 7 x64 :)

You might want to look into the HD pack for HOMM 3 if you want higher resolutions and 32b color depth [check the HOMM 3 forums here on GoG for the link]

In order to get the hardware combo (i7 CPU, RAM, HD size) I had to purchase a laptop with Home Primium or order one. Seems the manufacturers try to keep the purchasing cost low by offering the better hardware with the Home Premium version of windows. (at the time anyway)

I simply used the "Anytime Upgrade" option to upgrade my OS to the Pro version. Costs $79 to do so as you only need to key since all versions of Win 7 are already installed on your Win 7 computer. You can upgrade using the supplied option (should be an Anytime Icon somewhere) or buy the key from any retailer such as BestBuy , Tiger or Amazon etc. etc.

Short story, BestBuy insisted there was no such thing when my brother upgraded, tried repeatedly to sell him the $160 upgrade version (for upgrading XP/Vista systems) rather than the key version for Win 7 systems. I still prefer buying the upgrade from BestBuy or other local retailer (same price everywhere) since dealing with M$ is like swimming in molasses.

Downside is it locks the OS to that computer so I wouldn't take this route if you bought a full version of Windows Home Premium since the full version can be moved to another computer (if it didn't come with the system or isn't the OEM version). It's been a year or more since I upgraded so things could have changed. Do some research before spending the cash but . . . $79 wasn't too bad for the upgrade IMHO . . . =)

Edit: I also deleted the "Trial" version of Office 2007 since, if activated, it is locked to that computer. Buying the disk, for the same price, allowed me to install O2k7 on two computers. MS sucks when it comes to revealing the pros and cons of certain software offerings. Here again, it may have changed since I purchased my laptop but . . . something to research before you give them your hard earned cash.

If you do upgrade to Windows Pro, go here to download Windows XP mode. TBH, the only use I have found is to run my old 1998 version of my financial software . . . ; p

I paid $79 for my Home Premium upgrade (to upgrade from XP), Pro would've cost me $10 or $20 more.

Also if the crappy version of Wordpad included on Home Premium is any indication, I'll just stick to Office 2003 forever.

lol, I understand. I still use Office 2003 more than my Office 2010 install. I use Access alot and was pleased that Access 2010 allowed me to use the old mdb files without a problem. . . =)

I already have the "Converter".
I'll use it IF necessary.
Many thanks for the valuable informations.

It's possible "sometimes" to CRASH with a multi-core CPU when you're playing old games.
We can use then a tool like imagecfg.exe to patch the executable and force it to use only 1 CPU core.
I asked about the XP Virtual Mode because I prefer to choose the BEST alternative for me.

OK.
Now, let's play!

Au Revoir et Merci!