Since neither using Compatibilty Mode or any version of DosBox that I've tried (including DOSBox Game Launcher v0.76 which gives the error message "This program requires Microsoft Windows") works when trying to run 16 bit exe files, it seems I'm forced to use one of the two solution in the subject line.

I already have Virtual Box installed and it works, but has some limitations:

1. Can't easily share files between it and the native 64 bit Win 7 OS.

2. Can't go fullscreen.

3. No support for USB, so I will be forced to get a regular keyboard to use instead of my cordless one.


So, is there any point in installing Microsoft's Windows XP Mode/Virtual PC? Or does it have the same limitations?
Other pros and cons between the two solutions?

I tried several games in Windows XP mode, none of them worked.
Easiest and 100% working is either Vmware or dual boot pc.

Im using Virtual Box for running an Graphics program, and everything you mentioned works for me:
- Press your "host" key + f to switch between full screen and windowed
- Just insert a USB stick while Virtual Box is running in the foreground; it should recognize it or at least it should appear in the list of symbols below (the one which looks like a USB plug - rightclick and activate the USB peripheral you want to use with VB)
- you can setup a 'shared folder" - if you select "Automount" while setting it up, you should see an icon for the shared folder in your emulated Windows

Hope this helps... if you dont have all this, you must be running a very old version of VB
Regards, Jerry

What version of VirtualBox do you have? I was getting ready to post what gogus1radsjfzjry has already posted.

EDIT: I have version 4.2.16.

I'm running version 4.2.16.
I haven't actually tried if fullscreen worked, but it was on a list of limitiations I saw somewhere.
When starting Windows XP from Virtual Box my cordless keyboard no longer works. It doesn't even work in Win 7 until after I close Windows XP.
It doesn't recognize any other USB devices either, even if the Virtual Box program lists the keyboard under USB devices.

Also, the shared folder does not turn up in Windows XP.

The guest OS shouldn't need to talk to the actual keyboard or mouse hardware at all, so that's strange (those - like audio, network, chipset and graphics - are virtualised).

Did you install the VirtualBox extensions? (to the host/virtualbox itself - they give VirtualBox in general better USB support, and more)
Did you install the Guest Addons? (to the guest - for better integration between host and guest, necessary for shared folders to work among other things)

There are some limitations to Virtual Box, but it is still my app of choice for using vintage Windows OSs.

Here is the question I have. If your Keyboard does not work in it, then how did you get XP installed in it?

It only stops working when Windows XP is actually running, not when just Virtual Box is running. I have Guest Addons installed, and I'll install the extensions too and see if that helps.
EDIT: Actually, both were already installed.

That still does not answer my question. Did you install it from an ISO, did you download a precompiled DB file, what?

I've tried running games in virtual machines before and experimented with Virtual Box, Virtual PC/XP Mode, and VMWare. Out of the three, VMWare worked the best by a good margin over Virtual Box and by a huge leap over XP Mode.

VMWare Player is free and works pretty good for games. I have ran DirectX 9 programs and they ran well. When you install Windows XP in a VM you get a maximum of 128 MB of Video Ram, so some games that need more won't work well or will have missing textures.

For your three points.

1. Once you install VMWare tools you can drag and drop between the host and guest OS. Shared folders is fairly easy to setup also from the settings in each Virtual Machine.

2. VMWare Player can go fullscreen. There is a maximize icon in the top toolbar that will set it to full screen.

3. VMWare should work with any keyboard and mouse you have plugged in. VMWare also has an option to direct connect USB devices to the VM. You have to pick show all USB input devices from the USB Controller settings in the preferences. Then each device will show up in the toolbar and you can pick which ones to direct connect.

Weird, the symptoms definitely sound as if they weren't.

Does they keyboard require drivers to work at all (on the host), or does at least basic functionality work without specific drivers? (if the latter, I can't see any reason as to why VirtualBox wouldn't pick up on it, you shouldn't need to attach it to the VM, but VB should be treated pretty much like any other application)

I have an old Windows XP CD from which I installed it.

Then it did not come with the guest addons installed. You can download them from the Virtualbox website.

I have the guest addons installed. They show up as an icon in the bottom left corner. Doesn't do anything when clicking on it though, so I assume it's just there a confirmatiom that it is installed.

I finally found the Shared Folders. I thought they would be on the same place on the hard disk, but it turned out they were under Networks.

So now it's only the cordless keyboard which is the problem.
The virtual XP detects my mouse that connects via the frontal USB port, but not USB devices connected to the back ports.

In one of the settings at the top of the VM window you can select the USB and lock it into VB, but be warned that you will then lose all control of the host PC until you shut down the guest