Virtualisation is one of the big buzz words at the moment. It's a scary word for the idea of running a software computer inside Windows. There are plenty of advantages to this. You can undo changes to the virtual computer far more easily than your main copy of Windows so it is much safer when experimenting.

I've used Virtual PC for a long time, from before it was bought by Microsoft, who later released it without a fee. It's not got the best reputation of these programs but it works for my purposes and is a good way to try out software or risky hacks.

Despite the benefits, even for ordinary consumers, Microsoft has not allowed Vista Home Basic or Premium to be used with this kind of software. Until now that is.