What is special about the executables compiled with Visual Studio 11 which results in that the executables cannot be executed on Windows XP?

Question

I compile my C++ source code with Visual Studio 11 Developer Preview. I statically link to the runtime library.

The resulting executable cannot be executed on Window

Answer 1

Visual Studio 2012 will be able to target Windows XP later in 2012:

Targeting Windows XP with C++ in Visual Studio 2012

"Later this fall, Microsoft will provide an update to Visual Studio 2012 that will enable C++ applications to target Windows XP. This update will make the necessary modifications to the Visual C++ 2012 compiler, runtime, and libraries to enable developers to create applications and DLLs that run on Windows XP and higher versions as well as Windows Server 2003 and higher."

Edit: This has now happened (phew!)