Old programs from Windows 7 and XP not compatable with Windows 10

Hi everyone:

This is a big problem:

Not only do I have a problem, but its hard to express technically what is going on without a lot of detail as I don't understand what technological jargon would cut through all the details here to provide a clear picture...

I hope its under the correct theme here...its not a custom build as I've done nothing but talk about doing that...its not a software problem exclusively as it has to do with how Windows 10 reacts to older programs vs how Windows 7 handled them...

So I posted in General Support

But here I go...

I ran (see my posts under XP VM USER in Windows Seven Forum) my laptop too long until it refused to boot up

as there was no other clear solution (other than reinstalling Windows 7---with many of the same problems as you will see below)

I was pretty well forced to take Windows 10---with the upcoming end date of 2020 for support for Windows 7--It was not worth the effort to just get Windows 7 back again...and never go upward to Windows 10...

But....

I have many free/student version/ trial version/ College loaned and installed versions (they have the product keys) etc etc. of many expensive programs I've use sporadically over the years.

I've often tried various tools to look inside the files created by the programs...

but all I get is "computer gibberish"

I need something that would let me install my old Windows XP as well as many of my fully paid for Windows 7 programs into Windows 10.

Microsoft (I called the HQ) before accepting Windows 10 as my only option to move forward in computer life...
Microsoft said they have a "XP" compatibility mode on their choices when you place a program in the CD / DVD slot that it detects is older..

Sure...it does...but it refuses to install (Installer on XP does not work on Windows 10....it DID work on Windows 7 but I no longer have an operating Windows 7 drive.

New larger SSD Drive in older laptop---just has blank empty Windows 10

(Oh yes...Best Buy copied all of the "data" files over...

but their rules were that they could not clone the drive or copy over "programs")

So here I am writing to you today... for your experience and genius answers!

I have equipment that I use with the XP programs.

Example : Sony recorders that do not use standard MP3 files (which are too big for my smaller HDD back then) so their very space conserving .msv files cannot be read by anything other than the "Sony Voice Editor" which works under XP

which works under Windows 7 with XP Compatibility selected

Which refuses to install in Windows 10 no matter what [XP, Vista Windows 7 etc] button I hit
I can do "things" I managed to rewrite parts of the open source program and got around the problems it was experiencing...

But of course...its installed but now refuses to run as by my cheats it can't find where Windows 10 stored the various parts of the program---if it installed it correctly at all in the Windows 10 environment.. (which is the constant phrase I see:

" This program/installation is not compatible with Windows 10"

No choices other than the stupid "[ OK ]" box...... nothing else to do but quit

I can buy new equipment

I can buy new programs (Sound Organizer by Sony works---but it refuses to open up anything but MP3 files, which the older program did not create at the time for simple reason:

a clear lack of money! to buy the larger and larger HDD's and backup HDD's to store all of the data in!

I also have photos...from old "non-smart " Sony phone (lots of Sony products other than these too) and the phone refuses to "pair" with the Bluetooth program of the Windows 10.

Best Buy technicians and their on phone technicians for days worked at this...

Everything goes as it should...password given and entered etc etc

It just does not work...

No signs that say its "incompatible"

no other ways around it.

So again...all my old photos are unavailable

All my new photos take with old phone are unavailable for uploading (and I'm running out of M2 chips to store them while I wait for a solution!)

I have other proprietary programs like Autodesk and ABBY fine reader OCR etc which saved in their own formats only readable using their older versions...

Ok....I have old old XP scanners and other devices...I know I have to replace those as the I/O and ports are totally wrong for the Windows 10 as its in laptop without these facilities and the XP computer is not going to function much longer.

I tried in Windows 7 (note my user name back in Windows Seven Forum: XP VM USER)

I tried the Windows 7 Virtual Machine....

When it refused to work properly.. I tried "Oracle Virtual Box" program....that did a lot of things perfectly and got many things to work "in" the box.

But zero... I mean zero output for anything!

No sounds

No printed pages

No downloads from the program inside the Virtual Box....its imprisoned inside there...

Ok.

Enough describing in non-technological terminology the problems--- time for some solutions!
---

Oh, before anyone responds:

I have a few items I know about or tried...and can cut down on some back and forth as I knew about these already from prior experience...

as no matter how I think about it...its like I will lose all access to the data even though I have the data...without working programs...they are useless...

1. Of course I could go to my local Computer places to ask them to do a "dual booting" Windows 7 and Windows 10 computer (either in one drive or two separate drives.

Ans: Several of the older places I used to do this for Windows 7 and XP no longer exist!

Ans "Best Buy" and some sole individuals with computer help places refuse to get involved in something like that... Best Buy would install a second HDD for me, but that is it... no OS no programs nothing to do with it..

I'm on my own

2. I could use programs like Partition Commander Or OS Commander remember those?

That I did use automatically to set up partitions and put different OS in it...

But they were all long ago made unworkable by features of Windows 7 and definitely running it inside of Windows 10 to create partitions for Windows 7 is impossible as again these are XP programs that will no longer install or open up if I did get them installed as not compatible with Windows 10 apps etc etc.

3. Get a HS kid who knows his stuff... but in today's world I know better---single male asking a kid to stay in house with me for hours and hours working with devices and old programs doing that... not a good idea... parents not happy so nixed that.

4. Get a whole new computer! Brilliant! Besides the cost involved....run up with same problem that no one will allow me to clone programs from old Windows 7 HDD as it won't open properly as I waited too long ---I have backup but they don't have the Macrium program and they won't load it in their computers as they don't know how Macrium backup works

So I'm stuck again!

Just clearing the way for some really outstanding ---out of the box ideas!

(Hmmm maybe if I developed my own computer that can do all this....and RAID too (I used to have it but lost it too along the way)----I can call my new computer "NEXT"!

(oh sorry---that name was already taken by Steve Jobs).

(ended on a joke there).

Thanks everyone for reading this far.

Tenacious

All my old programs and a 1999 Epson scanner work in Widows 10. You can use the VM solution as mentioned above. Also run the installer program for your old programs in XP compatibility mode from an admin account. That method worked for me.

Hi there

I run XP just fine in a VM - not a smidgen of a problem with it either on a Windows 10 x-64 Pro or a Linux Host. I use VMWare but VBOX is also OK so you shouldn't have any problems. Windows 7 also runs just fine as a VM.

Both W7 and XP VM's run quite old legacy hardware too.

Cheers
jimbo

Thank you Ztruker, Steve C, jimbo45 and Berton:

All suggestions are appreciated...

Will go through each one in a moment but [BOLD]in summary[/BOLD] what I think I should do is give
Windows 10 a chance to run Oracle Virtual Box

see what happens....when I try to load in older programs....

See if I encounter the problems I had before of trying to "get out" my work product from inside the VM's
I have installation disks for Windows XP---

I never used SP3 so no problem there...

BUT---I have not installed XP in a long time....

I am concerned and wonder if Microsoft still has a portal open

to "confirm" my Product code=====else they will declare my copy of

Windows XP as [BOLD]"not genuine"[/BOLD] and delete it or lock it out etc...

(anyone other than me remember those days?)

(I lived without Internet for 6 years until I got it figured out with Microsoft Research branch

why I got this message every hour on the hour I used XP....So now it works...

but the solution cost me over $3,000 (unhappy emoji )

Ok getting back to your good suggestions...

I will do what is needed to install the various items here...

and I will post any problems I encounter in this post

[Unless Blink or z3r010 the administrators would like me to make separate
posts for these problem--I come from Windows Seven Forum and do want to help others to find solutions to their problems by reading what happens here...]

I may be late to the Windows 10 party....

but as you can read in my other very lengthy posts in Windows Seven Forum...there was good reason to avoid Windows 10 for as long as I did...

-------

Now some specific answers with quotes used:

1.

Ztruker

Ztruker said:

Run Windows 7 in a Virtual Machine under Windows 10. I use Oracle VirtualBox to run XP Pro, Windows 7 Pro and even a copy of OS/2 Warp 4 as VMs via Oracle VirtualBox. I can have any or all of them running at the same time on my Windows 10 Desktop along with whatever I want running natively on Windows 10. See here: Oracle VirtualBox

OK! sounds like you have the answers....

I will go to Oracle Virtual Box and get this going right away..

I have Windows 7 Professional version Install files (oh oh its just the "upgrade version"....I don't have XP installed...what do I do?

I'll try installing it directly when I get Oracle Virtual Box...

Unless I should create an .iso disk to use instead?
[digression for all Windows fans here...I used Oracle Virtual Box to run the last 5 or so Apple OS's ----using .iso disks which I still have and can use to reinstall

(NOT NOT now later on ---just trying to get my Windows 7 and XP to run first)

but that is how I'm familiar (or at least 4 years ago I was) with using .iso disks and have to look up how to do it again....

but only if needed since I have Windows 7 Professional (x64) upgrade version...not the whole program....

Ztruker said:

You can then install the XP programs in the XP VM and the Windows 7 programs in the Windows 7 VM and they can share files and folders with the Windows 10 host.

Great!

I hope this time maybe it works....

I remember last time...I could not "see" any files in Windows 7 host while using XP in the Windows 7 VM OR the Oracle Virtual Box

Seemed to be a defect with the laptop...it refused to allow me to access anything

No sounds came from speakers..'
No printouts were sent to printer even though I loaded all the printer programs into the VM and the Oracle Virtual Box....

No video files were able to be projected out from the laptop (which is why I got that model so it could do that)
It worked "within VM"

never without..

Well everyone....time to get those problems fixed if you're with helping me!

2.

Steve C

Steve C said:

All my old programs and a 1999 Epson scanner work in Widows 10. You can use the VM solution as mentioned above. Also run the installer program for your old programs in XP compatibility mode from an admin account. That method worked for me.

Great! I have several Scanners.... Microtek? and CannonI think ...will edit that line when I go check the backs of the scanners....

I had to disable the home "Intranet" when "ransomware" came out...and I don't have SP3 for XP (I do have the install disk--I can't use it or else they say I will lose data and programs...sigh).

I will have to get an expert in here to work on that so I can contact the Internet when I need to print things or scan things through the home network...(Guess I should make that a new category...but you only have "Vista Forums" here no XP ones...

Sigh...

Too much information in one answer I know Steve C...

But you did perfect...opened that can of worms thinking about your 1999 Epson scanner (Oh I have some large format Panasonic ones for blueprints etc hanging around...but as I've not brought the ink for over 6-8 years I get it...its dried up...on the ribbons etc and who knows if it will print anything..might have to spring money for a newer one....but the old one was so large...---do the new ones work as well? I have a lot of shopping and costs to do

(again a good reason I didn't go up to Windows 10 again----lots of new-fangled equipment for me to install and learn how to keep up with everyone else in my fields)....

3.

jimbo45

jimbo45 said:

Hi there

I run XP just fine in a VM - not a smidgen of a problem with it either on a Windows 10 x-64 Pro or a Linux Host. I use VMWare but VBOX is also OK so you shouldn't have any problems. Windows 7 also runs just fine as a VM.

Both W7 and XP VM's run quite old legacy hardware too.

Cheers
jimbo

I like your optimism jimbo...

That is why I wrote to everyone the introductory stuff saying I will give it the good 'ol college try before throwing in the towel...

Lots of new room on the WD SSD I got running silently in here...

eerily quiet using the laptop now.... fan only runs occasionally

[I read with interest some of the other posts here...in customization and places about overclocking and heating up the chips and four fans running too hot----I don't have the experience to answer them....wondered if I should suggest oil or water cooled systems...but just as I know they are expensive---and can leak----I'm plenty happy with my silent SSD running here for now...until I fill up the SSD drive--its only double the size 1TB as that is all the BIOS of this laptop can take...

I will have to migrate over to a larger computer eventually....but hoping I can just take this SSD with me to there (but they tell me I will have SONY drivers problems when I
transfer everything over....

So I'm holding off doing too many things at once...

Lets see if I can get Windows 7 stuff and XP stuff working here again!

4.

Berton

Berton said:

Note: the Windows XP Mode was only for Windows 7, never saw it run properly on Windows 8 and later.

Exactly why I am skeptical on Windows 10 running everything I'm about to throw into it with Oracle Virtual Box...

running Windows 7 Professional from an "upgrade only" Install disk

Running VM from within Windows 7 again to see if I can solve the getting data to escape from the Laptop this time...

Wish me luck Berton....

Berton said:

I also have some older programs but I've kept a Windows XP computer running for them, just got a warning that AVG antivirus is no longer supported on it but I don't need it on the Network except for downloads and accessing my NAS drives.

Which is why I have the air-gapped (due to ransomware and Norton being out of subscription...they say they still support XP on Norton AV / Internet Security versions if you want to try that company Berton)

But I have to figure out how to get the download from Microsoft when it says you are required to have SP3 to use that patch....

(I've have done this before-----if I dared to download the patch and I don't have SP3

the Microsoft magic computers/servers will first

AUTOLOAD! in the SP3 without my being able to stop them

until it ruins the programs that were never designed for it and data will get corrupted....

and I will have parts of the computer backed up correctly and parts with corrupted data on it and no way to figure out which goes where....

sigh...

again I seem to have a lot of problems to work through as I get used to Windows 10

Thanks again Berton for your suggestions...

and....

Berton said:

Something not often mentioned is that only the Pro version of Windows XP was available as either 32-bit or 64-bit but there weren't a lot of 64-bit programs at the time, started coming into more use with Windows Vista.

Yes I didn't tell anyone as it gets complicated...

the XP computer Pentium D , that I didn't describe here..

has RAID 0 and 1 striping... (I think I tried out 5 on some disks but I don't remember if they are hooked into the regular system or just the intranet that I disconnected in 2016 whenever ransomware hit the internet...

And I have it dual booting.....(I didn't set it up---had help using those programs I mentioned in the original post that are no longer made!)

So I have both XP home and XP Professional (32 bit only)(Yes I knew there is a difference but only got one computer as I needed Home version for a number of programs that are graphic in nature and never ran under Professional so once again I had to go backwards in time and install back in Home version to take all of the older ones when I got the Professional XP

Hope that makes some sense to you....At least from above words you wrote I assume you would understand why I did that...

(and your signature quote is quite good too!:

Berton said:

NO ONE can walk backwards into the future.
People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be.

)

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Ok, thanks again everyone!

I'm off to the Coal mines---to dig out my old programs and files and get that Oracle Virtual Box working again and install Windows 7 on it....

Maybe I don't need a dual booting Laptop if I can get away with this....

(I did consider removing the CD/DVD drive for a second SSD----but since the screen died...I was advised to use until something else breaks ...then move everything over to a new computer entirely.. (at greater costs of course!)

Tenacious

Hi there

With W7 upgrade editions from XP you don't have to have XP installed -- from what I remember you could simply load the XP DVD (or an .iso copy of it) or enter a serial number -- too long ago to remember but those upgrades always worked something like that.

Cheers
jimbo

Thank you both Jimbo45 and Ztruker!
Like the look of your desktop (just substitute a Mac OSX (i.e. Mountain Lion or El Capitan etc) for your OS2 Warp and that would be perfect!)

When I get ready you'll explain what Warp 4 is (other than the Star Trek reference which I assume its not referring to).