Can I install software while others are running?

Paultx · 15 May 2020

It's an "old newbie" question I have, because back in Windows 3.1 days and since I saw hundreds of warnings about "closing all running programs before" installing.

FYI a place where I worked for 20+ years had IT guys who installed stuff with others running all the time. And I've seen tons of Windows problems there, maybe because of that. At home I never installed anything that way and had much less problems.

But today I wonder if Windows has evolved enough to allow installing stuff that way without causing serious problems.

Any thoughts? TIA.

Windows 10 Pro 1909 18363.836

Brink · 15 May 2020

Hello Paul,

Usually, it's still best to close everything while installing software. However, I find that as long as what you are currently running is not affected by the software you are installing, it's usually fine to leave it open.

Normally, Windows will only allow you to install one piece of software at a time.

sygnus21 · 15 May 2020

Yeah, I sometimes install software while other apps are running, but agree it's best to have apps closed while installing others. Some apps will alert that you need to close other apps during the install process.