Windows 10: Legacy software

Ok Here goes.

I have a piece of legacy software that I use for my business that gives me issues under Windows 10. Maybe someone can help me with this puzzle.

First off, this software was written back in the good 'ole Win 95 days and is now out of print. I have been using it on WinXP since 2006. It works on everything up to and including Win7 64bit. I have not tried on Win8 or 8.1 I have been an Insider since the first Technical Preview Build of Win10. In the first few builds, said software installed and ran correctly.

Since about the 4th of 5th build of Win10 TP the software would no longer run. Installation goes smoothly as long as I run it in XP Mode. So I resigned myself to looking for new software once I get all new Win10 boxes, and then the following happens:

I have one Win7 machine at work that I finally get around to upgrading to Win10 (cause it's free, so why not?). It's an HP, like all my other boxes at the shop) so I have to do the Nvidia GeForce video driver workaround, Fine. Done. Keep in mind that this was not a clean install but rather an upgrade. I kept all of my programs, settings, and personal info intact.
So, now the program open up and runs pretty smoothly, BUT, when I try to link it to my database, It does not give me the option to select a shared drive, only local. I run a peer to peer network and I have been accessing a shared drive with this software on everything up to and including Win7.

BTW, It upgraded to Windows 10 Home, not Enterprise.

Any of you Gurus have any clues for me? That would be awesome!

:)

 

Windows 10 vs Legacy software

I'm considering reserving a Windows 10 copy but I have some very expensive software that will not run on any thing newer than XP. I'm running XP Mode on Win 7 pro now. Is this "upgrade" a waste of my time?? I can't afford $5,000 to replace older software.

Thanks, Rich

 

Windows 10 vs Legacy software

I use Windows Virtual PC with Windows XP Mode. What will happen to them if I upgrade to Windows 10?

Please note your existing Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode will not work in Windows 10.

You can review the following as a possible work around if you need to.

http://lifehacker.com/5965889/how-to-run-windows-xp-for-free-in-windows-8

Windows 10 Pro and Windows 10 Enterprise/Education includes a built in Hypervisor called Hyper-V which you can use to setup virtual machines.

Learn more:

How to setup a virtual
machine using Hyper-V

Please note, Hyper-V does not include a Windows license, you will need to provide and install your own.

Backup your computer:

When making significant changes to your computer such as updating the operating system, you should always backup. See links to resources about backing up by clicking the link for the respective version of Windows you are running:

Windows XP,
Windows Vista,
Windows 7,
Windows 8/8.1

Also review:

How
to manually backup and restore your files

How to: 10 Tips before
installing the latest Windows 10 build

How to: 10 things
to do if Windows 10 Setup fails.

Once you have installed these important updates and followed the prerequisite instructions, you should be ready to receive your
free update to Windows 10 this summer.

 

Really best option is to run it in a virtual machine. You would need a licence but old XP licences (for example) and disks are very cheap on ebay. Of course, there is a risk of a scam, but probably lower than buying Windows 7.

As a rule, security of XP (if you chose that) is an issue, but less risk inside a VM but you should install an AV package to be sure.

 

Hi there

The VM answer is easily the best -- I run a load of VINYL cutting hardware on an old XP VM - works brilliantly --plus a load of other stuff.

You'll need an XP license of course. Another solution is if you have W7 PRO as a VM you could install XP mode on that - but the idea of running a VM under a VM on typical home hardware isn't the best idea.

For vmware you can "Virtualise" your existing physical XP system (if you still have one) by running the Free converter tool -- this saves you haveing to create a new VM and install the OS and applications over again --IMO the best way to do it for legacy software - especially if you haven't got the install disks or the updates any more.

As far as security is concerned - you can always limit access to the Internet from the VM or ensure that it goes through a gateway on your host which passes the site address request to your ISP.

On sensible hardware VM's don't consume a huge amount of resources typically - although they do need RAM and if you can store the VM on an SSD so much the better.

VBOX is also another decent (Free) system for running VM's on too.

Cheers
jimbo

 

Is your network location set to Private?
Network Location - Set to Private or Public in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums

 

The following worked for me on multiple systems to see shared devices, NAS, etc. at least until Microsoft deals with this.


Run cmd.exe as admin

Then enter the following, press enter after each command


sc.exe config lanmanworkstation depend= bowser/mrxsmb10/nsi


sc.exe config mrxsmb20 start= disabled


Restart

Forgot to add the link
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2696547

 

Try mapping the shared drive (give it a drive letter on the local machine). That makes it like a local drive.