Can I run XP programs on Vista?

[Guest]

I'm buying a new laptop with Vista pre-installed but I have all kinds of
software to load up that was on my XP desktop. Will they load and run on
Vista? (e.g., MS Office, Outlook, Paint Shop Pro)

Any help is appreciated.
- Don

 

[R. McCarty]

Unfortunately, there isn't a master "Compatibility" listing. Most Office
and Graphics programs should work. It really depends on which version
of the applications you have. Best to visit the vendor websites and check
for Vista compatibility. Some apps require patches/updates to function in
Vista. Some programs just simply won't work, due to internal coding in
Vista that prevents "Sloppy,Badly written" apps from getting away with
coding "Tricks" that previous versions of Windows would allow.

 

[Thomas Olsen [MSFT]]

Hello donesquire,

In addition to the information that R. McCarty provided you, you can use the
Program Compatibility Wizard to run older programs in Vista if they don't
run automatically. Here is a short Help and Support topic that discusses
application compatibility and the Program Compatibility Wizard:

http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/bf416877-c83f-4476-a3da-8ec98dcf5f101033.mspx

I hope this helps you.

 

[Mark Rae]

MS Office, Outlook

Yes - I'm currently running Office 2007.

Paint Shop Pro)

Yes - I'm currently running Paint Shop Pro XI.

 

[Steve C. Orr [MCSD, MVP, CSM, ASP Insider]]

Yes, all the apps you mentioned should work, and most other apps should work
as well.
However, there is no 100% guarantee for ALL apps.

 

[Plato]

I'm buying a new laptop with Vista pre-installed but I have all kinds of
software to load up that was on my XP desktop. Will they load and run on
Vista? (e.g., MS Office, Outlook, Paint Shop Pro)

Most will, some wont until you either get a patch or a new Vista
compatible version.