Compatability

  • Thread starter Thread starter Stephen
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S

Stephen

I started loading Windows XP that was given to me as a
gift. One of the warnings I receive is that I may have to
go back to all the suppliers of all my existing programs
and get patches to make them compatabile with XP. How true
is this? I stopped the download because I am not going to
spend all that time doing that and be without my programs
in the mean time. If this is true I will probably throw
Windows XP in the trash and never buy another Windows OS.
 
Greetings Stephen...

Microsoft XP isn't by any standards (haha... I said Microsoft and standards
in the same sentence... imagine that) the most backwards compatible
operating system in the world. However, the only major conflicts that
you'll have are drivers which you can typically either download from your
manufacturer (which isn't hard if you have a brand name or know who makes
your components) and most of the time XP can detect your hardware and
install fairly well. The programs that you may lose are any type of MS-DOS
programs if you the NTFS (Nice Trashy File System) format on your harddisk.
Other than that if you can deal with blue screens, crashes and lock ups
(like you do all Windows OS's) then you're fine ;-) )

I hope this helps -- best of luck with XP (hahahaha.... oh -- sorry... ;-) )

- Ryan
 
Stephen said:
I started loading Windows XP that was given to me as a
gift. One of the warnings I receive is that I may have to
go back to all the suppliers of all my existing programs
and get patches to make them compatabile with XP. How true
is this? I stopped the download because I am not going to
spend all that time doing that and be without my programs
in the mean time. If this is true I will probably throw
Windows XP in the trash and never buy another Windows OS.
Click to expand...

Ignore Ryan... He knows not what he says :)

With all new technologies, you must expect that some old software may not be
completely compatible, especially as XP is built on an entirely different
codebase to Win9x. Most software will function perfectly, but some, such as
CD Recording software or DVD playback software, normally needs updating.
This is a fact of life and often the case with any major upgrade.

In many cases, the updates are a free download from the software publishers
website, although that is not always the case. This is not Microsofts
fault, it's the fault of the publishers deciding that instead of giving
loyal users a free patch, they'll make them pay all over again.

Some hardware may also have some difficulties, especially if you are running
a video card with a Voodoo chipset. Again, that's not Microsofts fault.
It's up to the hardware manufacturers to provide drivers for their
equipment, something unlikely to happen with Voodoo as they're gone :) I
believe there are SOME drivers for these cards, but written by ex-employees
of Voodoo and not officially sanctioned...

At the end of the day you must make a choice. XP is a new OS (well, a year+
old now but still fairly new) and is intended to run on more recent
hardware. Don't even consider running it on any less than a 500mhz
processor and 256mb of RAM... If you decide to really DON'T want to use it,
instead of throwing the OS away, post it to me :) I can find a home for it!
:D

HTH

Lorne
 
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