Skip to main content

Check Compatibility of Your Current Software with Windows Vista

Windows Vista Compatibility CheckWindows Vista official launch is just a week away and all new PCs will probably ship preloaded with Windows Vista now. So the most common question today is about application compatibility - will the existing software versions and games work the same with Windows Vista ?

Who would want to upgrade from Windows XP to Windows Vista just to realize that some mission critical software aren't working anymore. It could be expensive software like AutoCAD 2007, 3DS Max 9, Adobe Photoshop CS2 or the smaller ones like Norton Antivirus, Nero, ZoneAlarm Firewall, Picasa, Tally or even iTunes.

While the best approach would be to directly talk with the software vendors, that may not be always possible. So here a couple of options to help you find what software works and what doesn't work with Windows Vista.

How to make sure that your software and games will work with Windows Vista

Using VMWare Virtual Machine

Get the free trial DVD of Windows Vista and install that as a guest OS using VMWare Workstation 6.0 on your Windows XP computer. Now install the software titles on this Vista Virtual Machine without affecting your existing XP setup. Alternatively, if you have a spare computer, install Vista directly bypassing the VMWare route.

Using Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor

Windows Vista Compatibility CheckMicrosoft released a new version of Windows Vista Advisor software today. Run this program on your XP computer and it will prepare a software compatibility report with a list of programs that might exhibit problems after the upgrade to Vista. Here's a sample report we got:

Sonic DLA - This program must be uninstalled before upgrading to Windows Vista. After upgrading, you can try reinstalling the program.

Sonic MyDVD LE - This program might have minor compatibility issues after upgrading to Windows Vista.

Dell Inc. Utilities - Go to the manufacturer's website to download the latest utilities for your system.

The Upgrade Advisor gives fairly decent recommendations and also points to the manufacturer's website where a new version of the software might be available. Highly recommended.

Using Windows Application Compatibility Toolkit

Microsoft will soon ship a free toolkit (discussed here) that will tell you which installed software will not work with Windows Vista in place. This program is currently available only for beta testers.

Final thoughts:

The MSDN website also says that all existing Win32 and .NET applications will continue to run under Windows Vista without modification. The same holds true for MS-DOS applications.

The good news is that there does exist a simple workaround to run legacy software in Windows Vista - right click on any app and choose the Compatibility Mode just like you can do inside XP.

Sooner or later, most vendors would definitely make their software compatible with Vista - the question is whether they'll ship a free patch / service pack or release a paid upgrade.

Popular posts from this blog

How to Download Contacts from Facebook To Outlook Address Book

Facebook users are not too pleased with the "walled garden" approach of Facebook. The reason is simple - while you can easily import your Outlook address book and GMail contacts into Facebook, the reverse path is closed. There's no "official" way to export your Facebook friends email addresses or contact phone numbers out as a CSV file so that you can sync the contacts data with Outlook, GMail or your BlackBerry. Some third-party Facebook hacks like "Facebook Sync" (for Mac) and "Facebook Downloader" (for Windows) did allow you to download your Facebook friends' names, emails, mobile phone number and profile photo to the desktop but they were quickly removed for violation of Facebook Terms of Use. How to Download Contacts from Facebook There are still some options to take Friends data outside the walls of Facebook wall. Facebook offers the Takeout option allowing you to download all Facebook data locally to the disk (include...
Read more

Firefox Keyboard Shortcuts for Power Users

All features in Mozilla Firefox browser are accessible through the use of the keyboard. You can use shortcut keys to view and save Web pages, search the web, open new webpages, work with bookmarks, or find text on the current webpage. Some of the most common keyboard shortcuts in Mozilla Firefox are Ctrl+N (to open a new Firefox window), Ctrl+T (to open a new tab), Ctrl+F4 (to close the current tab) and Ctrl+S to save the current webpage. Mozilla Firefox supports many more powerful keyboard shortcuts. For instance, by pressing a simple key combination, you can manually delete autocomplete entries from the Firefox location bar or Web forms. I am sharing a list of my favorite Mozilla Firefox Keyboard Shortcuts that make web browsing with Firefox even more fun . And you also save your precious time as navigating through several layers of Firefox Toolbar menus is no longer necessary. 1. Web Search Ctrl+K moves the cursor to the Search Bar. You can then type in the terms you wish to fin...
Read more

Digital Inspiration

Digital Inspiration is a popular tech blog by  Amit Agarwal . Our popular Google Scripts include  Gmail Mail Merge  (send personalized emails with Gmail ),  Document Studio (generate PDFs from Google Forms ) and   File Upload Forms ( receive files  in Google Drive). Also see  Reverse Image Mobile Search , Online Speech Recognition and Website Screenshots , the most useful websites on the Internet.
Read more