Windows 7 compatibility

[topsy99]

ie programs that dont work in windows 7. gw-basic i have used in every version of windows until now but it is not included in the compatibility list.
also html-view is another which worked on everything up to xp but doesnt work in vista nor windows 7.
it seems every step forward takes two steps backwards. i know people who will not shift their windows from xp because of the incompatibility issues. what is windows like at fix compatibility issues.

 

[buwish]

Depending on what version of W7 you have or are thinking about, Pro and Ultimate come with XP mode. Also, you can DL the necessary components for XP mode for free if you go with Home Premium or Starter. In XP you should be able to run the above mentioned programs.

 

[topsy99]

I have Windows 7 Home Premium. I dont know what DL means and I dont know how to use XP Mode in Windows 7. I tried the download on microsoft site for XP Mode but it was only available for Windows 7 Pro. Can you be a little more explanatory.

 

[topsy99]

Also some writers are describing XP Mode as a scam to get people to sign up to higher cost windows 7 and then the performance is disappointing also.
this is a let down. Windows users would be advised to stay with XP and leave the upgrades alone

 

[Jonmor68]

You must have Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, or Ultimate to run Windows XP Mode.

 

[topsy99]

That's what they are saying its a ruse to get us to spend more money on higher levels of W7. The poor ah heck that bought in good faith Windows 7 Home is left high and dry. A scam ??????????? Maybe you have a better word for it.

 

[Herr_Koos]

DL=download, by the way.

In my opinion XP mode is not primarily aimed at home users; it's more suited to a corporate environment. Some older business software refuses to run on 7 (mostly due to bad and short-sighted design) and in these cases XP Mode works very well indeed. If you don't need or want the additional features in Professional/Ultimate, you can always dual-boot XP with 7 or create a virtual machine.

 

[topsy99]

I have asked if microsoft could support older programs. perhaps they will but I dont know their record on that type of thing. this is the first real experienc e of programs not being supported.

 

[Herr_Koos]

I've managed to get some fairly old stuff working in 7. But you have to remember that in some cases the responsibility falls on the application developer to update their software so that it works with a new Windows version. Microsoft cannot reasonably be expected to support every version of every piece of software ever released in every new iteration of Windows.

 

[Zanathon]

Here is a link to the article by Tom's that shows how to get XP mode working on Windows 7 Home premium and basic

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/windows-xp-mode-windows-7-win7,10213.html

 

[nukemaster]

Do you still have a copy of XP? If you do, I would generally recommend you try Virtual Box by Sun. It along with a copy of windows XP will give you a better windows XP experience in win Vista/7. It also has integrated mode so the apps appear as if they are in Windows Vista/7.

http://www.virtualbox.org/

 

[topsy99]

gw-basic is a microsoft program so is windows 7 so the it would be reasonable for microsoft to still support gw basic.
My view is that many of us use computers for purposes not to experience new excursions into modern programs such as windows 7. so finding our activities incompatible means we should stay with the old stuff like xp not graduating to 64 bit stuff. i assume gwbasic would not work with a 64 bit version of vista either. i was lucky that i got a 32 bit version by accident really

 

[topsy99]

Many older computer users from the apple II commodore 64 days use basic as a language for small tasks and it is difficult for older users to self teach visual basic so using gw basic is still a useful tool. if i had known that it would fall out of the system (windows 7) i would not upgrade and herein lies the lesson.

 

[topsy99]

I realise that might is right in most cases but surely us old computer consumers deserve a bit better that this. Most of us have nowhere to go regarding changing computer languages as it is a difficult learning curve. Whereas having gw-basic working on even modern o/s would keep us in the loop.
I have since bought a laptop on e-bay with xp-professional which runs gw-basic. No more upgrades for me.

 

[Herr_Koos]

Locking yourself into XP creates other problems. Microsoft will cease to support XP in the near future; thus no more patches, security updates, etc.