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Thread ID: 136089	2014-01-18 20:42:00	Computer Upgrade	B.M. (505)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1365452	2014-01-18 20:42:00	Ok guys, I’m looking for the best way around this little problem. We established in another thread that my old XP SP2 – Celron 2.4GHz – 2meg RAM was not grunty enough to do any video editing or run some of the latest programmes. So I "acquired" a Win 7 machine with Duel Core Sepron processor and 3 Gigs of RAM. Which leads me to the problem at hand. What is the best way to keep all the programmes I have so they can all be used? Now I have legitimate disks for Microsoft Office and other programmes but I’m not sure even they will install on the new machine. I even have a couple of DOS programmes that I use and although I have the disks for them they are on 5 ¼” floppys which probably can’t be read even if I had a 5 ¼ drive. :lol: Then there are the programmes from Giveaway of the Day, some of which I hardly ever use, maybe once a year. So you see reformatting and reinstalling all the programmes is not an option. This must be a common problem, so what is the preferred method of overcoming it? :thanks	B.M. (505)
1365453	2014-01-18 20:55:00	You'll have to reinstall programs if you want them to work. Depending on the version of office it may or may not work. Looks like office 2003/2010/2013 work / are compatible with Win7 Semprons are similar to Celeron CPU's. They're the lower spec CPU. So, it wont be that grunty either If you want something better it'll have be either the latest 1150 system / or socket 775 system (which is pretty old now / but it's better that Celeron or Sempron). Anything that doesnt have the word Sempron or Celeron in it	Speedy Gonzales (78)
1365454	2014-01-18 21:01:00	You will need to check and see which of your programs will still run on Windows 7, baring in mind that a lot of what you bought to run on XP will probably be limited to running on Vista. It's called forced obsolensence. My guess, in less you have bought the latest version of some programmes, a lot of what you have will get replaced by the newer versions. Don't forget that XP is a 13 year old operating system now and that is a tech dinosaur. Most programmes would have a 3-4 year window of operation before they become redundant.	Webdevguy (17166)
1365455	2014-01-18 21:02:00	Might be worth trying this: www.maketecheasier.com Haven't used it personally, I just found it while having a look on Google. Normally I'll just reinstall all my major programs manually. Windows 7 seems to have decent compatibility with XP era programs. I find it's a good way to clean out the stuff I don't need without having to go through what was on the old computer manually. For other smaller free programs I'll use http://ninite.com/ to create an automated process to install stuff like skype. Saves me a bit of time. You'll find that pretty much all DOS programs won't work in Windows 7 natively but for any DOS stuff that you want to keep you could give DOSBox a go: www.dosbox.com It's mainly used for emulating old DOS games but I see no reason why it shouldn't work with software as well.	icow (15313)
1365456	2014-01-18 21:23:00	Anybody familiar with this? It's a Paragon product. 5480	B.M. (505)
1365457	2014-01-18 21:27:00	That will also copy your operating system and what not. It's good for copying an entire system or making backups but not for moving programs and/or files.	icow (15313)
1365458	2014-01-18 22:12:00	I’m not sure about any of this, hence the question. :D But the way I see it, transferring everything to the new system is not an option. We must be looking at shifting the whole HDD physically or copying it to a separate partition on the new system and choosing which system a Boot time, or something along those lines. Getting DOS programmes to work on XP was a bit of a mission itself (they had to be installed in the Root Directory and file name length reduced to 8 letters etc) and I can’t see them working on Win 7 either. For those wondering why one would still be using DOS programmes the answer is they are good programmes that were never upgraded. Anyway, the bottom line is I don’t wish to retire any of my existing programmes and if necessary I’ll put the new computer in the corner and only turn it on if I have something that won’t run on XP. :D	B.M. (505)
1365459	2014-01-19 01:59:00	Getting DOS programmes to work on XP was a bit of a mission itself (they had to be installed in the Root Directory and file name length reduced to 8 letters etc) and I can’t see them working on Win 7 either . For those wondering why one would still be using DOS programmes the answer is they are good programmes that were never upgraded . Anyway, the bottom line is I don’t wish to retire any of my existing programmes and if necessary I’ll put the new computer in the corner and only turn it on if I have something that won’t run on XP . :D I have the same issue . Like you, there are a few rather old programs that I really like and use a fair bit which will most likely not run on Windows 8 when I upgrade . Fortunately I will still have a couple of Win XP machines that they run on but it is going to be a pain in the neck not having them on my main machine . I hate this forced obsolescence business . :mad: :mad:	FoxyMX (5)
1365460	2014-01-19 03:09:00	I have the same issue . Like you, there are a few rather old programs that I really like and use a fair bit which will most likely not run on Windows 8 when I upgrade . Fortunately I will still have a couple of Win XP machines that they run on but it is going to be a pain in the neck not having them on my main machine . I hate this forced obsolescence business . :mad: :mad: Forced obsolesance is a necessity in the software and electronics if a company is to remain healthy and survive . If you don't retire your old software and hardware after a set time frame then customer have no reason to by your new products and legacy software becomes and exponential financial drag on your resources which serves to stop a company moving forward and developing new products . Microsoft and Windows are living proof of this . It's one of the reasons why the company is struggling to keep up with the competition in smart phones and tablets . The other reason is because they try to be all things to everybody while doing none of them well .	Webdevguy (17166)
1365461	2014-01-19 03:22:00	I have the same issue . Like you, there are a few rather old programs that I really like and use a fair bit which will most likely not run on Windows 8 when I upgrade . Fortunately I will still have a couple of Win XP machines that they run on but it is going to be a pain in the neck not having them on my main machine . I hate this forced obsolescence business . :mad: :mad: I thought the problem would be a lot more common than it appears to be . But the more I think about it, if this Paragon option of copying you HDD as a Virtual Machine to a USB HDD which can be used on any machine, I can see there would be other fringe benefits and the more I warm to it . I stand to be corrected but one would have another back-up for a start . The USB drive could be partitioned to store Music – Photos – Video’s etc and all could be carried in your pocket . Of course all this is provided it works (but I understand Paragon are a fairly switched on outfit) and I understand the situation correctly .	B.M. (505)
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