Solved RDC Windows 10 to Windows 7 - question

[Dark0]

Hello Everyone,


Apologies if this is not the right thread.


I have an issue at work - a very small office with 3 PC's. 2 windows 10 pc's and 1 windows 7 pc.


The windows 7 pc has an application that runs my job cards and quotes and invoices for a appliance repair family business. This machine cannot be updated to windows 10 as the application is not compatible.


We recently purchased quick books and wanted to replace the current appliacation but that was impossible as we currently have almost 12000 customers and quickbooks apparently only supports upto 14500 entries (this is according to a quickbooks tech guy who works for quickbooks). All of this aside.


We need to keep using the old application but there are two people manning the 2 windows 10 pc's and the office is quiet small.


I was hoping I could setup RDC and use it on both win 10 pc's to work simultaniously on the win 7 pc, but I don't know how to do this .... if it is even possible.


Is there an appliacation that I could install on all 3 pc's that would allow the 2 win 10 pc's to work on the win 7 pc simultaniously?


Thank you for your help.


P.S. At first I had an issue connecting but then I researched and found out I had to install KB4103712 ... after installing this update only, I was able to connect.

 

[iko22]

You are asking to use Microsoft Remote Desktop to connect three computers together simultanously, using your windows 7 computer as a RD Client, and your two windows 10 computers as RD Hosts?

Remote Desktop is an administrators tool for allowing a remote computer (the host computer) to access and control your computer (the client computer).

The first hurdle to cross would be checking what edition of Windows 10 you are running (Home/Pro)? Because RD hosting is only viable from Pro Versions of the operating system.

The next problem is that the RD terminal services are only available to one user at a time. So logging in remotely will kick off other users. By that, I understand that this means that you probably could not acheive simultaneous control of the one client computer.

So my research leads me to conclude that what you are asking to do is in actual fact impossible to acheive.

 

[samuria]

What you need is terminal server or XP/VS SERVER - Thinstuff which lets lots of users logging on but the pc need enough ram and cpu power to do that and the software must be cable of being run in multi mode which often needs extra licence or module https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4bAlp52z1A

 

[mrjimphelps]

If the issue is that you would prefer to run your program in Windows 7 rather than Windows 10, you could set up a Windows 7 virtual machine on each Windows 10 computer. You may be able to use Hyper V for this purpose (comes with certain versions of Windows 10); or you could use Oracle Virtual Box or VMWare Workstation Player.

Once you have your Windows 7 VM running on each machine, install your software in Windows 7 on each machine. Then whenever you want to run the program, just open a Windows 7 VM session on the computer, and the program will be right there, ready to run.

 

[Dark0]

Thank you all for your input.


Just to clear things up - the windows 7 pc has the application that is running our business at the moment - the app uses an SQL database.


So I am looking for a cheap and quick way to use the APPLICATION (on my WIN7 Ultimate) simultaniously by the 2 WINDOWS 10 pc's ..... so basically they would both use the same application on the same pc and they would both update the same data base.

 

[iko22]

Technically what you are asking is feasable. Your main limitation is that the software you own is only supported by windows 7. Accessing windows 7 from another computer entails something like RDP, and a RDP licience limits you to only one user at a time.

If you found a terminal service not based on RDP, you would still have the issue of database integrity. If your database is written in SQL or can be exported to SQL, then you could consider looking at a cloud based service like microsoft azure. Being based on the cloud would change the licience premises and you may find that is an acceptable way of allow simultanous users.

A spin off from that would be to set up your own DIY cloud server, and host SQL databases from there.


Otherwise, the other alternative suggested by mrjimphelps is to use a hypervisor to virtualise the windows 7 environment and run it as a guest machine under a windows 10 host machine.
Nowerdays you don't need to run a server in order to run a virtualised operating system. So this is both technically feasable and within the terms of the licensing agreement. But if you use a virtual machine, I think you would only be able to get it working on one windows 10 computer, because otherwise you would loose version control of the database should it be duplicated.


Hope that helps.


Got it:
First, create a virtualised windows 7 guest machine on a windows 10 host machine.
Then create a RDC link between two windows 10 machines and allow the one windows 10 ccomputer running the hypervisor to be the RDC client and the other remaining windows 10 computer would be the RDC host.


That way both windows 10 computers could access the windows 7 software. While it would not be completely simultaneous, it would still allow work flow scheduling of the shared resource.

 

[samuria]

Is it the app that wont run on 10 or sql you should able to run sql on any pc and connect via the network

 

[iko22]

Is it the app that wont run on 10 or sql you should able to run sql on any pc and connect via the network

The OP needs to clarify whether the database is written entirely in SQL, or whether the software app allows SQL programmer interfacing or whether the software app allows SQL exporting of records.

 

[Dark0]

I believe the application is written in SQL, entirely.


And to answer SAMURIA's question, the app is not compatible with Windows 10 ...... it probably is but the person who wrote the application is no longer with us.


Perhaps there is no solution ... I think the developer wasn't thinking ahead or he though he could sell the app to a whole bunch of people and would then have a reason for updates ... we had 2 updates since we installed for the first time roughly 8 years ago.


We would have to keep working with 3 PC's ... going back and forth to the Win 7 machine for the application and use the other 2 Win 10 PC's for emails and all other actions.


The problem is that we cannot export all the data ... I have customer info, job info, quotes and invoices ... all in one app ...... I managed to export the customer info but that is pointless if I don't have the jobs that go with them.


Thank you all for your assistance - but the least painful way would be to keep doing what we started.


Unless I can find a developer who can open up the app extract ALL the data and implement it in a new application ... but that will cost a lot of money.

 

[samuria]

If it's SQL you can export it with SQL code or replicate it to another database win10 will run most things if you set it as compatible with 7 there are loads of free programme which will connect to SQL on another PC and let you manipulate data so with one of those you could use them on the other pc

 

[Dark0]

You see, this developer made an application that was to be used by doctors .... filled with ICD and NAPPI codes and sooo many other functions.


It was never done well enough to catch on and become THE app for doctors. This app had the potential to make bookings, run CRM, loyalty .... and many other things. Because everything is intertwined in the app, I am affraid to let anyone play with it.


The app works really well but it is extremely slow and give errors (2-5 errors everyday) ..... personally I think it is bloated with all the other stuff. We use maybe 20% of the app for our business.


I think I will have to get a SQL guru to come and look at the app and the db and to tell me if he could write a similar app but only for our needs .... to basically streamline the app and make it compatable with win 10 and future windows verstions.


I will mark this as solved, as I think I know what I have to do.


Thank you all for your input, help and your time!