Will I need to dump all software for new?

[moosetracker]

I am getting this quesy feeling Windows 7 is like that awful window 95 (I think) all my software is no good..
I am not even up on Windows 7 completely. But I had a problem that made me need to reformat the drive. Problem caused me to need to buy drive cleanning software.. The new software was not compatable except for a boot CD. To burn a boot CD. I tried installing Roxio back on the clean Window 7 (which needs to be reinstalled) It installed then told me it is incompatable and the solution is I need to buy Roxio 2010 (I had Roxio 2009 so it is not even a year old and was compatable with Vista).
My two hard drives are not recognized at installation I need to give it a dll (which is what is causing the installation problems.) My printer did not plug and play.. (I have yet to figure that out but it is a Kodak printer not less then a year old.)

I talked to friends who bata tested and read lots about Windows 7 before doing the upgrade. Everyone said it was pretty much Vista with the bugs worked out so it was stable like XP.. No one said none of my software or hardware would work with it.

What gives?

 

[logicearth]

Are you using the 32bit version or the 64bit version?

 

[Tews]

For the most part, if it runs on Vista, it will run on windows 7..

 

[Nikolay]

I am getting this quesy feeling Windows 7 is like that awful window 95 (I think) all my software is no good..
I am not even up on Windows 7 completely. But I had a problem that made me need to reformat the drive. Problem caused me to need to buy drive cleanning software.. The new software was not compatable except for a boot CD. To burn a boot CD. I tried installing Roxio back on the clean Window 7 (which needs to be reinstalled) It installed then told me it is incompatable and the solution is I need to buy Roxio 2010 (I had Roxio 2009 so it is not even a year old and was compatable with Vista).
My two hard drives are not recognized at installation I need to give it a dll (which is what is causing the installation problems.) My printer did not plug and play.. (I have yet to figure that out but it is a Kodak printer not less then a year old.)

I talked to friends who bata tested and read lots about Windows 7 before doing the upgrade. Everyone said it was pretty much Vista with the bugs worked out so it was stable like XP.. No one said none of my software or hardware would work with it.

What gives?

For the printer, you need to download the drivers. Windows 7 should automatically find a basic driver so you can at least print when plugged in. Make sure the printer is on while plugged in.

 

[garysgold]

Have you tried running the software in compatibility mode: Info here if needed. http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/316-compatibility-mode.html

 

[moosetracker]

I am running 32 bit..

 

[moosetracker]

That compatability mode is good to know.. Right now my desktop with windows 7 is being reformated for a 2nd pass at the installation, so I can't try it out right now. (I had to install Roxio on another computer that still had XP to get a boot drive so I could use the clean utility with a bootable disk.)

At first I thought this was the thing with Win Professional & Ultimate that you could set up to run an older version if you had Virtual software.. Which would be a royal pain.)

But if I can set each executables property to be of an older version, it may save me from buying Roxio so soon after the other purchase. And I can try it for other software that won't work (which I know will be many many more, by the looks of it.)

 

[harpua]

Most of my paid for software either works or has free updates to versions that work with W7. For example, Office 2007 works fine. Acrobat, Photoshop & Lightroom work fine. My AV & Firewall and other security software work fine. And now there finally is a free version of Daemon Tools lite that works fine on W7. Firefox works fine. Quicken 2009 and 2010 work fine. Acronis TIH 2010 works fine. 2009 was working for me too. Those last two were paid for updates but it was not required and I would have probably done that anyway. I did have to update several drivers to get everything including some proprietary functions on my laptop, working perfectly, but all the important stuff worked fine OOTB with W7. Also, a few apps, especially security apps, did have to be reinstalled to work properly.

There is some great burning software that is free and fully compatible with W7. You don't have to use Roxio, for example. Why not give the free Imgburn a try for basic burning tasks? Imo, it is one of the most reliable burning apps out there. Also, Ashampoo Burning Sudio 9 is very good and not expensive. Lots of free updates.

When you install an app that was designed for a previous operating system, W7 will usually install it and then pop up a message that "this app may not have installed correctly, W7 will reinstall . . ." It usually is a good idea to take W7 up on such offers to reinstall the app with different compatibility settings. It usually picks the right ones to make the app work correctly on W7.

I don't know why people expect moving to a new OS to be totally painless. It isn't, but W7 is about as painless a move as I have experienced.

 

[moosetracker]

Well not totally painless. But when you only install two programs and one program is less then a year old, the other not even an hour old, both able to run on VISTA.. It send shivers up your spine.

I can't think of any holdouts in software that is not VISTA complient. My only software holdout to XP was the OS itself. But I would not be too upset if I did have an issue with any program pre-VISTA, I would have gotten my moneys worth out of that software.

 

[garysgold]

Anything I had that would run on Vista, runs fine on Seven with the exception of my mouse and that had a new driver out.

 

[Joan Archer]

Well so far I've no problems with any of my software or hardware running on Windows 7.
My printer is an all-in-one Epson plus it was an old model when I bought it for Vista and it worked fine, that printed fine when I installed Windows 7 but I realised it wasn't showing the utility for doing maintenance or checking the ink but of course I hadn't installed the software that came with the printer so installing that sorted out that problem and the printer is working as it should now, and I don't have to put it in compatibility mode.

I haven't come across any of my programs so far that wont work in Windows 7 and my mouse is the same one I've been using through XP, Vista and now 7, it's an old Microsoft Optical Wheel Mouse so I just downloaded the new Intellipoint and my buttons are set how I want them

 

[harpua]

Way to go.

 

[MacGyvr]

I'm curious as to what "problem" would have caused you to need to buy software to clean the drive if you were going to reinstall the operating system.

 

[moosetracker]

I am notorious for moving software not used into a "drawer" then about once every 3 years going through the "drawer" and chucking very old software, I never needed. (I rebuild about twice a year, and have gone to new computers often, but my harddrives have moved with the computers for a few.
Due to the fact that my harddrives were not recognized during installation, then when you get to the window that states choose which harddrive you want OS on.. I had to point to the drivers dll. Well being old drivers that never gave me install problems, that disk was gone. So I searched the internet and found drivers for it. And during the first install they worked.. But I was so happy getting past that point I failed to notice the advance link that would have allowed me to format hard drive (that link did not show up during hard drive issues, and though I was looking for something offering me an option to format, I thought this screen for the time spent on it was totally searched. So I kept going looking for a spot to format harddrives, until the point of no return.
When I came up 3/4 of my OS harddrive showed it was used up.. So I talking to people I figured it to be on that page. I went back got to the harddrive page and got the "unrecognized hardware" when to repoint to my dlls and this time they would not work. Friend pulled software from manufacture site, with definate W7 compatability. They would not work. So I could not get to the section to reformat. But I needed to reformat, to clear out the setup of the dll to the harddrive to get it to work again.
So decided to reformat using my Windows XP.. But, XP was an update also.. And going to my "drawer" win95 or win97, had been chucked.. Didn't need it for rebuilds as it saw itself installed. Obviously friend who rebuilt computers just used my XP software, but his own software for a check, having maintained our computers since the age of DOS he knew we were legit. But now he has moved cross country.

So no way to reformat with W7 or XP.. So needed software to reformat, to get out of the mess.

Luckily W7 has the ways around needing XP installed & activated to validate.