How to use old software on Windows 10

There are some simple tricks to use on a Windows 10 computer to be able to use old programs for XP or Windows 7

Most of the software made for Windows 7 still works on Windows 10. If we need to use an old program, now no longer compatible with our computer, then we will have to use some small "tricks" to make the software work.

The main problem of some programs designed for Windows XP and now no longer compatible with Windows 10 are given by the access as administrator. Basically on Windows XP every software required the user to use their administrator account. This feature has created several problems for Windows XP programs used on Windows 10. Although to tell the truth Microsoft with the User Account Control (UAC) system has solved these compatibility problems.

Run as administrator

If the software doesn't work properly on Windows 10, we can always use a little trick. First we go to the Start menu and from the list of applications select the desired program. We click the right mouse button and from the item More we select the option "Run as administrator". This way we'll start the software with administrator permissions and most of the problems should be solved.

Adjust Compatibility Settings

Windows 10 allows you to adjust compatibility settings, which can be a good alternative in case an old software doesn't work on your PC. To take advantage of this trick, let's access the Start menu again (the small window icon in the bottom left corner) and go from the list of applications to the software that interests us. Right-click again and select Other and then Open File Path. At this point we open the tab that indicates where the program is saved on the PC. Right-click again on the name of the old software and select Properties. A small window will open in which we need to go to the Compatibility section. Here we click on the button at the top that says: Run the compatibility troubleshooter. In this way, automatically, the operating system will fix any bug and allow us to use the old software even on Windows 10.

Use a virtual machine

Windows 7 by default possessed a feature that allowed programs to run as if they were used on a previous operating system. Windows 10 doesn't have this feature but a virtual machine can be used to make up for this lack. To use this tool you just have to download a program such as VirtualBox. Basically the old software will be launched in the virtual machine as if it were running on Windows 7 or XP. And we will view it on a separate tab on Windows 10.