Does windows 10 have xp mode?

[Windows Central Question]

I have installed the windows 10 upgrade but I cannot find anything about installing windows xp mode. Also I am wondering if you can install drivers in xp mode?

 

[Nicholas Maguire]

Xp mode? What the crap is that? Also, Windows 10 installs most drivers automatically.

 

[xandros9]

Considering Windows 8 does not have XP Mode, I don't think 10 will have it. Also considering XP is no longer supported in nearly any regard.

This page is helpful in using VMWare's Unity Mode which I'm sure you'll appreciate.

How to Get Windows XP Mode on Windows 8

I do not think driver installation will be necessary in XP Mode, considering the host OS, 7, already handles hardware.

XP Mode was a feature of Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate which ran a copy of Windows XP (like a VM) except it was well blended into 7, IIRC. Think of the aforementioned Unity feature. It existed for compatibility issues that compatibility mode just couldn't tackle. Not common in normal use, but likely happened too often with outdated or non-updated bits of software used by businesses.

 

[Nicholas Maguire]

Oh, okay. People need to update their software I mean, come on, we're on Windows 10 now!

 

[Ohcomeon369]

To: N. Maguire
"Oh, okay. People need to update their software I mean, come on, we're on Windows 10 now!"

Some people have purchased expensive products which only run in XP mode. It's not about not moving on, but money spent. I'm in that "boat" with Corel 9 Painter.

 

[xandros9]

To: N. Maguire
"Oh, okay. People need to update their software I mean, come on, we're on Windows 10 now!"

Some people have purchased expensive products which only run in XP mode. It's not about not moving on, but money spent. I'm in that "boat" with Corel 9 Painter.

Understandable.

a VM is probably the way to go, going forward - think it'll play nice with that setup?

 

[manus31]

You probably mean applications working like they do on xp. 32 bit apps.If so,they do

 

[RoseWarriorPrime]

Some awesome software stopped upgrading at Windows XP - in my case it is IBM's Lotus office suite (123, works, organizer, notes etc..) Some of these translate almost ok over to MS office but its is like reinventing the wheel and a royal pain and there are Tax and billing information I can't afford to have messed up.
When I moved to Win 7 I chose the Pro version because you could install and run a virtual XP machine......soI need to know that Win10 will let me run that virtual XP Mode or I stay with 7

 

[Old Warhorse]

Obviously two camps here - those who play with computers, and those who ran real businesses that demanded pricey, proprietary software tied to MS OS, along with expensive annual support, often in the thousands, for glitchy upgrades that gave nothing, until we just stopped paying. Then, lo and behold, after closing, we still must somehow maintain these for seven years in case the IRS comes calling; commonly, either a) the software company is also closed, or b) we might keep spending thousands, just for this contingency, for a business we can no longer even take deductions for. And no, printing 10,000 pages of info is not a viable option; we are left with trying to keep old software alive, like Lazarus, and only Virtual Machines running XP will provide a tenuous lifeline. This, dear naive young techie hipsters, is the scam perpetrated on thousands of small businesses. When those in charge of designing for the future know so little about the real small business world, it's no wonder we are given stuff like touchy-feelie screens straight out of "Idiocracy" with no trace of irony.

 

[tclarkham]

I use 32bit accountancy software using xp mode facility provided via win7 professional. Not to have this facility would mean purchasing new software, transfer of extensive client accounting data, and retraining in the use of the new software. Backward compatibility should be sacrosanct to protect those users who are reliant on other software packages for their business needs.

 

[xandros9]

I use 32bit accountancy software using xp mode facility provided via win7 professional. Not to have this facility would mean purchasing new software, transfer of extensive client accounting data, and retraining in the use of the new software. Backward compatibility should be sacrosanct to protect those users who are reliant on other software packages for their business needs.

and it is. Windows has always been backwards compatible and had that as a cornerstone. Always seems to be the specialized business and medical things that don't take well to upgrades for some reason. Just anecdotal evidence though.

If you cannot or are not willing to switch to a third-party VM solution on a newer version of Windows, stick to Windows 7 for now.
Reevaluate your options when its support ends in a few/several years.

 

[Seanchoq]

If you try installing Office 2000 on Windows 7 it will fail. For this there is an update that allows you to run windows XP in a virtual machine on Windows 7. It was not about drivers, just software.

 

[Katna]

I've actually been looking for an XP rom or emulator for windows 10 myself. I have a few old games that were build on xp/win 7 and have issues with TAGES.. freaking messed up security built in.. So only way to really get it to play right is to use an older version. Didn't realize how many games I used to play on win 8 that now can't be played because I upgraded on the new comp... Kinda sad there aren't that many games patched or upgraded to run with the newer Windows programs.

 

[Karaline]

It is the transferring of crucial data that is the crux for me, much of it business related, but also personal, historical and artistic stuff I do not want to lose. With the software Ive nursed through one forced upgrade after another since 1986, it looks like Windows 10 is going to defeat me.

 

[Rick75230]

Obviously two camps here - those who play with computers, and those who ran real businesses that demanded pricey, proprietary software tied to MS OS, along with expensive annual support, often in the thousands, for glitchy upgrades that gave nothing, until we just stopped paying. Then, lo and behold, after closing, we still must somehow maintain these for seven years in case the IRS comes calling; commonly, either a) the software company is also closed, or b) we might keep spending thousands, just for this contingency, for a business we can no longer even take deductions for. And no, printing 10,000 pages of info is not a viable option; we are left with trying to keep old software alive, like Lazarus, and only Virtual Machines running XP will provide a tenuous lifeline. This, dear naive young techie hipsters, is the scam perpetrated on thousands of small businesses. When those in charge of designing for the future know so little about the real small business world, it's no wonder we are given stuff like touchy-feelie screens straight out of "Idiocracy" with no trace of irony.

Or ... you can get some advice from someone who actually knows something about computers and they'll tell you that you can just add a second hard disk for about $40 with a new install of whatever current Windows OS you want to use and set it up as a dual boot system. If you're in one OS and you need the other one, just reboot, enter Setup, select the other disk as the boot disk and click Save and Exit. The system will reboot into the other OS. When you're done, just reboot and switch boot disks again. No problems with one install trashing the other install, etc.

 

[Perras]

Yes dual boot is a good solution, but there are no Windows XP drivers for new hardware that I've checked.
Is it possible to get Windows XP up and running when there are no XP drivers available?

 

[OlePhu]

I know this is an old thread but I love it when those who don't know try to tell those who do know what to do. Just because a new version of windows comes out doesn't mean it's better for mainstream businesses. Yeah, it's cute and all that but not real practical in business applications. We were leery of Win 7 when it came out to replace XP but a lot of us adapted, even though our mainstay programs were 32 bit. And then when there was the Win8 debacle, we knew it was going to go downhill from there and, fortunately in our case, we were able to transition to a blend of open source programs to supplement/maintain our Win7 base.

Sure, we could adopt one members suggestion and add an extra HDD and dual boot for $40 but that's not real cost effective either. Maybe he was thinking that the new HDD would miraculously set itself up and drivers would automatically install and users would instinctively know what to do without any training or instructions. These are all soft costs that he missed or ignored. Granted, when you have one system, it may not be that big of a deal; but when you have 300+ systems, those costs can't be ignored.

This whole scenario reminds me of the snowball effect. MS comes out with a new OS and suppliers drop their development for drivers of older systems and come up with new hardware for the new OS so that perfectly good old device won't work with the new OS; you have to buy a new device. And software companies develop new programs that the consumer "has to have" in order to work with the new OS. And many, as consumers, buy into their hype and fuel the practice. Please don't misunderstand what I'm saying. I'm not against progress but small businesses (and yes, I consider our business a small business) have enough challenges to survive and grow without being undermined by scenarios like this.

 

[pankaj981]

I'm not against progress but small businesses (and yes, I consider our business a small business) have enough challenges to survive and grow without being undermined by scenarios like this.

I understand your point but isn't every software part of a support cycle that's clearly aforementioned during the enterprise contract?

 

[Bobvfr]

I used to be a consultant to a firm of architects, one day I was chatting to their IT director. I asked him how much the firm spent on company cars, and he replied XX amount, I then asked if they all stopped working, could they carry on to which he replied yes, even in a rural community they could use buses etc.

I then asked how much they spent on IT and the figure was only a tenth of their car spend and when I asked how they would cope if all their computers stopped working, he thought for a few minutes and replied no not at all.

They increased their IT spend almost immediately including their back up and failsafe systems.

I understand for small businesses it is hard, but honestly if your company is reliant on 20 year old software you really need to sit down and have a serious think about this, and at least look at the possibility of changing software, again I know it needs some investment especially in time and money, but if you sit back and hope for the best, you are really just waiting for the inevitable and when it comes the longer you leave it the harder it will be.

 

[orlbuckeye]

Well you can about any intel compatible OS in Windows 10 with Virtual Machine software like Oracle's Virtual Toolbox. The difference is XP mode in Windows didn't require a license fee. Running XP as a virtual is like installing as the main OS and a license copy is needed.