As a new operating system approaches, we are once again asked if a program will run under Windows 10. Our professional opinion is; probably. I know, not exactly instilling confidence, are we? But since we test software here at MajorGeeks we have been able to install hundreds of programs under Windows 10 and have yet to find a program that would not run on Windows 10. Most hardware and software vendors should now have windows 10 support in place. Most importantly, just weeks away from release, we are now seeing a lot of new updates noting windows 10 support.


Windows, at its core, has not changed much over the years so the jump from Windows 7 to Windows 8 to Windows 10 is not exactly a massive change under the hood. That said there are numerous hardware and software programs out there so there is always a possibility that something you need might not run, especially if it’s an old program. I have a program on my drive from 2002 that still runs on 7, 8 and 10. If you have something you can’t live without you might want to take a few steps before you upgrade to Windows 10:

Wait a month
For the first time Microsoft is now offering you to upgrade to Windows 10 with a tray icon on your computer. Unless you’re a geek prepared to address any potential problems then the golden rule is to never rush into an upgrade. See how everyone else is making out. Check the forum or support pages of any programs you must have and see if it’s supported and if people are having problems. Then you can upgrade. A general rule here is to wait a month and see how everyone else is doing. Unless you have Windows Vista; I mean, the bar is pretty low already if you do. If you want to wait and remove the tray icon, here are instructions to do so.

Back it up
Windows 10 is another good time to be reminded to back up your PC. Personally, I love to make an image of my computer so I can restore it at any time. An image is an exact copy of your computer as it is right now, compressed into one file that can be completely restored in as little as 5 minutes. I use Acronis True Image but it’s not free. There are free alternatives like Clonezilla and HDClone Free if money is tight. This is the way to go if you’re worried about Windows 10 since you can restore to the operating system you have now if Windows 10 gives you any problems. If you just need to backup files and folders then have a look thorough our most popular Cloud Backup or Local Backup categories.

Test your programs in a virtual machine
If you want to play around, download the Windows 10 Preview and install it under the free VMWare Player which will allow you to try out Windows 10 (or other operating systems) without affecting your computer. It runs everything in a virtual machine allowing you to play around and return to your own operating system or even run them simultaneously.

Any thoughts or questions can be left in the comments below or on our Support Forums.