Make Sure Your Applications are Compatible with Windows 7

Those of you planning a migration to Windows 7 this year certainly will have a lot on your plate. But one key issue that always needs to be addressed is application compatibility. How can you make sure that your existing applications will run under Windows 7? Fortunately, Microsoft (News - Alert) offers a few handy tools that can help in this effort.

Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor

One useful utility is the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. This handy piece of software can scan a computer to let you know which hardware and software are compatible with Windows 7. As I described in a previous column, the Upgrade Advisor displays a list of the applications on your PC, telling you which ones are fully compatible, which ones require a software update, and which ones simply aren’t supported. Some of the entries provide links to Microsoft’s own Web site and those of third-party vendors with more details on any necessary updates. You’ll want to run this on a test PC outfitted with all of your organization’s standard applications to get as full a picture as possible.

Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit

Designed for use on an enterprise level, the MCAT offers various tools and documents that can help IT departments generate an inventory of your applications and determine their compatibility with Windows 7. Beyond testing standard applications, you can also track Web sites and Web-based applications as well as all computers throughout your organization. Since it is geared for large-scale deployments, MCAT does carry with it some complexity. But it’s one of the most effective utilities for any enterprise planning a major move to Windows 7.

Windows 7 Application Compatibility List for IT Pros

Another source of help is Microsoft’s Windows 7 Application Compatibility List for IT Pros. Though this is just a simple downloadable Excel file, it provides a wealth of information on which applications can handle Windows 7. Open the file, click the Application list worksheet, and you’ll see the names of all applications alphabetically by default.

Next to each title are the version number, manufacturer name and Web page, date of last update, and finally its compatibility status with both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7. You can see if the program is compatible, if it’s officially sanctioned by Microsoft with a Windows 7 logo, if an upgrade is required, if it’s not compatible, or if no information is available.

Since this is an Excel spreadsheet, you can of course sort it by any of the column headers. You can also search for specific titles by clicking on the Find command and typing its name. The file was last updated July 2012, so it’s relatively recent and as such a good source for compatibility information.

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