With its stature as the world’s largest computer software company, you would think that Microsoft could make an operating system that would be compatible with the hardware and software currently being used with its other operating systems, such as Windows XP. It’s called “backwards compatibility,” in that printers, scanners, etc., that work with previous versions of Windows should work with later versions, including Vista.
Dream on. Hardware and software compatibility between different versions of Windows has always been a crapshoot. Some things will work fine, other things won’t.
I have a client who recently purchased a brand new Hewlett Packard laptop computer at OfficeMax, with Windows Vista Home Premium installed. She also bought a new HP all-in-one printer/copier/scanner/fax machine to go with her new laptop. While I was opening the printer’s box, I was thinking, “New laptop, new printer, no problem.” Then I began searching the contents of the box for a CD that would have the print drivers for her new gear (“drivers” are programs that allow a computer to communicate with various pieces of hardware). I found a CD that was labeled “Apple MacIntosh OS X,” and another that was labeled “Windows 2000 and XP.” But, alas, there was no CD labeled “Windows Vista.” Instead, there was a piece of paper that said, “For Windows Vista drivers, visit …” and a website address was listed. Upon visiting the website, I was informed that the “full-feature” drivers for her all-in-one machine were not yet available. Instead, there were some “basic” drivers that would at least let her print, with the “full-feature” drivers promised some time in the future. My customer was righteously disappointed.
This story is not unique. I have a perfectly good Hewlett Packard scanner that works great with Windows XP, which I would also like to use with Vista. However, I’ve been informed by the HP website that, “… there will be no Windows Vista support available for your HP product. Therefore your product will not work with Windows Vista. Please consider upgrading to a newer HP product that is supported on Windows Vista.” Bummer. If I want a scanner that will work with Vista, I’ll be forced to “upgrade.” Sounds like a scam, to me.
Software manufacturers have also been stung by Microsoft’s forced upgrade path. Another client of mine bought a laptop with Vista Home Premium installed, only to discover that the Windows Fax program, which has come with every previous version of Windows since 98, is no longer included. “No problem,” we thought, as she had a copy of Symantec’s popular WinFax program. Sadly, the program would not run on Vista. In fact, the situation is so bad that Symantec has quietly dropped WinFax from its entire product line. RKS Software, maker of the popular MightyFax program, has this notice posted to their website: “At this time we are updating our programs to run on Windows Vista, in accordance with Vista’s new rules and restrictions. This is a fairly detailed undertaking, mostly due to the new requirements in the way Vista printer drivers work. This is proving to be quite challenging. We hope to have a Vista version of MightyFax ready before summer…”
If you buy a new computer, my advice is to also buy a copy of Windows XP. Erase the hard drive, install XP, and, if you feel that you must, install Vista much, much later.