ddgm Loc: Hamilton, Ontario & Fort Myers, FL

My Canon Pixma Pro 9000 works on Windows 10 and I use a Lexmark E250dn LaserJet for normal printing. It's old and works on Win 10 too. I spend 6 months in Florida and 6 months in Ontario and neither printer has failed to work when I come back. I have a Canon 490 all in one in Florida.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Many of the same things can be said for Macs. It is true that if you are running a 64-bit OS, 32-bit software MAY be a problem. Apple has banned it from their App Store, and will not guarantee it will run after this summer (it may, but they're not testing any 32-bit apps to find out). Their next OS release will be "pure" 64-bit. Developers are madly scrambling to release relevant updates. You can bet that equipment more than five years old or so is considered irrelevant!

Either platform works best when you back up the entire drive to an external drive, using a "cloning" program. Then, ERASE the internal drive (or replace it with a new, larger, faster one!) and install a completely virgin copy of the new operating system. Next, "add back" all your software from the original sources (or the latest versions that can be had online). Next, perform any updates available for the OS and all your software. Finally, copy the data you want on your startup drive back to your startup drive.

Occasionally, you may find that a particular hardware component of your system does not have a compatible driver for the new operating system. So BEFORE updating, if your system is more than five years old, you may want to consult the manufacturers of ALL sub-systems and peripherals, to be sure compatible drivers are available. This includes graphics adapter cards, SCSI interface cards, scanner drivers, printer drivers, add-in sound cards... Without compatible drivers, you may need to replace something or limit your OS upgrade to the latest version that will support your devices. It is also wise to check with all your software providers to be sure your existing software will run on the new system! Often, a new OS version will require an update, an upgrade, or replacement of an application.

I've been following this "clean install" regimen since 1987, and have had very few problems. I usually take the opportunity to crack the case of an older computer, and REPLACE the hard drive, UPGRADE the memory to the maximum, UPGRADE the graphics adapter if possible, REPLACE broken optical drives if present... Full instructions are available online from many sources. iFixIt.com is one. OWC/Macsales.com is Mac-centric. The entire migration process can take several days, or a week of evenings, but your personal time is possibly less expensive than a new computer!

For years, Windows has had a "compatibility mode" for older software. MANY of the older programs dating back to the late 1980s and early 1990s will run in compatibility mode. So before you give up on older software, try contacting the developer and ask how to get it running in compatibility mode. If the developer is gone, try Internet user forums. There may be suitable work-arounds.

It's pretty safe to assume that almost any software released a decade earlier than your new OS will present at least minor challenges. Hardware over five years old may not have the resources to keep up with the latest code, or may offer only limited functionality. For instance, Adobe Lightroom Classic CC 2018 lacks a couple of features on my 2010 Mac Mini. Its graphics adapter lacks a required feature for those functions. All the other features work, though a little slowly.

Epson DID get smart a few years back. They began writing more universal drivers that support many different models.

paulw Loc: nottinghamshire

Get rid of inkjet printer for paper printing and buy monochrome laser printer, Samsung sells one for £120 with full cartridge probably last a year and cost £20 to replace

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

Follow up:

I also have a PIXMA Pro 9000 mk II, and it works fine with Windows 10, including the newest update (April 2018)

I find Windows 10 to be better than Windows 7, especially with older devices. I have an old HP Laserjet 1012, which wasn't supported under Windows 7, it was discontinued in 2006. HP cut corners with the design and didn't want to invest in updating the device driver implementation. I found a way to make it work with Windows 7, but not perfectly. With Windows 10, the 64 bit Windows Vista drivers brought it back to full service. This may not be something that you are comfortable with, but there are often ways to make things work. If you have the Windows 7 device drivers for your printer, it may still work, if not try other versions.

However, my impression is that it is time to get a new printer - it sounds like the printer died - but I would try moving to Windows 10. If you know how to set up a dual boot system, then you can compare Windows 7 and Windows 10. If you don't know how to do that, it may be time for an upgrade, since you will have to do it sooner or later.

cdayton

I have no problem running my Canon PIXMA Pro 9000 MK II using Windows 10.

Merlin1300 Loc: New England, But Now & Forever SoTX

Ohh Lordie !! All this chat about clean installs gives me the willies !!!
It would take me WEEKS to re-install all of the Apps I have on my current computer - IF I could even FIND the install disks or serials.
Although forced to upgrade to Win10, I loved Win7 (Vista and Win8 were DOGS), and XP was legendary.
Anyway - - both my wireless printers seemed to work fine with 7, and also with 10
Canon Pixma MG5220 and Pixma MX-922.

JeffR Loc: Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

I use two laptops: a 17" running Windows 7 is my main computer, and a smaller 13" running Windows 10 is my travel computer. I like Windows 10, but not enough to consider upgrading my Windows 7 where I do 90% or more of my computing.

I also have two printers for non-photographic work, an HP Officejet 6500A Plus, and a newer Epson WorkForce WF-3640 that I bought while the HP was inoperable and presumed dead, but subsequently repaired. Both work flawlessly with both the Windows 7 and Windows 10 computers. I couldn't be happier with the Epson and highly recommend it, for both its printing and its scanning capabilities. It's currently $141 at Amazon.

steinyl

I am running the same printer with new computer & Windows 10; no problems. Just discovered taking magenta down one click gives perfect colors.

sidpearce

Canon Pro 100s works on Windows XP, 7, 8 and 10.

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

I am not aware of any inkjet printers that will not run on Windows 7.

But there are lots of computers that cannot run Windows 10. Yours may not be compatible (mine aren't). Don't upgrade to Windows 10 until you are 100% sure. You may end up with the same problem you had upgrading to Windows 8.