Windows 10 Troubleshooting: Compatibility Issues
Windows 10 released to the public and the cool thing is PCs running Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 could upgrade to Windows 10 for free and this update valid until 29 July 2016 and for consumer’s product. In case you are using the Enterprise version of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 or you got the license through company’s subscription, you should refer to your IT admin for upgrades and they have access to Windows 10 licenses through their licensing agreements. Most devices running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 could be upgraded to Windows 10 and your device should be compatible. Even if you are using Windows XP or Windows Vista, you could install Windows 10 (even though there is no free upgrade or direct upgrade path for these versions of Windows) in case you have a compatible device.
However, your system might face compatibility issues with regards to hardware and software.
How could you check whether your system is Windows 10 compatible or not?
The easiest and fastest way to answer this question is through Get Windows 10 app. It appears on devices running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 and eligible for upgrade. It displays an icon in the notification area. If you click on the icon, it opens a menu and either it shows your device is ready and you could upgrade or device is ready but waiting for the notification to upgrade or it shows or list of devices with compatibility issues. If you don’t see the icon or you want manually upgrade using Windows 10 download tool, during installation it will check for compatibility issues and notify you about the result. Furthermore, you could check Windows compatibility center and check for compatibility status of your hardware or software.
In order to resolve compatibility issues, it is best to check the support website of devices or programs which have compatibility problems. In many cases, you might resolve compatibility issues by installing the latest update of the software or latest driver for the hardware. In general, it is best to make sure your Windows OS, programs and drivers are fully updated. Sometimes, you need to uninstall programs before upgrade. After upgrade, you might face problems with some of your program or drivers. In this case, it is best to uninstall them and restart your PC and install the latest version. You may also right-click on the installer file and click on Troubleshoot compatibility or open Control Panel (NOT Settings) and under Programs, click on Run programs made for previous versions of Windows. It opens a program which guides you to run the program in the mode of the previous version of Windows.
If you have a program which is mission critical and you couldn’t take a risk of uninstalling it and have a problem with not being able to reinstall it, you should directly contact the support of the software manufacturer and check the compatibility status with them. The same scenario applies for hardware drivers.
If you faced any other problems not discussed here or you are seeing some unknown codes or warnings, you may always ask in the Microsoft Answers forum.