WINDOWS 10 Make old software work on it
page 60
Programs are meant to help us get things done. But these days developers seem hell-bent on overcomplicating their software with unnecessary features and gimmicks so they can proclaim the latest version is ‘better than ever’.
Here, we’ll explain how to avoid these surplus bells and whistles and install dependable old software that works exactly how you want it to. With a little cajoling, you can even get them running on Windows 10.
Microsoft Money 2004 WHAT IS IT?
Budgeting software that helps you manage your monthly income and outgoings – later replaced by Money Plus Sunset Deluxe ( www.snipca.com/22244).
WHY WE LIKE IT
Unlike later versions of MS Money, the 2004 edition isn’t as bloated with online banking options (which were later rendered redundant when Microsoft ended support for online banking). However, Money 2004 retains a few online functions. To disable most of these, simply select No when asked ‘Do you have an Internet connection?’ during setup (see screenshot right).
HOW TO INSTALL IT
To get it go to www.snipca.com/22250 and click the ISO Image link on the right. Once the ISO file downloads use Virtual Clonedrive (see box below) to mount the disc (make it readable for your computer) and double-click Setup.exe to launch the installer. It did crash the first time we ran it because we had a saved Microsoft Money account from a later version of the program, which conflicts with the 2004 version. Once this file was removed the program worked without any problems. If you experience conflicts, delete any files ending in ‘.mny’ in the My Documents folder.
Lotus Smartsuite WHAT IS IT?
Lotus Smartsuite is an office suite that was once a big rival to Microsoft Office. It features a word processor (Word Pro), a spreadsheet tool (Lotus 1-2-3), database (Approach) and plenty more besides.
WHY WE LIKE IT
The hidden gem of the package is Lotus Organizer. It’s a personal organiser that looks just like a Filofax (ring binders and all). Its ‘year on a page’ planner is a great tool for keeping on top of upcoming events, and its diary is refreshingly uncluttered.
HOW TO INSTALL IT
Download the installer from www. snipca.com/22242 – click the Windows Executable link under Download Options and choose ‘Lotus Smartsuite 9.8 – Int English.exe’ (see screenshot below). Double-click the downloaded file to run the installer (there is no image mounting needed). Once it’s installed we’d suggest you disable Smartsuite from starting up every time your PC boots. To do this, open Task Manager and click Start-up (in Windows 10), or click Start, type msconfig, press Enter and click the Startup tab (in Windows 7 and 8) and untick any selected Lotus startup items.
Microsoft Encarta 99 WHAT IS IT?
A digital encyclopaedia. It still provides a wealth of historical facts and figures (even if it only records events up to and including 1998).
WHY WE LIKE IT
Comprising written accounts, photos, videos and audio clips it still makes for a great resource and it’s more likely to be accurate than its modern-day online alternative Wikipedia.
HOW TO INSTALL IT
Go to www.snipca.com/22251 and click the ZIP link under Download Options. Double-click the downloaded ZIP file and extract the ISO to your desktop (or folder of your choice), then mount the ISO file using Virtual Clonedrive (see box on page 60). Because Encarta 99 is getting on a bit you’ll need to use Windows 10’s Compatibility Troubleshooter to run the Setup.exe file.
To do this, right-click the file and choose ‘Troubleshoot compatibility’, then click ‘Troubleshoot program’. Tick the box next to ‘The program worked in earlier versions of Windows but won’t install or run now’, and click Next. Then select Windows XP (Service Pack 3) (see screenshot above right), click Next, then ‘Test the program’. This will launch the installer. Click Yes in the pop-up box and follow the onscreen instructions.
Once it’s installed you’ll be prompted to restart your PC. Before doing this, return to the open Compatibility Troubleshooter window and click Next, then ‘Yes, save these settings for this program’. Now save any open documents and restart your PC. Once your PC reboots, make sure the Encarta 99 disc is mounted in Virtual Clonedrive, then select Encarta in the Start menu to run it. You’ll notice that Encarta’s videos won’t play. To fix this go to www.cucusoft.com/ codec.asp and download and install Codinstl (see screenshot above right).
Quicken 2004 WHAT IS IT?
Budgeting software similar to Microsoft Money – and it’s still going strong (see www.quicken.com).
WHY WE LIKE IT
Quicken 2004 has simple budgeting tools to help you balance the books and this older version isn’t cluttered by online features (unlike Quicken 2017).
HOW TO INSTALL IT
Download Quicken 2004 from www. snipca.com/22273 (click the ‘Quicken 2004 for Windows’ link), right-click the downloaded file and choose ‘Troubleshoot compatibility’. Follow the same instructions used to install Encarta 99 (see left), but choose the Windows 7 option (not Windows XP). To set up a new account, open Quicken 2004 and choose ‘I am new to Quicken’.
Interestingly, anyone who uses the 2017 version of Quicken could also have a reason to install Quicken 2004. That’s because the program, when used with Quicken 2013, can act as a file converter to make any account from as long ago as Quicken 98 compatible with today’s version.
To start, install Quicken 2004, then select ‘I am already a Quicken user’ (see screenshot below left). Follow the instructions to import your old account. Next, install Quicken 2013 from www. snipca.com/22273 (it will install without the troubleshooter). Open it and select the ‘I’ve used Quicken before…’ option and follow the instructions to update the same old account file (you just converted in Quicken 2004) so that it will be compatible with the 2017 version.
Getright WHAT IS IT?
Getright is a tool primarily designed to resume paused downloads – something that was later adopted by browsers.
WHY WE LIKE IT
Its headline function might be an old trick these days, but Getright is still useful for downloading images from websites in batches. To do so, click Tools then Quicksync. Type the address of the web page containing the images in the URL box and select where you want to download the image files to in the box below it. Next, select ‘Include all except’ and ‘Just this page/folder’, then click OK. Getright will scan the page for images and show them in a list. Click the OK All button to add them to the download list, then click the green ‘play’ button. The next time you want to use Quicksync you will need to close Getright (by rightclicking its icon in the notification area and clicking Close) and then re-open it.
HOW TO INSTALL IT
Go to www.headlightsw.com, hover over Download and click Download Getright, then follow the onscreen instructions. Untick ‘Take over Downloads from your web browser’ to stop Getright interfering with your browser.