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Checking Software Compatibility

For security and stability reasons, not all software that runs in
earlier versions of Windows runs in Windows 2000. In particular,
the following types of programs are more than likely incompatible:
• Disk utilities (such as defragmenters) and antivirus programs
written for Windows 9x or Windows NT.
• Programs that use virtual device drivers (VxDs) and 386 drivers
(Windows 9x only). To see whether your system is loading any
such drivers, check the [386Enh] section of the System.ini file.
• Third-party Control Panel applications and custom property
pages.
• Custom power-management solutions written for Windows NT,
which didn't offer much in the way of power management.
• Custom Plug and Play solutions written for Windows NT,
which is not a Plug and Play operating system.
You should remove any such programs before you upgrade to
Windows 2000.
In addition, some programs install differently on Windows 9x than
on Windows 2000 - that is, they use different program files or use
different registry locations for storing data when installed under
Windows 9x. Many publishers of programs for Windows 9x have
created a migration dynamic-link library (DLL) for each of their
programs that require one. A migration DLL can replace or
upgrade files for earlier versions of Windows with Windows 2000-
compatible versions, move application and user settings to the
appropriate place in the Windows 2000 registry, and map other
registry keys to the appropriate locations. The migration DLLs
typically are called Migrate.dll, but they're more commonly known
as upgrade packs. The Setup program asks whether you have any
upgrade packs, so you should obtain any that you need before you
begin installation. (Upgrade packs for some programs are on the
Windows 2000 Professional CD - in the \I386\Win9xmig folder -
but you can obtain others from the publishers' Web sites.) To find
out which ones you need, use Setup's compatibility checker,
described in the following section. Its report includes a list of
programs for which you'll need upgrade packs.