Compatibility of VFP on Windows 8 and 10

By Nellaiappan L | January 4th, 2019 |

Will VFP work on Win 8 & 10?

Windows 8 and 10 are not very different from previous versions. Sometimes Visual FoxPro (VFP) may not run as expected when it comes to different versions of Windows. FoxPro for windows acts more like an old 16-bit utility (that is out of tune with the modern world) rather than a real windows application.

A VFP application may be designed to run on Windows XP or Windows 7 but refuses to run on Windows 8 or Windows 10. Some of the standard errors encountered are trouble starting the application, program not loading, poor performance, program crashing, data files disconnecting, compatibility mode syntax errors, and the like. There is a compatibility mode feature built into the Windows operating system that is of little help to resolve this issue. It is not a long-term solution but ensures that the VFP application is not crashing frequently.

Visual FoxPro comes with limitations depending on the size of an application and the method of deployment in Windows OS.

• Visual FoxPro 5 and above is solely a 32-bit product which will not run on Windows machines as VFP does not support 64-bit versions.
• Visual FoxPro database size is limited to 2GB which is not scalable hence it is not suitable for large database requirements and advanced tasks.
• The biggest problem of VFP is security because databases can be encrypted using third-party tools and access rights or roles on the data have to be implemented.
• VFP is a very stable program but at the same time elementary, its interface is ancient, and the images do not render well in windows.
• Third-party products that encrypt VFP data have performance constraints like data corruption, table size limitations, and scalability issues.
• When working in Windows, your VFP application can encounter some strange behavior. Most often the program glitches out forcing you to close and restart.
• Microsoft stopped support for Visual FoxPro and did not include any support in the last version of windows either.

There is no point in trying to make Visual FoxPro compatible with Windows. Instead, it is time to move your legacy applications from Visual FoxPro to a modern .NET framework. Developing a migration strategy and specifying out the development effort and solution is very much essential. Visual FoxPro is an outdated system, and it is high time companies move their applications to the latest .NET framework to avert the high risks associated in trying to make VFP compatible.

Get in touch with us for a permanent solution to all your VFP compatibility issues. Macrosoft’s exceptionally talented team are well versed at both Visual FoxPro and .NET as they can help you formulate a logical solution for this migration. We will guide you through the VFP conversion process without compromising the quality of the final new system which is mostly in the modern .NET framework.

Nellaiappan L

Application Delivery Manager at Macrosoft Inc

Nellaiappan is the Application Delivery Manager for Macrosoft's .NET migration team. Subsequently, Nellai leads the Migration Service to migrate client legacy systems to the latest technologies such as .NET. As a PMP certified professional, he has received accolades from clients for his efficient leadership. Incidentally, during his first migration project, Nellai accelerated the migration resulting in a new service offering from Macrosoft. Later, Nellai worked on an array of proprietary migration tools that form the backbone of the Migrations Practice at Macrosoft.