Running old programs on XP

I have just switched from using macintosh computers and i am buying a new PC that is coming with Windows XP i was wondering if I will be able to run programs that only require 98 and 95 and do not say whether XP works with it or not. Does XP cover The windows programs i am clueless to how this works since i have been working with Macs my whole life.

 

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/compatibility/default.asp

 

In addition to Brett's link (which maybe had the information but somewhat buried) -

Most programs written for earlier operating systems will run fine on XP without any messing around.

Of the ones (mostly older) that won't, you can usually fix that by working with the shortcut. There will be an option there to pick another operating system for the program to see when it runs. You can use a drop-down list to select Win95/98/etc.

The main older software things that will not work at all with XP are utilities written to manipulate the system. As mentioned on another recent thread, Norton Utilities requires the latest version for most of it to run and older versions won't even install without giving you lots of dire warnings.

One big difference in the MAC OS and earlier versions of microsoft operating systems is that the MAC OS was written as a real operating system from the get-go. Not the case with M$ for any windows version prior to NT.

The older M$ systems loaded DOS first and then the "operating system" over that so it was basically a huge program but DOS was running the PC. DOS programmers made frequent use of direct calls/manipulations of hardware/firmware to get their programs to function. Necessary since there were lots of things DOS just couldn't be made to do.

NT systems (including 2K & XP) are real operating systems and any hardware calls a program tries to make are trapped by the OS which then tries to perform the requested action. Some, however, don't work. They are seen by the OS as being dangerous, illegal, stability-threatning and simply not performed.

XP is the best M$ effort to data at finding safe ways to do what older programs may ask it to.

And FWIW, most MAC folks I've dealt with are more comfortable with NT systems than with the 9x/ME systems. Much more similar to what they were used to.