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There are multiple methods to solving basic issue of XP compatibility for any programs, including TK6. First, you should start with the software maker’s web/support team. Often any specific settings to run their software will be clearly stated on their support / FAQ. The Investors Toolkit support website. Sadly, I looked today, 4 months after the release of Windows7 and there is no mention of it on the support site. Boo.

3 Ways to run older programs under Windows7

1. Windows7 has a compatibility layer (not a virtual machine) where you can setup how the OS appears to the applications. Just right-click on any application to see the “Troubleshoot compatibility” option. That will lead your thru to trying different OS settings. Since this just attempts to fool the application into thinking it is running under whichever OS you select, it may not completely work. I’d expect about 80% of all programs to work with this method. The other options provide complete OS replacement and should run all normal programs that don’t have specific device requirements.
2. If your CPU supports VT AND the BIOS has VT enabled (AMD CPUs call it something else), AND if you have Win7 Professional or Ultimate, then you can download the WinXP Mode free from Microsoft. This is a specialized install of WinXP for Windows7. You’ll need more RAM, 2.5GB or more, and enough disk to load WinXP in addition to Win7 operating systems.
3. Lastly, you can use any other virtualization hypervisor that your processor supports. VirtualBox from Sun Microsystems is the easiest to use and is free to use provided it isn’t deployed by an IT department. I’ve been using this for over a year on my work computer. The downside to this method is you’ll need a legal copy of WinXP to load under the hypervisor and more CPU and more RAM. Basically, your PC will be running 2 complete operating systems. Modern Core2Duo or later processors with VT-x and 4GB of RAM won’t have any issues doing this. Not all current processors support VT-x, so you need to check your specific processor. Intel has made a list of processors with VT-x support.

Windows7 comes in 32-bit and 64-bit versions. In theory, it doesn’t make any difference which version you use. In practice, that really isn’t true since device drivers for 64-bit versions aren’t 100%. Microsoft is requiring 64-bit drivers are included to be Certified for Windows7, however. I use the 64-bit version to access more RAM than the 32-bit version does. All my hardware had 64-bit drivers and it is all working. There are many pros/cons about using each version. A link to explain the 32/64-bit differences.

Can I run X on a netbook?

1. Windows7 – maybe
2. WinXP – probably
3. Linux – yes
4. Software package X – it depends, mainly on the OS, RAM, disk, and netbook CPU.

As to whether a netbook can run Windows7, that depends completely on the netbook, processor, RAM, and disk storage for the specific model. Article on Win7 and Netbooks.

Disks

Many netbooks come with SSD disks, not the old harddrives we are all used to. SSD disks are very limited in size and not meant to have more than a few GB of spare space. Some netbooks do come with a hard drive, usually a 160GB, which will have plenty of space for almost any use. With a physical spinning disk, the battery life is reduced from what an SSD would provide. If you have lots of money, you can get larger SSDs for lots more money.

RAM

Most netbooks that I’ve seen only support 1GB of RAM and cannot be upgraded with more. There isn’t physical room. This will not be enough for Win7 to run in XP-Mode or with another hypervisor like virtualbox. This limited amount of RAM is meant to save battery power.

Netbooks are designed for longer battery life, small size and light weight. They are not usually designed to be a desktop replacement capable of running any program, but I wouldn’t have any issue planning to run TK6 on a netbook, provided it had a modern CPU, enough RAM, and a spinning disk. TK6 simply isn’t that complex of a program that would prevent it from running on a Netbook with the right settings and hardware. Outlook and iTunes are probably the biggest programs the average office worker uses, so if a netbook will run either of these, then TK5/TK6 will be easy.

So, Nokia has a netbook that has all the things I’d want, but it is also very expensive when compared to other netbooks. The reviewers all want it for the style, cell connectivity and performance.

Some disclosures. I haven’t run TK5 in over a year and have never run TK6. My TK5 installation is under a VirtualBox VM running WinXP. Last time I checked, it worked perfectly. I use Windows7 about 10% and Linux the other 90%. WinXP is used just for those applications that don’t work under Linux-Quicken, for example. I’ve never tried to install or run TK5/6 under Windows7.