Knowledgebase

Question:

Can I use the PDF-XChange family of products on unsupported versions of Windows? I have an issue with a PDF-XChange product - it works in the current versions of Microsoft Windows, but I want to use it in conjunction with an older version of Windows that Microsoft no longer supports.

Answer:

Customer service is a major priroity for PDF XChange - we will always help our uses and do as much as is possible to resolve any issues that they experience. Although we do not tie the support of our products to the support of Microsoft operating systems directly, we do offer full support for the PDF-XChange family of products when they are installed on versions of Microsoft Windows that are currently supported. When our products are installed on older versions of Windows, we will do our best to resolve any issues that users are experiencing. However, if the problem is caused by a bug in a version of Windows that is no longer supported, then we cannot guarantee a solution.

Prior to Windows 10, the "Extended Support" for Microsoft products was ten years from the initital release date. If you are running our products on an operating system that has gone beyond the period of extended support, then it may not be possible to resolve the issues that you are experencing. For example, in some cases a fix to remain compatible with older versions can conflict with methods/functionality in the current generation of Windows products, and therefore will probably not be applied. We advise our users to approach Microsoft for a fix or update their operating system to one that is currently supported in those cases. Further information on the lifecycles of Microsoft products is available here, and a search feature for the lifecycle of Microsoft products is available here.

We are always striving to improve our products and ensure that they utilize the best APIs and functionality available. This means that it is sometimes necessary to sacrifice backward-compatibility with unsupported versions of Windows in our products, as some APIs and functionality are found only in current versions of Windows. We always recommend that the Windows environment of our users be up to date with the latest service packs and Windows updates. This will ensure the best possible support and reduce the possibility of compatibility issues. Additionally, please ensure that you are using the latest build of the PDF-XChange family of products, in order to take advantage of the most recent improvements, added features and new bug/security fixes. We do not provide patches for our software, and therefore the only way to resolve issues that were present in the older builds is to update to the current build.