Another posible route if the Win 7 machine is likely to die where you need access to your Win 7 programs would be to run Win 7 in a virtual machine on a Linux system (https://askubuntu.com/questions/1136243/windows-7-running-on-a-virtual-machine-on-ubuntu-18-10 )
On Wed, 2026-05-13 at 09:30 +1200, Raymond Vogt wrote: > Hi All, > Thank you for all the replies and help. It gives me confidence to > ditch MS > Money, the only thing preventing me to switch to Linux. I have > decided to > put my Gnucash file on a USB stick and will try to partition my > laptop > harddrive so I can duel boot for a while until I am confident with > Linux. > I hope I won't have too many more questions about Gnucash. I am > grateful be > part of this supportive community. > Cheers, > Raymond > > On Wed, 13 May 2026, 1:24 am Chris Skudder, <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > Raymond, > > I'm not 100% clear on what you mean by: > > "use the Windows 7 computer as a backup, in case I muck the change > > over up" > > > > IF by this you mean to simply preserve the GnuCash data file itself > > (and > > possibly some of the config files too), then you can copy those > > files > > onto a USB drive and just hold it aside while you work on the > > Win10/Linux machine. > > > > If you want to be able to open and edit the GnuCash file: I don't > > believe that will work, based on the other replies to this thread > > if the > > Win 7 GnuCash latest version is a major version earlier than the > > latest > > version on the Win10 machine. I believe GnuCash data files are NOT > > backward compatible to older "major versions" -- that is, GC 3.x > > can not > > open a GC file written from a GC 5.x. > > > > This next part is out-of-scope on a GnuCash forum, but as long as > > we're > > "talking" ... > > Here's another approach to moving the Win10 machine to Linux, which > > preserves your Win10 environment. I realize not everybody is > > comfortable > > doing this but it's almost always just a couple screws: > > Buy a new hard drive (or solid state drive, or whatever) for the > > computer. > > Remove the existing storage drive (carrying Win 10), and put the > > new > > drive in. > > This is rarely more than a couple little screws. By now YouTube has > > 3-5 > > minute videos showing exactly how to get to the storage drive in > > almost > > every make+model of computer out there. > > > > Once the new drive is in, insert your thumb drive with your Linux > > operating system installer on it into the computer, + install the > > Linux > > OS just like you would have anyway. But this way, you have your > > whole > > Windows OS on the old drive, sitting safely on the side, in case > > you > > want to go back to it, and holding ALL your data. > > > > If you're not happy with the new Linux system, just take out the > > new > > storage drive (carrying Linux), and put the old drive (with > > Windows) > > back in. Turn the computer on, it opens up your Windows system > > right > > back where you left off. > > > > If you do like the Linux system, get a USB adapter to plug the old > > (Windows) drive into the copmuter running the new Linux operating > > system. The Windows drive comes up as an external USB drive in the > > Linux > > system, and you can copy your files over. You may need to "take > > ownership" of the top-level folder in the Windows drive when it's > > plugged into Linux as a USB drive. You'll find how to do that in a > > minute with a search online. > > > > FWIW, I moved to Xubuntu Linux years ago. At first I was very > > cautious > > and careful to preserve my Windows OS. There is certainly a little > > bit > > of a learning curve but I "never" had the slightest desire to go > > back. > > The learning curve gets easier with every later version of Linux, > > and > > the answers get easier to find as search tools get better over > > time. > > > > Hope some of that helps. > > Chris > > > > Let kindness + truth never leave you; > > bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. > > - Proverbs 3:3 > > > > > > *From:* [email protected] > > > > *Sent:* Tuesday, May 12, 2026 at 2:14 AM EDT > > > > *To:* [email protected] > > > > *Subject:* gnucash-user Digest, Vol 278, Issue 17 > > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > > > > > Message: 4 > > > Date: Tue, 12 May 2026 17:26:11 +1200 > > > From: Raymond Vogt<[email protected]> > > > To: "Maf. King"<[email protected]> > > > Cc: GnuCash users group<[email protected]> > > > Subject: Re: [GNC] Runtime to terminate in an unusual way > > > Message-ID: > > > < > > cae+sop12isr-ktqjzvlj_vupju0ysbzokym8fvbndavcesz...@mail.gmail.com> > > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" > > > > > > Hi Maf. > > > Thank you for your reply. > > > The screenshot is from the Windows 7 computer. I am in the > > > process of > > > changing to Linux on my Windows 10 laptop and hoped to use the > > > Windows 7 > > > computer as a backup, in case I muck the change over up. Wish me > > > luck. > > > Cheers, > > > Raymond > > > > _______________________________________________ > > gnucash-user mailing list > > [email protected] > > To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: > > https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user > > ----- > > Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. > > You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All. > > > _______________________________________________ > gnucash-user mailing list > [email protected] > To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: > https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user > ----- > Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. > You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All. -- David Cousens _______________________________________________ gnucash-user mailing list [email protected] To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user ----- Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. 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