MS Excell application for Client database working under Windows XP

hi ericdemunck​ running legacy Excel applications from the Windows XP era on modern Windows 11 can be tricky, but there are a few approaches you can consider:

Compatibility Mode

Try right-clicking the Excel application → Properties → Compatibility tab → run it in Windows XP or Windows 7 compatibility mode.

This may work if the app only relies on Excel features and not deeper OS-level components.

Use a Virtual Machine (like you already do with Virtual bx)

You can continue running the application in a Windows XP or Windows 7 VM on Windows 11 using VirtualBx, VMware, or Hyper-V.

This is often the safest way to preserve full functionality without modifying the old code.

Application Virtualization (Microsoft App-V or third-party tools)

Package the old Excel app into a virtualized environment so it runs in isolation on Windows 11 without needing a full XP VM.

Consider Modernization

If this is a core client database, you may want to consider upgrading it (e.g., migrating to a modern Excel version, Access, or even a lightweight database system).

This avoids long-term risk since Windows 11 may gradually drop support for certain older runtime dependencies.

Since you’ve already made it work on Windows 10 in VirtualBx, the most reliable path for Windows 11 is to continue using virtualization or migrate the logic into a modern Excel/Office version.