I have a program that I used for years on my old computer with Vista OS. That computer died (motherboard failure) and was replaced with a computer running Windows 8.1.

The old program is not compatible with Windows 8.1. It won't install and the program vendor says it is not compatible.

Unfortunately, the program (an architectural CAD program) has generated some files that I have spent hundreds of hours creating, and I don't wish to lose that work. The new 8.1 version of the program is Windows 8.x compatible, but saves the work in a new format, and is not backwards compatible with the old format. There is no known application that can read the old format and save or convert it to the new format.

Would it be feasible to set my new computer up with a dual-boot capability, with 8.1 as the principal OS but having the ability to boot in Vista? Could I then install the old program and work with my old files? That means I have to partition my C:> drive, right? If it doesn't work out, can I "un-partition" it later? Do I have to have all the files (program file, libraries, data files, etc.) in the Vista partition to access them?

As you might surmise, this is a scary idea to me, and I don't know what the risks and the rewards might actually be.

tanstaafl.