Microsoft has always had a great attitude about backward compatibility. They know people are more likely to upgrade to a newer version of Windows if they can still run their old software, especially games. Contrast that to Apple's attitude.

Anyway, there's bad news for anyone wants to run (or is already running) certain older games on Windows Vista, XP, 7, 8 and 10. A recent Windows security update effectively disabled the (already much-reviled) Safedisc DRM software.

Anyone who wants to run the affected games (which include Battlefield 1942) can try a clunky workaround provided by Microsoft, or they can look for a 'no-CD' patch from one of the game copying sites on the web. If you choose to do the latter, be very careful, because some of those sites and the files they host are loaded with malware.