My experience with programming and personal computers has been that you must define what platform your product will run on, and what versions of each product, with what Microsoft update. All bets are off as soon as Microsoft sends you their latest greatest update.
Some of my applications were for the medical field, and were life and death matters.
At NUMMI (Toyota and General Motors), we would not allow any Microsoft updates to be used by the factory, until they had been thoroughly tested in a proper environment. That is not too practical at home. One company (medical field) had a Software Quality Assurance (SQA) department with professionals who were there to try to break software, by testing for a variety of conditions.
Trying to emulate another persons equipment is not an easy task. When conditions exist such as Microsoft no longer supporting a product, all bets are off!
Being retired, I cannot afford to run out and purchase new software and or hardware, every time Microsoft makes a change or update. But I have been criticized for suggesting such a thing, on programming forums. I have thousands of dollars spent for software and hardware that did not work for more than three months, because Microsoft created updates, and manufacturers did not wish to create new software drivers, or update their software product, without purchasing a new product.
For those of you who have operating systems no longer supported by Microsoft, the world of reality - the technology reality - is your system is not worthy of existing.
You could update your operating system, but your computer may not work at all! Your computer has to keep up with the operating system at some point.
Reliability is another issue. A local store - Fry's, would sell you a five year warrantee. Today, and for the last four years, that has been reduced to three years. Does that tell you anything about the expected life expectancy of your computer?
The world of technology is not a pleasant one. And here I am, right in the middle of Silicon Valley! That is how I got my handle!
Silicon Valley Tom