Our machine control software only runs on Windows 7 or XP, and the old PC has failed. Can a current industrial computer run Windows 7?

Most current machines cannot install Windows 7, let alone XP. Intel CPUs from roughly the 7th generation onwards have no official Windows 7 drivers, and new boards use UEFI boot and USB 3 controllers that Windows 7 setup does not recognise. These Windows versions are also out of security support. Practical options, in the order to try: 1. Ask the software or machine supplier whether a Windows 10/11 update exists. Often only a driver update for the interface device is needed. 2. Run a Windows 7 virtual machine on a new machine running Windows 10/11 IoT or Linux. This suits software that communicates over the network or COM ports; software needing a dedicated interface card inside the PC is harder. 3. Choose an industrial machine with an older-generation CPU that is still manufactured and officially supports Windows 7. Such options are increasingly rare and must be checked model by model. Whichever route you take, isolate the machine from the Internet and the office network, because the old operating system no longer receives security patches.